I have been reading news about Terraria for about 2 weeks. On the outside it looks like a Minecraft clone, but having spent some time with it (40 hours since official release) i can safely say that this is not even close to a Minecraft clone. It feels a lot more like a.....well.....a game with a purpose.

House Made With 3/6 NPC's

Minecraft is a really pleasant experience to play but i feel its main appeal is the building and mindless exploring. Terraria is a much more refined experience and has much more direct goals that Minecraft. You are still able to mindlessly explore, and frankly you have to in the beginning, but once you get a little farther into the game you will no longer need explore as thoroughly as Minecraft.

One of the major things that I think Minecraft lacks is the number of ways you can interact with the environment and the ways it can interact with you. In Terraria there are instances, npcs, bosses, dungeons, and random world events that happen in the world regularly, or when some form of player interaction has occurred. For instance, if you acquire a gun in the game, and have adequate housing, an npc called the Arms Dealer will move into your housing and allow you to buy and sell items. The utter lack of interaction in Minecraft is a downfall and is rightly corrected in Terraria.

Arms Dealer NPC

The controls are very good and feel nostalgic for someone who has played old timey side scrollers. It sort of plays like a Castlevania with crafting. It is a side scroller with many enemies, weapons ranging from swords to guns to boomerangs, and even bosses. Environments are far spread and diverse. There are lots of secrets in the game that will keep you playing and exploring to ultimately gear yourself up for the bosses at end game.

Crafting is as easy as clicking your mouse, and there are lots of items to craft.

The game has lots of replayabilty. It can really be a fun game to either play by yourself or with friends. The multiplayer is built right into the game. No need to DL another server client to play with your friends. Exploring, mining, and building is a lot of fun with the people you know. You can help each other get weapons and items and join parties. There is also a pvp function in Terraria. The game is almost comparable to an MMO in a few of the ways listed above.

Terraria  easily can keep someone entertained with its fun and nostalgic gameplay. It is a must have if you have 10 dollars sitting around and a credit/debit card handy. Pick this game up on steam or buy the four pack and send some copies to your friends. You will not regret it.

I give this game a 9/10.