Terra Randoma
- May 23, 2024
- Deniz K.
- 5h median play time
Get on Steam"Terra Randoma is a turn-based tactical roguelike RPG with a procedurally generated open world. Create your own adventures on a customizable island filled with diverse enemies, quests, and loot. Your actions impact the prosperity of settlements and the overall story, providing a unique and dynamic gameplay experience."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The gameplay loop is addictive and engaging, with plenty of activities like exploring, upgrading items, and completing quests.
- The game features a charming aesthetic and a well-crafted open world with procedurally generated elements, providing a unique experience each playthrough.
- The developer is highly active, regularly updating the game and responding to player feedback, which bodes well for future improvements.
- The game suffers from balance issues, particularly with random encounters and the effectiveness of abilities, leading to frustrating gameplay experiences.
- Inventory management can be cumbersome, with a lack of permanent storage and item categorization, making it difficult to keep track of essential items.
- The combat system feels simplistic and can become repetitive, lacking depth and strategic options as players progress.
- story57 mentions
- 7 % positive mentions
- 88 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is minimal and largely procedural, with players primarily engaging in a series of side quests rather than a compelling main narrative. While the world is populated with towns and dungeons, the quests often feel repetitive and lack depth, making the gameplay feel more like a collection of tasks rather than an immersive experience. Overall, the storytelling is considered weak, serving mainly as a backdrop for the mechanics rather than a driving force for player engagement.
“The lore I recited is the actual in-game story and gives your otherwise completely randomized world some sort of needed structure, although I don't praise its originality.”
“Let me tell you the story of Oleander the Tempest, a ruthless yet skilled master of the arts of combat and magic alike.”
“Unlike an RPG, there is no scripted plot; rather, a story and optional main quest emerges.”
“The game basically feels like you're playing inside a world of side quests as if the main storyline has already been completed, never quite getting off the ground to truly feel compelling, more like a second job.”
“The game does not have much of a story; you really just jump from quest to quest.”
“It's a good addition to the smaller RPG genre, but it does not have much of a story, so it's more difficult to feel immersive in the gameplay.”
- gameplay36 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by an addictive loop that combines simple yet satisfying mechanics with strategic and tactical elements, allowing for varied character builds and skill options. While some players appreciate the clever mechanics and the surprises in combat, others find the experience repetitive and lacking in content, suggesting that the game needs further development to enhance its depth and polish. Overall, the gameplay is engaging but may not appeal to everyone due to its reliance on random encounters and minimal narrative.
“I find the gameplay loop addictive in a good way.”
“The different classes make for varied gameplay and do not lock you into anything; you can really build your character however you want.”
“The gameplay feels very strategic and tactical, constantly demanding from the player their full attention while dealing with the character’s resources, life, stamina, and hunger.”
“That is a game-ruining mechanic when you're in a boss fight, which is what this game is based around.”
“Gameplay is paced but repetitive.”
“I'm sure Terra Randoma will improve as development continues, and gets some actual features and mechanics beyond the skeleton of a world and game, but for now I don't recommend spending money on it unless you're really into the full RNG thing and are okay with basically crowdfunding that concept into a more fleshed-out game.”
- graphics27 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics of Terra Randoma are characterized by a charming, old-school tabletop aesthetic that many players find appealing, likening it to moving miniatures in a tabletop RPG. While some critiques mention that the visuals could benefit from refinement, particularly in enemy design, the overall art style and polygonal graphics contribute to a pleasant and immersive experience. The game's unique visual presentation effectively complements its gameplay, offering a nostalgic yet engaging atmosphere.
“Beneath the simple graphics and map is a surprising amount of depth.”
“It features a unique aesthetic that immerses you in the feeling of playing a tabletop game.”
“It's a roguelike, and you've seen this before -- doing quests and slaying beasts and upgrading equipment -- but all of the components are unusually well-executed, and all wrapped in an extremely graphically pleasing look-and-feel that's almost like moving miniatures around a tabletop.”
“Some may be turned off by the graphics, but I find them charming.”
“Visuals could have been better.”
“I see it has its own art style and surely it's hard to create a game with great visuals when you just have limited resources and you are a solo dev, but I think some refinements could be done on some enemies.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability through features like customizable maps, procedural generation, and diverse classes, ensuring each playthrough feels unique. While many players appreciate the balance and variety provided by random elements, some feel that the repetitiveness of certain aspects, such as town layouts and quests, may diminish the overall replay value. Overall, it is considered a must-buy for those seeking a deep and engaging experience with high replay potential.
“When starting a game, you can even choose the kind of map you want (think Sid Meier’s Civilization), which adds to the replayability.”
“The game is actually fantastically balanced, highly replayable, and has just the right amount of resource scarcity to never feel like you get over the hump (on normal hardcore at least).”
“Like traditional roguelikes, the world is procedurally generated for unlimited replay value, and you get to decide if permadeath is something you wish to cope with.”
“Random elements in roguelikes are there to add replayability to your game by not having identical level layouts and monster/loot placement every run, but personally I don't find visiting a new random town full of identical shops and randomly generated quests alters the experience in any meaningful or interesting way that makes me want to play again.”
“I could ask for more content but really the classes and abilities make it replayable.”
“Procedurally generated worlds offer some replayability.”
- music8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many users noting its absence and describing it as "meh," primarily replaced by nature sounds. While some appreciate the artwork and find the music good, others are frustrated by repetitive tunes, particularly in tavern settings. Overall, the soundtrack lacks variety and depth, leading players to often mute it.
“Artwork is cool, music is good.”
“+ matching graphic style and music”
“The music is mostly absent and primarily you hear nature sounds.”
“Music is meh, what there is of it.”
“That damn repeating fiddle is driving me crazy; it needs a variety of music when visiting the tavern.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviews on grinding are mixed; some players find it tedious and repetitive, particularly due to a lack of engaging content and poor UI, while others appreciate the depth of combat that makes grinding enjoyable and balanced, especially in the context of a roguelike game. Overall, the experience can vary significantly depending on individual preferences for gameplay mechanics.
“Even after 20 minutes, I already found the random quests tedious.”
“Way too bare bones; just tedious random encounters on repeat with no dungeons and hardly functional gameplay with some inaccurate UI displays.”
“Incredibly tedious...”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -300 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviewers note that while procedurally generated games often struggle with creating a cohesive atmosphere, there are ways to enhance the immersive experience despite these challenges.
“I love how the game creates a haunting atmosphere that keeps you on edge throughout your journey.”
“The ambient sounds and visuals work together beautifully to immerse you in this unique world.”
“Every corner of the game is filled with intricate details that enhance the overall atmosphere and make exploration a joy.”
“I like procedurally generated games and understand this is a common problem with them, but you can still overcome that to some degree and add some atmosphere.”
