Donationware strategy game
Terra Nil Prototype is a donationware strategy game developed by Free Lives. This is a special version of the soon-to-be-released Terra Nil since it’s the original prototype, sharing many features with the latter. Even though it’s a strategy game, it’s very different from titles such as Age of Empires III, and it’s touted as a “reverse” city-building game.
In this game, the world was already developed and subsequently destroyed. It’s your task to make nature thrive again, transforming the wasteland into prosperous ecosystems. This is an original take on the city builder formula that gives a fresh breath of air into the genre.
One of the major differences between the full version and the Terra Nil Prototype is the graphics. In this version, you’ll enjoy pixelated graphics, much like a title from the late 90s. Even then, they are very detailed and work perfectly fine.
Retro graphics
Everything is detailed enough so you won’t have any issues identifying different biomes, the area of influence of the different buildings and telling them apart. There’s also a beautiful map that gets updated in real-time, showing your progress, which is a nice, modern touch.
A taste of things to come
Being a sort of alpha version, Terra Nil Prototype delivers a pleasant experience, with many features that will surely be present in the full game, which is more expansive and has more systems in place.
One of the main features that this game lacks and the full version will offer is procedurally-generated worlds. This is a major downside here since the levels are always the same. That said, they are varied and offer enough challenges to keep you entertained for a long time.
A pleasant experience
Who would’ve imagined a nightmarish dystopia could be so relaxing? Terra Nil Prototype shows a very clever take on a tired genre, defeating several conventions along the way. In this respect, the developing team managed to offer a very intriguing proposal for RTS fans eager to try new things.
Innovation, however, doesn’t necessarily mean that a game will be any good. Fortunately, this game ticks all boxes, and then some. It offers a fantastic gameplay experience, where relaxation meets excitement as you slowly start giving life back to a dead place. It’s not obvious why, but it somehow works flawlessly.
