Terra Nil is a new eco-friendly spin on the city builder genre in which you’re entrusted with rebuilding an ecological wasteland, and it’ll be available for free next week.
Terra Nil is described as a “reverse city builder” by Free Lives, the company behind the run-and-gunner Broforce. Unlike the usual city builder/management sim, Terra Nil prioritizes environmental regeneration above topics like biodiversity and temperature control. That’s right, no capitalist rat races to compete in, no invading armies to repel, just a world in its ecological twilight years relying on you to turn back the clock.
When I originally heard the term “reverse city builder,” I pictured some sort of deconstruction sim in which you had full Blanche to bulldoze the world’s least ecologically friendly towns and replace them with forests and animals. Terra Nil, on the other hand, does not appear to take its genre title so literally. You’re still erecting structures where none previously existed, but you’re doing so on top of dead zones in order to create a sustainable climate, self-sufficient garden, and diversified animal system. When you’ve completed the mission of restoring the devastated ecology, it’s time to recycle everything you needed to complete it and move on.
As with any large-scale endeavor, you’ll begin by addressing minor issues such as soil purification and vegetation cultivation. However, you will eventually be able to confront greater existential problems such as climate catastrophe and biodiversity loss. Maps are produced procedurally, which means that even inside the same location, each game will seem unique.
Terra Nil is an artistically pleasing game, despite the fact that it places a significant burden on your shoulders. The hand-drawn settings are superbly colored and truly jump out of the screen, especially once you’ve completed your task of resolving their environmental crisis. The soundtrack is also really soothing, but don’t allow yourself to get distracted while working – after all, the fate of the world is at risk here.
Terra Nil will be available for free as part of the Steam Next Fest on Wednesday, June 16. (formerly Steam Game Festival). Go to its Steam website to add it to your wishlist and stay up to speed on any additional developments.
