Review: Terraria – 1.2 Patch / Developer: Re-Logic / Publisher: Re-Logic, 505 Games, Spike Chunsoft / Platform: PC Game / Release Date: Out Now
With the developers finally concluding all work on the Minecraft-esque 2D sidescroller before moving onto Starbound, Terraria’s 1.2 update is one massive send-off to the fans to the point where it might as well be its own game. With the addition of several hundred new objects, enemies, biomes and even a few NPCs, what we have here is more or less a sequel in its own right, one that builds upon what we had before while extensively improving upon it.
Along with the Corruption, players need to now worry about the Crimson, an unholy red-tinted Mordor filled with extremely mobile giant spiders and demonic entities. Replacing the traditional purple-tinted realm of the Eaters of Souls, it’s a new addition which forces players to fight their way through multiple worlds to see everything. Furthermore, the previously relatively tranquil snow biome is now home to its own enemies, making it only slightly less hostile than the infamous Jungle.
Traversing these deadly worlds has been made considerably easier thanks to the new programming. You can now simply walk over single blocks as if they were stairs, and there are also new additions like climbing claws, lava waders and water boots. Not to mention the extremely helpful inclusion of a mini-map allowing you to plot underground excursions with far greater ease.
Crafting has been taken to an entirely new level. Along with the inclusion of tungsten, tin and other ores, you get workbenches such as the extractinator which directly converts silt and slush into new items. This offers everything from money to unique items such as mosquitoes in amber which permit you to summon dinosaur pets as fighters.
The chief problem with this latest patch is the same one which plagues any changes: the bugs. There are a few here, from the frustratingly irritating such as the aforementioned giant spiders (Blood Crawlers) walking along environmental backgrounds to potentially game-breaking ones such as items disappearing from chests. While far from frequent, they can prove to be a major irritation at times, especially when vast amounts of valuable rich mahogany disappear into thin air. Furthermore, a number of items and enemies remain console exclusives, outdoing even this updated version in a few areas like pets.
Still, these are only minor shortcomings. With new weapons, new places to go and many improved basic gameplay elements, Terraria remains a fantastic title. A winning combination of Diablo’s murdering of monsters for loot drops and Minecraft‘s style, it’s definitely a game worth anyone’s time. Buy it if you don’t have it already, you won’t regret sinking a few hours into this one. Terraria can be purchased on Steam.
