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[Maiden Voyage]

Release date: March 28, 2023
Platforms: Steam, GOG, EGS, iOS (Netflix required)
Developer: Free Lives
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Price: $24.99 USD

Metacritic score 80/100:

Terra Nil

Terra Nil, from eco-warriors Free Lives (Broforce) and recycled publisher Devolver Digital, presents players with the task of environmental rejuvenation. Begin with the water system, slowly purify the soil, and cultivate pioneer greenery. Embark on more ambitious tasks, restore biodiversity, fix...

www.metacritic.com

Steam Deck Platinum rating from ProtonDB:

https://www.protondb.com/app/1593030

ABOUT​

Terra Nil is a game about transforming a barren, lifeless landscape into a thriving, vibrant ecosystem. Turn dead soil into fertile grassland, clean polluted oceans, plant sprawling forests, and create the ideal habitat for animals to call home. Then recycle your buildings and leave no trace that you were there. Reclaim the wasteland.

A reverse city builder​

Use advanced eco-technology to purify the soil, creating plains, wetlands, beaches, rainforests, wildflowers, and more—then efficiently recycle everything you've built, leaving the environment pristine for its new animal inhabitants.

Different maps every time​

Procedurally generated landscapes mean no two playthroughs of Terra Nil will ever be the same. Plan your build around randomized, challenging, and unpredictable terrain, including snaking rivers, mountains, lowlands, and oceans.

A natural ebb and flow​

Each region of Terra Nil progresses through phases, with the ultimate goal being leaving pristine wilderness behind. Levels are not about infinite growth, but rather balancing and nurturing the environment before leaving it in peace.

Experience tranquility​

Lush hand-painted environments, relaxing music, and an atmospheric ambient soundscape make Terra Nil a peaceful, meditative experience. When you're done, use Appreciate mode to bask in the natural beauty of the ecosystem you have restored.

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SCREENSHOTS​

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TRAILERS / MEDIA​

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SOCIALS​

 

[calistan]

This is a pretty cool idea. I like the thought of regenerating an area then leaving without a trace.

There are some things I'm not too sure about though. It seems quite inflexible at times - I wish it was easier to sculpt the landscape without having to build a whole sequence of buildings. And when the time comes to pack up your stuff and leave, if you have a few stray buildings placed too far from a river then you have to start rebuilding wind farms and burning ugly canals through your nice landscape, just so the recycling boat can reach them. Seems a bit fiddly to me, but maybe I'm missing a trick there.

I'm currently stuck at the end of the first level. I just can't get any animals to move in. I place the sonar thing in a habitat to attract them, nothing happens, then I have to demolish it to build another one elsewhere. So, as ever, I can't place it too far from a river, otherwise I have to go through the (tedious) process of making new canals. My landscape is starting to look pretty patchy because of that.

Taken about an hour so far. Not sure if this is going to grab me beyond the two-hour refund point...

 

[Punished Miku]

Very original idea. I'd jump on this on consoles.

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

Looks pretty nice.

Reminds me of the ending scene of Princess Mononoke

 

[IbizaPocholo]

 

[FunkMiller]

A nice little game. Completed the first level. It starts to get a lot more complex from then on, and they really don't do the best job of explaining things though.

 

[reksveks]

How is it on Netflix (via touch) ?

PS can you get Netflix games to work on PC via one of the emulators?

 

[calistan]

How is it on Netflix (via touch) ?

PS can you get Netflix games to work on PC via one of the emulators?

The Netflix version is actually very good. I'm going to stick with this one rather than Steam. You drag the buildings around before confirming the placement. It doesn't support keyboard control on iPad, only touch or trackpad. Text is a bit small on iPhone.

I tried sideloading it on a Mac but it's locked. Didn't pursue that any further, I wouldn't want to play on a computer without keyboard shortcuts anyway.

edit: Actually, I think the game is better on an iPad than it is on PC. The interface doesn't get cluttered up with giant tooltips every time you hover over an icon, and dragging buildings around with your finger before confirming with a tap on a button elsewhere on the screen seems less prone to error than using a mouse.

 

[calistan]

Nobody else playing this? It's a fairly good game (for free on Netflix - I wouldn't recommend it for the price they're asking on Steam) but I might have reached the end of my tether with some of its glitches and quirks.

The cleanup phase is not much fun, and can end your game if you don't have it all prepared long before you've completed the earlier objectives. Finding animals is just broken. I had one game ruined right at the end because it wouldn't let me move the sonar cursor, it just got stuck in place. Other games have ground to a halt because the requirements for animals settling are quite vague, and even if you have what looks like the perfect conditions it fails more often than not.

Anyway, the few hours I spent on it yesterday make it probably one of my most played iPad games. Just wish it was a little more polished.

 

[Bragr]

I want to jump on this, but that price is a strong deterent.

There are some games that have featured an eco-focus, like Equilinox, Surviving Mars DLC, and that new DLC from Endzone, and I love that, bringing back nature to the land is satisfying and I hope we get more games like this.

But since I hear it's rather short, and with the steep price, I'm gonna hold off for now and slap it into my watch list.

 

[Maiden Voyage]

Nobody else playing this? It's a fairly good game (for free on Netflix - I wouldn't recommend it for the price they're asking on Steam) but I might have reached the end of my tether with some of its glitches and quirks.

The cleanup phase is not much fun, and can end your game if you don't have it all prepared long before you've completed the earlier objectives. Finding animals is just broken. I had one game ruined right at the end because it wouldn't let me move the sonar cursor, it just got stuck in place. Other games have ground to a halt because the requirements for animals settling are quite vague, and even if you have what looks like the perfect conditions it fails more often than not.

Anyway, the few hours I spent on it yesterday make it probably one of my most played iPad games. Just wish it was a little more polished.

I've got a few things to clear up this week before I get started.

I want to jump on this, but that price is a strong deterent.

There are some games that have featured an eco-focus, like Equilinox, Surviving Mars DLC, and that new DLC from Endzone, and I love that, bringing back nature to the land is satisfying and I hope we get more games like this.

But since I hear it's rather short, and with the steep price, I'm gonna hold off for now and slap it into my watch list.

No shame in waiting for a sale. I might as well, depending on how the demo plays out for me.