Terraria
Terraria gallery
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Terraria is an open world sandbox game, much like Minecraft and its imitators. It differs, though, in that it adds more adventure to the formula, pitting players against numerous enemies and offering many more options than the Microsoft-owned game. There are plenty of secrets to discover and the combat is a welcome addition to some, though that might make the game inappropriate for very young children. Players can compete in multiplayer games locally, but not online -- meaning they won't interact with unseen strangers. There is a loophole in the form of an secondary app, Multiplayer Terraria Edition, which allows online, multiplayer games.What kids can learn
Some kids may be frustrated initially by the game's open nature, but will likely ease as they discover the creative side of the game and determine their own goals.
Players draw from their understanding of the real world -- how wood leads to making walls and workbenches, how stone can be used to create a furnace to smelt metal to build better swords -- to solve the game's contextual problems. They will likely use deduction and strategy to achieve the goals they set. If they use the multiplayer feature, they will work together to solve problems.
There's a solid tutorial and an in-game character to help you along. Also, the game's thriving community can offer suggestions to spark inspiration.
What's it about?
In TERRARIA players are dropped into a randomly-generated world, where they must mine for resources using the tools available to them and create structures, such as houses, and other equipment. Movement of the character and the character's tool or weapon is done via two virtual joysticks at the bottom corners of the screen, while a menu of tools sits in the upper left corner. Players will also encounter monsters, which they can fight or flee from. Every time players start a new map, it's an entirely different game.
Is it any good?
Minecraft has some serious competition: Terraria not only lets users indulge their inner builder, creating whatever their imagination can dream up, but it makes use of those creations by having non-player characters live within them. A well-done action element lets players do more than spelunk and build, breaking up what can be a monotonous process to some people. The maps are huge, there are tons of items to craft, and defeating the bosses takes some thought.
Families can talk about...
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Families can talk about creative energy and how to channel it: What can you create with the resources you mine in the game?
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Talk about environmental impact and using resources wisely: What happens if you chop down that many trees in the real world?
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Discuss the aspect of the game and game modes they like best: Do they like building things best? Killing the bosses? Using player-versus-player (PvP) mode?
App details
| Devices: | iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android, Fire phone, Kindle Fire, Windows Phone |
| Price: | $4.99 |
| Release date: | December 4, 2014 |
| Category: | Adventure Games |
| Topics: | Adventures |
| Size: | 86.30 MB |
| Publisher: | 505 Games |
| Version: | 1.2.6508 |
| Minimum software requirements: | iOS 7.0 or later; Android 2.3 and up |
