Underplayed Gems

Terra Nil (2023)

Terra Nil cover
Developer
Free Lives, Clockwork Acorn
Publisher
Devolver Digital
Platforms
Windows, macOS, Linux
Genres
Casual, Indie, Strategy
Rating
4.4 of 5, 8,639 player ratings
Typical playtime
about 12 hours
Where to get it
Steam

More by Free Lives Games

The 3D catalog: game boxes on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalog in 3D

The same catalog has a room you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real games from it when you tell them what you feel like playing. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this game is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

Terra Nil feels like a calm, meditative puzzle where you carefully restore a barren landscape to life and then quietly erase all trace of your work, leaving a pristine ecosystem behind.

atmosphericrelaxingmeditativecalmstrategiccolorfulcutefamily friendly

What players say

Players praise the concept and relaxing atmosphere, but many hit a wall with mandatory animal photography that demands obscure happiness scores. The lack of mid-level saves and one-way decisions force restarts. Some also report persistent bugs and memory leaks.

Screenshots

Terra Nil screenshot 1Terra Nil screenshot 2Terra Nil screenshot 3Terra Nil screenshot 4Terra Nil screenshot 5Terra Nil screenshot 6

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More by Free Lives Games

This page is from Underplayed Gems, a catalog of older and overlooked games. Not quite it? You can browse by platform and genre, or take this one into the 3D catalog and ask the Catbot for something closer.