Terra Nil is an up-and-coming reverse city builder game where you reclaim Earth’s barren wastelands. Acting as a terraformer you build facilities and utilize tools at your disposal to reclaim and revitalize lush vegetation and restore wildlife to the planet. The game boasts a tranquil soundtrack, thought-provoking gameplay, and a well-deserved focus on eco aspects. Keep reading for a preview of an important and beautiful game, which will be gracing our PCs soon.
Eco Warriors assemble!
The game starts by displaying a desolate wasteland with decaying soil and dead trees littering the land. Tasked with restoring this, the game focuses on eco revitalization. Tools are given to the player to carry out this task. The starting point is placing wind turbines on rock formations which then are connected by toxin removers and irrigation pods which create a satisfying restoration of vegetation to the barren squares. The importance of positioning these eco-restoration tools is emphasized. Each square that the player chooses to place a tool, must be considered as having the restoration tools too far from the pylons and not giving the wasteland enough coverage can cause a headache when other tools are introduced later on.
The first task expects the player to cover at least 75% of the wasteland in green and healthy soil. It’s quite straightforward and the tutorial is easy to read and understand. Each tool to aid the eco improvement of the wasteland has a brief explanation that is easy to follow and also has requirements. Thus, helping the player know what they have to do.
Restoring and Revitalising Eco Glory
The game does not stop at just introducing grass and a few scattered trees. The introduction of river beds aided by a water pump, allow for fish to prosper and for biomes like wetlands to be introduced. Creating a riverbed and filling it with water was tricky at first but after the guidance of the tutorial and getting the correct positioning, the waterbeds became a useful tool. Using the excavator tool cost a lot of the leaf currency which allows you to buy resources/tools. The excavator tool would burn a riverbed into the rock but debuff some of the surrounding areas with poison.
Creating Biomes
The next part of the demo focussed on restoring biomes. The three main biomes were floral, forest and wetlands.
The floral biome was engineered by planting beehives on trees that were littered around the map. The bees then pollinated the land and allowed the flowers to prosper. This is featured in the picture above. This was one of the more simple introductions to the biomes.
The creation of the forest biome was slightly more complex. This biome required husks of buildings to place an artificial forest dispenser to help the forest grow and prosper naturally. To do this the player needed to place a solar radar and then line this up so that it then creates a fire burning buildings. The residue left behind is what’s needed to create the forest biome.
Additionally, wetland biomes were also difficult to create. The wetland biomes needed an irrigator that was close to a riverbed and could be replaced. This then flooded the riverbed and created wetlands, similar to that of a marsh or swamp.
Making Wildlife Thrive
The final part of the demo was focused largely on wrapping up this positive eco mission and preparing to dispatch from the previous wasteland. The buildings are replaced with recyclers which do the same job but are less of an eyesore. The recyclers are then replaced further by stations that drones collect resources from. Thus, forcing the player to be careful about where they place recyclers. The aim of this portion of the demo is to ensure that the world is left with minimal buildings and becomes a lush paradise.
One of the most enjoyable features of this section was watching the wildlife progress back to the planet. Deers, birds, fish, and bears can be seen frolicking through your restored paradise.
Final moments
The final moments of the demo include waiting until the drones have collected all resources before the aircraft departs the former wasteland. The sense of achievement is satisfying, especially when you picture what the wasteland looked like prior to this.
Despite the demo being short, it was enough to be captivated and aspire to play Terra Nil when it releases. Terra Nil can be wish listed on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1593030/Terra_Nil/
Tranquil soundtrack
Using headphones created a tranquil and peaceful approach. Meditative and refreshing non-lyrical pieces create an atmosphere that directly accompanies the player in their quest for environmental rejuvenation.
Positive Message
Terra Nil was created as a message by Free Lives an indie game studio from Cape town. Terra Nil is very different from their different releases as Bro force, Gorn, and Genital Jousting. The overall message promotes Eco positivity and allows players to reflect on issues such as climate change, pollution, and deforestation.
Thank you
Terra Nil was featured in https://vibethenook.com/top-10-indie-games-aimed-to-release-in-2022/ as one of our anticipated games for release in 2022. Keep your eyes peeled for a review of Terra Nil when it releases. In the meantime check out the trailer below.
26, Indie Game connoisseur. Also a hamster mum, fiancée & working in the addiction field. Gaming and writing are my escape and comfort for when the world gets too much!
