When I think of the best city-building games – Cities Skylines, SimCity 2000, Against the Storm, Frostpunk, Manor Lords – the trend is always the same. You start out among open fields and nature (whether inviting or oppressive), and end with a thriving, whirring hub of industry and activity. It’s supremely satisfying. Yet the magnificent Terra Nil excels in essentially the reverse direction, where a successful operation results in nothing at all. It’s inventive, compelling, and yours at a deep discount right now thanks to a Steam sale.
The concept for Terra Nil is relatively straightforward. In each area, you begin facing a barren, ruined landscape completely devoid of life. Your job is to restore it to a thriving, vibrant ecosystem filled with fertile grassland, clear oceans, forests teeming with wildlife, and so on. Then, once the natural order returns, you pack up all your machines and technology, leaving no trace behind. It’s a city-building game but backwards, and it’s a delight.
With procedurally generated maps to ensure you’re always offered a fresh challenge each time, Terra Nil evolves into as much a puzzler as it is a strategy game. It tasks you with figuring out the most efficient way to use your resources to meet the needs of both the environment and the wildlife that inhabits it.
First released in March 2023, Terra Nil recently got a big overhaul from developer Free Lives courtesy of the Vita Nova update. This introduces a range of new levels to put your skills to the test, adds nine new buildings, and completely reworks animals. Previously a fairly late-game addition to your worlds, animals now show up naturally as you begin to meet the conditions for their habitat, and will continue to grow and thrive alongside it. Start to fall short, however, and you’ll see them disappear once more.
If you’ve been looking for something new to try, Terra Nil is one of the most interesting concepts for a city builder you’ll find, and its very positive Steam user rating of 86% acts as further testament to its quality. You can pick up Terra Nil at its lowest price ever on the Valve store right now thanks to a Steam sale, so don’t miss your chance.
Terra Nil is 40% off on Steam until Thursday August 22. Expect to pay $14.99 / £12.59 for your copy, down from its standard price of $24.99 / £20.99. Just head here to snag it while the deal is still available.
Alternatively, take a look at more of the best management games on PC. Or melt away your own cares in the coziest, most relaxing games around.
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