Terra Nil

Checkpoint GamingBree Maybe

10/10

I love resource management games. Whether they be city builders, farming sims, or even a side mechanic in a game that largely focuses on other gameplay styles. Terra Nil immediately stands out as something completely different from its contemporaries in the genre as the game operates in entirely the opposite manner. The key thesis of Terra Nil is the return of nature, instead of the destruction of it in the name of progress. It’s an idea that is as novel in concept as it is brilliant in exe...

Pure NintendoKirstie Summers

9/10

A game with a simple approach to a provocative and serious issue, Terra Nil charges you with terraforming a ruined planet Earth so that its natural biodiversity

TechRaptorTanushri Shah

9/10

Terra-Nil is a short and sweet relaxing builder game about restoring barren lands.

Press StartBrodie Gibbons

8.5/10

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.

COGConnectedJames Paley

85/100

Terra Nil is a relaxing strategy game with an optimistic vision. What if it was actually possible to fix a devastated planet? You know, bring back the greenery, the biodiversity, and the animal life? While Earth might require a bit more work, you can at least fix this tiny version of it. Although there’s a lot of patient labor involved, the end results are quite beautiful.

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DestructoidEric Van Allen

8/10

When all’s said and done, you leave, and nature remains. It’s a fitting end to Terra Nil. It’s a small-scale, unique city-builder that is short and sweet. It does just what it needs to, and moves on. Maybe that’s not as in-depth or infinitely playable as some strategy heads might want from a city-builder. But I personally loved that even Terra Nil itself is about entering, making a positive impact, and leaving. It’s easy to be pessimistic about our future, but Terra Nil is at least a small slice of hope amidst it all.

PC GamerDominic Tarason

80/100

More solitaire than strategy, Terra Nil is still a soothing, satisfying and educational environmentalist puzzler.

Game InformerBrian Shea

7.5/10

Video games often rely on the trope of saving the world from an impending apocalypse. Those world-ending events usually come via megalomaniacal supervillains or extraterrestrial invaders, but what happens when the threat to our planet is us? Terra Nil poses that question, placing you in charge of restoring a world ravaged by the effects of climate change and human civilization. The result is a distinctive “reverse city builder” that weaves compelling mechanics together, creating an enjoyable experience with a good message.

Screen RantRob Gordon

7/10

Terra Nil avoids getting tired over its various levels, in part because of the different approach required for different parts of the world. Using geothermal energy in an arctic, volcanic climate is very different from building up coral reefs off the coast of an island, while the final stage tasks the player with dredging a flooded city to create a natural paradise. It's a replayable game, too, particularly with new environments to choose from after beating the game the first time and the drive to reach 100% ecosystem repair on each level, although it's likely something that gets put down afte...

EurogamerRuth Cassidy

The reverse city builder is trickier than it appears, but utterly committed to its environmental vision, taking the genre - and every level - to new places.

Rock Paper ShotgunHayden Hefford

Unscored

A puzzle-citybuilder about rejuvenating the environment, Terra Nil has an almost lovely message, but it's buried beneath tedious chores.