Terraria: The RPG, But Better.

I like JRPGs.

I know, that's a weird way to start off a post about this game in particular, but I do. I used to claim that I hated anything turn-based, but the genre's grown on me. Hell, two of my favorite games of all time are, in terms of battle mechanics, more or less color-by-numbers turn-based RPGs. As much as I sometimes harp on turn-based combat for requiring no skill, there is actually a lot of strategy that goes into a good turn-based battle system's mechanics. Every move has to be thought through, and turn-based fights allow for more rich storytelling without stopping the action for a long, winded cutscene like more action-oriented games need. Ultimately, my point is that turn-based combat is fine for what it's used for.

But that's just it. it's fine.

I mean, sure, it works for story-based games, and it has its strategy but to be honest, I still don't find that style of combat very engaging. Don't get me wrong, turn-based RPGs have created some amazing fights, but the thing that separates these from great action-focused fights in my eyes is that, personally, they feel more like watching an awesome fight play out with mild influence rather than me being the one taking down the great threat.

Some RPGs have, of course, tried to rectify this by adding player interaction that requires skill of some kind into their battle systems. Mother 3, for example, adds the rhythm-based combo system which, while cool, ultimately didn't add much to the game as it felt mostly like an optional way to make fights end quicker if you had the rhythm. Undertale is another obvious example and, while the battle mechanics of that game are far more fleshed out in terms of move-to-move interaction (the trade-off being a loss of depth of attack variety and strategy) it still has the same problem aforementioned. Rarely does it feel like I'm dodging actual attacks from my enemy, nor does it often feel like I'm actually attacking them. There are exceptions (such as Metaton EX's battle which requires actually firing at your opponent) but generally, I'm simply pressing buttons that make the fight progress and sometimes engaging in skill-based challenges as checkpoints to see if I'm capable of winning this battle.

The solution, then, is not to try to revolutionize turn-based combat itself (though I'm sure there's potential to do that) but rather to take the hallmarks and traits of turn-based fights and RPGs and transfer them over to a more action-oriented setting. Now, I am aware there are many games that have done this. This is pretty common in western RPGs, but the problem with many is that they always have a bit of that turn-based feel to them, even if they're not. Maybe it's just me, but combat in something like Skyrim always devolves into either a straight rushdown, or a game of waiting for the enemy to attack so I have an opening over and over again (ergo, fancy turn-based combat.)

Yet there is one game that immediately comes to mind for me as a genius subversion of RPG gameplay tropes without really being an RPG at all, and as you could probably have guessed by now, that game is Terraria.

Now, I am aware that referring to Terraria as an RPG may be strange to many, and I completely understand why. It lacks the turn-based combat, of course, but it also lacks the focus on story and characters most RPGs have. There's no strict skill tree, nor levelling system. I would argue, however, that Terraria does with these freedoms what I can only describe as massively improving the RPG formula. But to truly understand what about Terraria's mechanics is so great, we need to take a look at all the flaws of a traditional RPG, and how Terraria fixes them.

To start with, the main, big one I mentioned: The lack of connection to the fights going on. When I'm playing an RPG, I don't usually feel like I'm the one doing the fighting, at least gameplay-wise. Terraria sidesteps this problem entirely by simply not opting for combat to take place in rigid turns. The result of this is that Terraria has a fast-paced, snappy combat system where you are, at all times, in control of how you move. Your attacks feel like you attacking, every close dodge and near-death feels like a reflection of your skill at evasion, not just the luck of a dice roll deciding you get to live another turn.

This focus on quick, action-oriented combat raises a question: What exactly makes me think that Terraria is an RPG if it's so radically different in so many ways? Well, despite avoiding many hallmarks of the genre, there are quite a few others that it does follow. There's the obvious fact that the game's setting is a general fantasy-meets-sci-fi world that feels straight out of an RPG, but there's also some of the intricacies of the combat and inventory systems: Much like a traditional RPG, equipment is one of your keys to success. While there isn't a strict level up system or skill tree (the closest it gets is the life and mana stats,) there is a more loose, player-constructed progression system through the items you get and how you use them. Specialization in character class and purpose exists, but only through your loadout. In my opinion, this method is generally superior for ease of use to the rigid skill tree, which often forces you to continue down the path you chose at the beginning as a potentially uninformed, new player. Terraria, instead, allows you to change paths at any point- with a catch. Since this game's progression is based on equipment, some - brace yourself for this one- grinding (gasp!) can be needed.

