No, this is not a joke, and no we’re not going to apologise. Yes, Terraria is somewhat of a departure from the other Metroidvanias on this list. But if the myriad of craftable weapons, armour and items inspired by Castlevania are any indication, Terraria also owes a huge debt to the same games which inspired Dead Cells. And if you’re looking for an experience that’s similar, but different to, Dead Cells then Terraria may provide the spicing up of a familiar formula that you want.
Terraria is an open-world crafting game in the vein of Minecraft. However, unlike Minecraft players are given a huge variety of weapons, armour and useful items to aid them in the fight against a massive roster of enemies. As you progress through the game and slay bosses, you’ll unlock new resources and further, more difficult enemies to face. A core part of the game is the continuing upgrades unlocking the ability to explore new areas of the map, and when you defeat a certain boss – we won’t spoil which – the entire game changes to “Hardmode”, making it drastically more difficult.
Completionists will also find plenty to work with here, as there are dozens of bosses, unique enemies and random events that can introduce new challenges for players to overcome. This includes not only a Blood Moon (which, as you might expect, dramatically increases the damage and health of enemies) but also more unique events like a Pirate Invasion or Halloween-themed enemies to the mix.
Helping you along the way will be a wide variety of weapons and items that make running, leaping, flying and grappling across the landscape all the more fun. After a few hours, you’ll be having the same kind of fast-paced fun you’ve already experienced, just in a much different package.
Sure, it may not be linear necessarily, and the addition of crafting mechanics, mining and all those other hallmarks of the genre may turn away purists, but scratch the surface and the similarities will begin to compound.
Terraria is available, as of the time of writing, from Google Play and the App Store for £4.59 and £4.99, respectively.
