Terra Nil Reviews

Terra Nil is ranked in the 86th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
85 / 100
Mar 27, 2023

There’s something rewarding about this game. You’re working to restore a dead world, with tangible results to keep you engaged. The mechanics get pretty complex after a while, true. And it can feel like your mistakes are indelible, even as you’re restarting a stage. But the labor feels worth it. Better still, developer Free Lives is putting a portion of pre-order and post-launch sales towards the Endangered Wildlife Trust. In that sense, playing this game actually does some good for the environment. If you’re looking for a peaceful, yet sometimes stressful, gaming experience, consider Terra Nil. You might even reconsider our actual planet as a result.

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9 / 10.0
Mar 27, 2023

Terra-Nil is a short and sweet relaxing builder game about restoring barren lands.

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8 / 10.0
Mar 27, 2023

Terra Nil is a charming and deceptively deep strategy game with a lovely aesthetic that flips conventions in a compelling way.

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Recommended
Mar 27, 2023

The reverse city builder is trickier than it appears, but utterly committed to its environmental vision, taking the genre - and every level - to new places.

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8 / 10
Mar 27, 2023

Terra Nil is not what you might expect from a typical strategy game. There are no opponents to face, no incessant clicking, and no steep learning curve. It is a game that takes the concepts found in many city-building games and turns them on their head, emphasizing sustainability and conservation rather than endless expansion or usurpation of resources. While the game's mechanics didn’t always work as expected, what few issues I encountered did little to take away from an otherwise enjoyable and meditative experience.

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8.2 / 10.0
Mar 27, 2023

It's a simple game, but one in which all the systems work in harmony to create a chilled-out and satisfying experience. With customizable difficulty, decent variety in levels, and a soundtrack that makes you feel like you're in a fancy spa, Terra Nil offers a relaxing opportunity to turn a bleak little square of land into a verdant paradise.

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8.5 / 10.0
Mar 27, 2023

Terra Nil is one of the most beautiful and peaceful games I’ve played in quite some time. Turning the procedurally generated wastelands into paradises has been really therapeutic. Free Lives not only did a great job of creating a reverse city builder but showed us why we need to give back to nature. Even with some frustrating elements, Terra Nil is worth your time.

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80 / 100
Mar 27, 2023

Terra Nil's aesthetics and calming ambience mean that you might be playing it wrong if you're stressing out over its message and its environmental education method via an easy-to-control simulation. I'm honestly glad that titles like Terra Nil exist to help combine the fun and challenges of a simulation together with an encyclopedia on how to grow your own tundra.

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Unscored
Mar 27, 2023

A puzzle-citybuilder about rejuvenating the environment, Terra Nil has an almost lovely message, but it's buried beneath tedious chores.

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