Terra Lander (PC) Review

By Athanasios 09.03.2015

Review for Terra Lander on PC

One of the best, and most frequently used, tools that indie titles put into action to manipulate the gaming masses into opening their wallets, is the use of a bit of good ol' nostalgia. Recent examples, like Pix the Cat, Shovel Knight, and Fenix Rage, though, show that when the old school fireworks lose their charm, gameplay is all that matters, and, unfortunately, Terra Lander doesn't seem to understand that, since its arcade-like vector look, and robotic sound effects, cannot hide the mediocrity that lies underneath.

Terra Lander has probably been inspired by a very old - and forgotten - arcade classic called Lunar Lander. Apart from the similar title, and the use of the strangely beautiful simplicity of vector graphics, both of them put the player in control of a landing pod that uses small engine bursts to change direction, while gravity keeps on doing what it does best… and no, that's not making theoretical physicists scratch their heads. The similarity is superficial, though, because this little indie creation is a different thing altogether.

On the outside this looks just like any other space pod landing simulator, but that's only a tiny part of the action - in fact that is only needed in the end of each level, and it's not exactly rocket science (or is it?); just position the landing module accordingly, lower its speed, land, and that's it. The rest is all about flying around and blasting various things while avoiding enemy fire, crashing onto a wall, or running out of fuel.

The catch is the existence of some basic physics that the player must always be aware of, but luckily, it all feels very natural, thus it's very easy to get the hang of the controls after the first couple of levels, especially when, unlike what happens in most games of this kind, the vehicle here doesn't rotate. Therefore, it's only a matter of moving the left analogue stick towards the desired direction, paying attention to the velocity, and all will be fine.

Screenshot for Terra Lander on PC

In the few available levels, the goal will be to reach a landing pad. Along the way, fuel tanks can be destroyed, and double the fuel capacity for the next level if they are all wiped out, while enemies, in the form of cannons, will try and shoot the pod down. Shooting is also very easy, and it's done with the right analogue stick. Wait, though, is that all there is to do here? Just shoot at stuff before reaching the end?

All levels are extremely similar, but they do get progressively harder, with more enemies, and less available space to fly. However, and although one hit equals death, the biggest threat here is, surprisingly, the graphics! The bullets, the engine fire, and the explosions, are all made out of small dots, and the problem with this becomes obvious the moment someone hits a couple of objects, filling the view with tiny garbage and making it extremely hard to see enemy bullets, despite their distinctive red colour.

In conclusion, not only is this very simple, but it's also very annoying, and even if the annoying part was gone, there's nothing really exciting here - it feels the same from beginning to end, despite the constant increase in difficulty. Some videogames keep it simple, yet they can be very addictive, like the vector classic Asteroids. Terra Lander, however, is just mediocre, and that's putting it mildly.

Screenshot for Terra Lander on PC

Cubed3 Rating

3/10
Rated 3 out of 10

Bad

Such a low score usually means an abundance of serious problems, like lots of game-crushing bugs, extremely bad controls, half-finished content, and the like. Design-wise, though, there's nothing really wrong with Terra Lander. Nothing is actually glitchy or broken yet, as a whole, it is so annoying and depressingly uninteresting that it doesn't matter in any way. This may not be one of the worst games available, but it's certainly one worth avoiding… and no, the retro visuals and audio cannot turn the tide.

Developer

DM Media

Publisher

KISS

Genre

Action

Players

1

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  3/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  0 (0 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date None   Australian release date Out now   

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