And yet, Terraria manages to subvert the RPG slog that is grinding with, in my opinion, much more grace than it's counterparts. Grinding is something that strikes fear into the hearts of most RPG fans, something that's a big necessary evil in a lot of these games. That's not to say that grinding can't be made into something more tolerable, though. While games like Persona 5 Royal have progression-based mechanics to make grinding significantly more painless and quick, and Undertale's genocide route is the crown jewel of subversion of this trope, I have a special place in my heart for how Terraria handles grinding. To be blunt, unless your luck is just extremely good or you're able to get by on the random drops that enter your orbit, grinding is basically a necessity of Terraria gameplay. The thing that makes this okay, in my book, is the way the game allows players to craft solutions to make grinding easier through their own ingenuity. Take a look at Youtube and you'll see any large number of tutorials explaining how to make mob farms. The game's wiring mechanics and an understanding of how the game works allows a skilled player to automate just about any aspect of grinding (even bosses!) with just a little work. Grinding becomes not a problem of time, but a problem of ingenuity, the limits to how efficiently you can gather resources and money almost solely determined by your knowledge of the game and willingness to prepare rather than grinding and dying for hours.

Another alteration Terraria makes to the RPG formula is that of the RPG party. If you've ever played any turn-based RPG in your life, the party should be a familiar concept to you: A group of fighters, each with their own roles who work together as a cohesive team to fight whatever threats might face them. You may also know, if you've played it, that Terraria doesn't have strict parties, hell, there's only one person on your team unless you play multiplayer (the best way to play the game by far, in my opinion.) This being said, the game creates these four classes which should be familiar to most RPG players: Melee (Arguably the most versatile but generally used for tank setups, especially in multiplayer,) Ranger (Excelling at single target DPS,) Mage (A class whose role can change drastically depending on setups but generally tends to be either crowd control or healing,) and Summoner (A joke class turned genuine powerhouse if used to it's full potential.) These classes are distinct and rigid, but what you do with them can really be altered a lot to fit a specialized role in a team. While there are only 4 distinct classes the game creates, I could easily make about 20 just by choosing specialized equipment and rolling with it.

The final way Terraria changes the formula is a bit weirder than the rest and, admittedly, not as clear-cut an improvement as the others in my opinion. The relationship Terraria has with story is kind of strange, I'll be honest. I can clearly tell there's some sort of lore (don't mention the official Terraria lore dump, it's not cohesive enough for my liking) behind this world and it's all mysterious enough that you can't really draw any conclusions about Terraria's world from... well, anything. So too is it's plot, or lack thereof- The game has a specific progression, yes, and I feel there's definitely in-universe significance to what I'm doing, but I sure as hell don't know what that significance is. While this can be a turn-off for some, I actually appreciate the ethereal nature of the game's story: Weighty and important, but just out of reach.

The effect this has on my experience with the game is profound, though this is, admittedly, the part where I start to make observations that could be seen as a bit of a reach or me looking too deep into things. Regardless of that, it is my personal opinion that, in lieu of a typical, character driven RPG party, the characters in a multiplayer game of Terraria are, well, you and your friends. Instead of prewritten characters who, no matter how well written, have at least the mildest feeling of predetermination to them, Terraria's characters, being real people with real relationships, are much more organic, ever-changing and free-flowing, much like the game's combat. The result of this is that, while the bonds strengthened with characters in games like those of the Persona series are emotionally compelling but generally useless outside of the context of the game (Sorry, Futaba!) the bonds you strengthen in Terraria can be genuine, real relationships.

Speaking from personal experience, I have multiple friends whose friendships were partially built up thanks in part to this game. Much like characters in an RPG, we've grown closer through overcoming adversity together. The result is (in my opinion) a uniquely open RPG experience. That's the main takeaway for me, that Terraria is one of the most unique and subversive RPGs with how much the game is what you make of it, combined with it's much more free-flowing and organic feeling, almost like the Earth from which the Terra in it's name is derived. It is, if you ask me, the normally rigid RPG format transformed into a free, natural, distinctly human affair.

Well, that's just about it from me for today. I've always loved Terraria ever since I played it on my Xbox 360 as a kid, and finding a way to talk about what makes it so great is a cool experience for me. There's a lot more to love about the game, of course, from it's distinct visual style to it's amazing soundtrack, and any other manner of reasons, but I decided to focus on (as far as I'm aware) a more unique angle. But, as always, I'd like to hear what you guys think. Did you like what I said? Did you think I'm a stupid dumb baby with stupid dumb baby opinions who's looking way too deep into a silly video game? Either way, be sure to let me know? Thank you for reading, and as always, get out there and play some games!