Terra Nil Reviews

Terra Nil is ranked in the 86th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
10 / 10.0
Mar 29, 2023

Terra Nil is a masterclass in everything that it attempts to be. A resource management sim that can be as difficult or relaxing as you want, that successfully provides an alternative to classic city-building games by completely flipping the core pillars of the genre on its head, and showing that a game about fostering nature can be just as engaging as one about destroying it. The game does an amazing job of evoking emotion in the player with just its environment alone and even allows you a moment to relish in the majesty of each region you have restored before heading on to the next. Terra Nil wants you to find love and beauty in nature, even if you have to leave it behind. Endlessly satisfying and elegant, any fans of city builders should give this outstanding take on the genre a try.

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10 / 10.0
Mar 29, 2023

Terra Nil is a relaxing experience that engages the mind as much as it helps you to turn it off. Free Lives have gone out of its way to make the planet a little greener by using this game to spread the message of conservation, and with the generous donations to charity that came with it.

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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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4.5 / 5.0
Mar 28, 2023

Terra Nil is a truly unique sim game that does a fantastic job in showcasing various ways the environment can be affected, with an astonishing level of hard work put into the tools needed to make things better. With simple yet incredibly fun gameplay, striking and gorgeous visuals, and a nice level of challenge that rewards players for properly planning things out without putting them under too much pressure, this is a terrifically wholesome and clever game that's worth checking out.

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9 / 10.0
Jan 15, 2024

A provocative and technical feat, Terra Nil stands out from games with a similar environmental setting. It requires you to think creatively and intelligently about the challenges faced by the natural world, and it leaves you with a realistic vision of what humanity needs to do to change the world for the better.

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9 / 10.0
Mar 29, 2023

Terra Nil is a transformative city builder, in every sense of the word. While it presents a world that is polluted and broken down in a way that painfully reflects our world, it also tells us that nature can prevail in the end and that we can help facilitate that healing. It shows that with a bit of ingenuity and clever puzzle-solving, we might just work our way back over time. And it does it all in a tight package with a clear end and a focus on letting the natural beauty of our world take the spotlight. Can you believe these are the people who made the penis-fighting party game?

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8.9 / 10.0
Mar 27, 2023

Terra Nil is not and does not try to be a triple A title with an infinite amount of content that will keep us glued to the screen for months and months; Instead, I found it a product that conveys a very clear message while relaxing us with its beauty-oriented style.

Review in Italian | Read full review

8.8 / 10.0
Mar 27, 2023

Terra Nil is a strategy game about the beauty of nature and how terrible it is to lose it. It serves its purpose very well: it is entertaining and relaxing in a way that few other games in the genre are. Its nature and environment theme carries an important message at its core and delivers it in an experience that is accessible to everyone, even players new to the genre. It is a must for wildlife lovers and those who love building and management games.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

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
Mar 27, 2023

Beautiful, complex, and captivating, Terra Nil is a delightful strategy game only held back by a smaller amount of content and some difficult-to-fulfill objectives.

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8.5 / 10.0
Mar 28, 2023

Terra Nil is a deftly executed environmental strategy game that flips the script and delivers something unique and quite unlike the city-builders you grew up with. It might be a peaceful experience, but its mission statement is gravely earnest.

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8.5 / 10.0
Apr 21, 2023

Terra Nil completely turned the concept of city bulider strategy on its head. Instead of building cities in it, you restore the ecosystem and you can relax incredibly.

Review in Slovak | Read full review

8.5 / 10.0
May 11, 2023

Instead of explosive power fantasies, you're invited to an ecosystem-saving hero story.

Review in Turkish | Read full review

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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8.5 / 10.0
Mar 27, 2023

Terra Nil is a creative and quirky interpretation of the building and strategy genre. It's interesting to use different structures to purify areas and restore nature, especially because of the puzzle-like elements and the need to use scarce resources wisely. The setting captivates, investing in minimalist music, lush nature settings and beautifully crafted visuals to create a tranquil and immersive atmosphere. However, sometimes the game goes against this philosophy with unpredictable and frustrating situations, as well as small interface problems. Ingenious and meditative, Terra Nil is recommended for those who want to relax in the middle of nature and for those in search of a unique challenge.

Review in Portuguese | Read full review

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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8.2 / 10.0
Dec 28, 2023

Taking a different approach, working to rebuild the environment rather than burying it, in development sims

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80 / 100
Mar 27, 2023

A small but satisfying strategy puzzler that comes, does its job and leaves without fuss.

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8 / 10.0
Apr 4, 2023

Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash.

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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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