Terra Nil is a relaxing and upbeat strategy game. What if it was possible to repair a devastated planet? You know, bringing back greenery, biodiversity and animal life? Even if Earth takes a bit more work, you can at least fix this little version of the planet. Although it takes a lot of patience, the end result is very beautiful. This world (Earth??) is completely stuck, and it’s up to you to fix it. For this, the environment must be restored. You use green energy to set up irrigation, toxin purifiers and new rivers. Each new region brings its own set of challenges. We appreciate the delicate balance between the relaxing graphics and the complex mechanisms. It’s great to bring nature back to life, but you have to be resolutely surgical if you want to succeed. One misstep can make your project forever incomplete. Of course, you can start from scratch (or from a series of checkpoints) if necessary. The stakes are pretty low, but in a way, aren’t they? Starting over involves a considerable investment of time, which I found rather daunting. In particular, we felt genuine angst when faced with a soft reset. We knew we had to do something different, but we weren’t always sure what it was. This feeling of unease is nicely offset by the triumph of success. You also get the chance to enjoy your work before moving on, which is great.
The aesthetic of Terra Nil is seductive. The sight of fresh grass growing on desolate terrain is always satisfying. Seeing swamps, tundra and forests grow in an instant is always enjoyable. This is where the sound design comes in. We found ourselves keeping our headphones on at all times. You just don’t want to miss anything. The murmur of flowing water, the creak of growing trees, and even the crackle of flames are all excellent. Not to mention the music, which gives you a great picture while you work. Another element of satisfaction is the recycling phase. It’s a must to complete each area, but it’s still great. You installed all these stand-alone systems to revitalize the land, which is already very beautiful. But then you can tear it all off, piece by piece. What remains is a perfect landscape, untouched by any artificial creation. Your ultimate victory is to erase all traces of your passage. I really enjoyed playing this passage, even if it can almost become tedious. You can’t leave a single coin behind, after all.
Pack your bags.
Each step becomes more complex. One of the new elements that Terra Nil puts in your path is the search for new forms of animal life. You need to find the perfect environment in which each of them can thrive. This is the part of the game that I liked the least. We had to scan more than a dozen times to find some species, with guesses that seemed really random. Worse still, sometimes the environment you have created is not suitable for certain animals. It only takes three to progress, but you can always get stuck in the progress. If you don’t have the correct layout for at least three species, it’s time to reset. As you progress, the next steps will require increasingly granular design to complete. The last region took several resets before we got there. It is a delicate balance, both relaxing and intense. We liked to make everything green and perfect, but you really have to do it twice before you get there. However, the end result is worth it. Who wouldn’t want to turn a bloody hell into a thriving paradise? Even better, developer Free Lives is investing a portion of pre-order and post-launch sales into the Endangered Wildlife Trust. In this sense, playing this game is good for the environment.
VERDICT
There is something gratifying about Terra Nil. You are working to restore a dead world, with tangible results that will keep you busy. The mechanics get pretty complex after a while, don’t they? And sometimes you feel like your mistakes are indelible, even if you start over. But the work seems worth it. If you’re looking for a peaceful but sometimes stressful gaming experience, consider Terra Nil. As a result, you might even reconsider our current planet.