Product Info

Platform

Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, PC

Publisher

Dear Villagers

Developer

La Moutarde

Genre

Action, Adventure, RPG

Players

1

File Size (Minimum)

1.8 GB

Release Date (NA)

Mar 27, 2024

Purchase From

eShop

PSN Store

Microsoft Store

Steam

Terra Memoria is an indie, turn-based, laid back, role-playing game (RPG) that is surprisingly fun. Players will do various types of gameplay elements while saving the world from ancient robots.

Build to Save the World

The world of Terra is in trouble. Crystals are running out and sudden awakening of ancient robots are causing havoc to town folks. Six adventurers go on a quest to find out why there’s a shortage of crystals and uncover the secrets of these ancient robots.

Crystals are like fossil fuels, used to operate trains, telephones, lighting and more. Mages are now becoming more dependent as they use magic to overcome the loss of crystals. However, things don’t seem to add up correctly on how catastrophic events occur one after another. Compared to other RPGs like Final Fantasy’s storylines, it’s not that deep nor that life threatening. It’s a little more laid back but still serious enough to watch the story unfold.

You’ll start the game as a rhino mage named Moshang but shortly after you’ll join with a fox named Syl, who can summon beasts and Meta, an unknown creature with mysterious powers that can transform into various things or people. Each has their own personality that meshes well with each other.

Additionally, you’ll come across three characters on your journey but as a supporting cast rather than battling. Alto, a sloth who’s a bard, Edeson, who has robotic limbs (also visually looks like a resemblance of Edward from the popular anime, Fullmetal Alchemist) and deeply into the secrets of the ancient robots. Finally there’s Opal, a strong female blacksmith who only makes pins with her talkative hammer (which can increase your statuses). It would have been more interesting to see these three supporting characters do battle, especially with Opal.

A New Way to Take Turns

You’ll control Moshang, Sly and Meta to initiate different ways of attacking but they all use the same styled elementals: fire, ice, lightning, earth, wing, water and healing. Each has their own strength and equipping pins can help boost those elemental attacks even more. Players do not need to worry about any other equipment. It’s straightforward and simple. Each fighter can learn new skills by coming across puzzles across Terra or defeat summoned beasts. Be sure not to miss any so you can utilize their full potential. Each attack can cause a certain number of turns. The more powerful your spell, the longer it takes for that fighter to come back to their turn. Weaker spells give players an option on how to attack and their enemy’s weakness.

Your support team has their own unique rolls to help your fighters. Alto, can transform attack skills to heal skills and heal skills to attack skills. Edson can transform regular skills into multitarget skills and vice versa. For example, if your fire attack can only damage a single enemy, Edson can let you switch your attack to multiple enemies at once. However, the damage amount decreases if you choose multiple. Peace-loving Opal can transform your element skills. For example, you can switch between ice to fire.

These supporters form as a duo with your fighter and are formed randomly at the start of each battle. For example, Alto may join with Sly in one battle, the next battle it could be with Meta. Each formation brings in strategic possibilities and can be helpful in battle. In another example, Edson can take Meta’s single ice attack into multiple targets. It definitely adds a unique way of playing.

If you aren’t a fan of the random duo formations, the game offers players to exclude up to three formations from the party screen. So if you don’t want Alto and Meta to become a duo in battle, you can exclude that here. There’s no penalty doing this except battles become more predictable.

Enemies in battle have a set of elements they are weak to. If you can hit them with their weakness, not only do they take more damage but also a greater chance to take down their defense. Each enemy has a shield icon with a number. Once that number depletes to zero, the enemy is in shock and goes at the end of the timeline of turns. Additionally, all elements become weaknesses. If the enemy comes back to take a turn on offense, their shield goes back and you’ll have to deplete it again if you want them to be weak to all elements once more. This style of combat is one of the simplistics mechanics in RPGs and a gateway for newcomers who are interested in learning turn-based RPGs.

Players can also speed things up by holding the trigger button on the controller to cut-down the wait between turns and animations. This includes any notifications during battle to close on a timer than waiting for the user to close it. Unfortunately, you have to hold down the button and there isn’t a simple “one-push” command.

Leveling up isn’t done right away. Instead, you’ll need to find a campfire or an inn to stay overnight. Once you do, all the experience points you gained in battle will fill those “next level” gauges and don’t be surprised if your character jumps a few levels right away.

Will Work for Money

Not only are you adventuring to save the world, you are also doing many other things along the way. You’ll do required errands that require finding someone or help build a bridge but also you’ll have opportunities to do much more quick side quests. These occur just by talking to someone not involved with your quests. For example, someone will ask you to search town for a wrench or their pet goldfish. Some errands will take time such as fixing up sanctuaries across the world.

Any task you take on, you are rewarded with items and money. Money is much needed in this game to do cooking and building a town and it feels challenging enough to try and earn some cash as items from merchants aren’t cheap. It’s unfortunate that each battle doesn’t give you cash. At least inns and transportation don’t cost anything.

When you complete the game’s main story, you can continue doing your side quests and one of the best features of the game, town building.

We Built This City

One of the surprising elements you can do in Terra Memoria is building a town. It feels like playing Animal Crossing as you can place objects like stairs, watchtowers, market stalls and more after building them with the right materials. Additionally, you don’t have to wait to drop cash to make stairs and bridges like Animal Crossing. The only downfall is coming up with the cash to purchase the materials.

You can also recruit town folks across Terra who are looking for a change of pace and place them anywhere in the area. Additionally, you can add grass, trees, benches and more to make it more decorative. You can go pretty far with this town building and it’s done very well for a game that focuses on RPG.

Let ‘Em Cook and Create

While leveling up is nice and dandy, you can also cook to increase your party’s health points. To cook, you need a receipt and the right ingredients which can be found at markets or while adventuring between towns.

To cook, head to a campfire or an inn to initiate the option to cook. Choose a recipe that has all the ingredients. You’ll then jump into a mini game where players have to input the correct buttons/direction arrows to have a successful item. You can only cook a recipe once so don’t spend too much money on ingredients you don’t need. For how troublesome it is to get money, be smart with your cash.

When you have Opal in your party, you can create pins the same way you cook, at a campfire and inn. There’s no mini game with this, just need to have the right materials for a specific pin to create. More pins become available as you play the game.

With a variety of game styles Terra Memoria offers, it doesn’t offer a mini game for fishing. Instead, if you go to a dock with a fishing rod sticking up and select the action button on your controller, you’ll earn a fish for your inventory. That’s it and feels a bit of a letdown that there isn’t someone else. 

Pixel Wonderland

The world of Terra is very colorful with its pixel-style character art in a 3D environment. Buildings, bridges, forests and other environments are done in 3D but look beautiful. Outside the main characters and a few side characters, many townsfolk look similar with different color variations. The animations are clean and simple but give it that classic RPG feel from the ‘90s such as Breath of Fire IV.

The game’s soundtrack, composed by Yponeko, is soothing to make Terra Memoria more of a laid back, cozy RPG. Battle themes are more energetic and the sound changes to different instruments depending where you are at. The scores feel right and welcoming for this indie game. The soundtrack is available on Bandcamp, Steam and Nintendo eShop for purchasing and streaming on Apple Music (Disc 1, Disc 2) and Spotify (Disc 1, Disc 2).

The Final Crystal

Terra Memoria is a unique turn-based RPG with various styles of gameplay mixed very well for a delicious treat. Its simple RPG elements may be too easy for some but it’s cozy enough to enjoy in front of a campfire.

A PlayStation 5 review code provided for this review.