Bibliographic Info:
Title: Terraria: Journey’s End
Developer: Re-Logic
Producer: Whitney Spinks
Designer: Andrew Spinks, Whitney Spinks
Platform: PC, XBox, Switch, Mobile
Release Date: May 16, 2020
Genre / Format: Fantasy/Adventure/Sandbox multiplayer video game.
Interest Level: 11+
Plot Summary: The World of Terraria was a peaceful place, designed by gods with perfect fairness in mind. A Cthulhu destroyed that peace and set out to destroy Terraria, only to be partially disabled by Dryads. A dangerous cult plots to bring him back. Players start with a few tools and an NPC (non-player character) to drop some words of wisdom. They are able to explore caves and different biomes, find materials and items, and craft their own, while fighting enemies and bosses to advance in the game. As they create more elaborate structures, NPCs may be attracted to come live there, adding their skills and further complexity to the game.
Author Background: Andrew Spinks was born in 1983 and was the lead developer for Super Mario Bros X before designing his own game, Terraria, with his wife, Whitney (terraria.fandom.com, n.d). He lives in Indiana with his family.
Critical Evaluation: While Terraria has been out for a decade, with rolling free updates, the release of Journey’s End transformed the popular game, earning raves from critics (Benner, 2020). The update was partly a response to Minecraft, bringing a “sandbox” element to the game, where players can create whatever they want and play in Journey mode (similar to Minecraft Creative mode, where you can explore freely without fear of death). However, there’s also Master mode, which dials up the difficulty level significantly (full disclosure: I did not play Master mode). The graphics are deceptively simple; while pixelated, there’s a surprising amount of detail and complexity. Players can choose creativity or combat, battle enemies or befriend villagers (or all of the above). While it may look like a 2D game, it really gets your blood pumping.
Creative Use for a Library Program: Many video games don’t work cross-platform, but with the release of Terraria: Journey’s End on Nintendo Switch in January 2022, almost anyone can now play with anyone else, no matter how they’re accessing the game. Offering teens a place to play together, in person, but on the same game would be very satisfying. A Terraria gaming night would allow fans to meet each other in real life as well as let people who haven’t had a chance to play it see what it’s like.
Speed-Round Book Talk: Love Minecraft but wish it had a little more story to it? Maybe even (gulp) better graphics? Then Terraria: Journey’s End is for you!
Potential Challenge Issues and Defense Preparation: Unlikely to be any, other than general distaste for video games. I would point out the importance of gaming for literacy and problem solving (National Literacy Trust, 2021).
Reason for Inclusion: This is a very fun and intellectually challenging indie game that could engage kids who are not traditionally gamers.
Want more? This short documentary explores how Andrew Spinks and his collaborators developed Terraria:
References
Benner, A. (March 20, 2020). Terraria: Journey’s End review: An unexpected journey. Retrieved from https://gamingbolt.com/terrraria-journeys-end-review-an-unexpected-journey
National Literacy Trust (2021). Children and young people’s video game playing and literacy in 2021 [Report]. Retrieved from https://cdn.literacytrust.org.uk/media/documents/Video_game_playing_and_literacy_report_final_updated.pdf
Terraria.fandom.com (n.d.). Re-Logic. Retrieved from https://terraria.fandom.com/wiki/Re-Logic
ThatGuyGlen (March 28, 2021). How Terraria was made and why development suddenly stopped. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENT2_yeBf0w
Wikipedia (n.d.) Terraria. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terraria
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