If you have ever had an urge to become Robin Hood for a while or enjoy shooting down skeletons with a bow and arrow then check out Terava by Julian Raschke. The game is quite unique on the app store in the sense that it’s a 2D platformer but with a lot of interactivity thrown in. You can jump on enemies or shoot them with ranged weapons (not just a bow and arrow) like a magical wand. Terava is really a mix of a platformer and an RPG, but also contains some elements thrown in from point-and-click adventure games. You grab items or open doors by touching them while other more abundant items like gold are picked up by moving your on-screen character on them. There are also various staircases to go into or caves below-ground to explore; so it doesn’t play like a traditional platformer at all but something more immersive.

Review
The game begins with you being awoken in a village, called Nottunville, by some nuns (or girls dressed in white robes) to find your sister missing after you were found beaten and unconscious in a forest. After walking downstairs your on-screen character puts on a green tunic and thus begins the adventure. The game is divided into levels on a world map but there are also item shops or armories along the way to visit with health potions, arrows and other goodies available for purchase with gold. You gain gold by killing enemies and it is also the game’s currency. You can also grab apples to use for health by jumping into them.

The backgrounds are very vivid and bright with lots of colorful scenery from chickens jumping back and forth to butterflies flying around the scenery. There isn’t much interactivity with these background creatures or landscapes though but there is all kinds of interaction with the many non-player characters (NPCs) you will encounter. The lush environments are very nice to look at as well with various alters from foreground to direct background to further back mountains for instance. But some of the object, like houses, look flat and not three dimensional at all; like a roof and a wall is visible but not the edge or side of the house. the music is really the strong point of the game’s presentation however as the melodies are very relaxing and soothing. There isn’t any voice acting I encountered in the game in terms of talking to the NPCs, as every conversation is pretty much text based.

The controls will take a bit of getting used to and I think should have some fine tuning in future updated. There is no virtual joystick or dpad in this game and this is a positive thing in my book as the game was designed with the touch screen in mind.The movement control consists of you pressing down with your finger on the edge of the screen to make your on-screen character move in that direction. It works really well for movement and changing directions but there are some problems with the jump mechanisms. To jump, you need to either tap the screen with two fingers simultaneously or hold down one direction to face and walk that way and tap with the other finger to jump. This can create a bit of confusion because often when you try tapping the screen with two fingers he won’t jump but simply grab his bow, ready to use it.

To use the bow and arrow (or other ranged weapons), you swipe from your on-screen character backward to make him pull back the string and release the finger off the touchscreen to shoot an arrow. However, when you first just tap on the on-screen character he will grab the bow in both hands to get ready to pull the string back before you start swiping back. This is where the interference with jumping can occur.

Because this same ‘grab the bow’ motion can occur when you try jumping sometimes. This is the reason I recommend getting used to quickly holding one direction first before tapping with your other finger, rather than using both fingers simultaneously. However, sometimes he won’t jump if you tap one of the directions too far toward the center of the screen as the inputs are on the edges. The jump is also a bit floaty but works well for this type of game — this isn’t a run-and-gun type of game with twitch reflexes needed but one where you calculate jumps to pass obstacles methodically.

Once you get used to the controls, however, they will become second nature — outside the jump mechanism which i think needs fine tuning in updates so you can press anywhere and not just on edges — and you will appreciate not having to look at a fake or virtual dpad on-screen. The tap to move works really well in this title especially on the iPad’s large display as the level is zoomed out pretty nicely. You can see most of the level layout before you progress forward (or upward depending on level). This is a much nicer way to play a platformer than simply not knowing or seeing what is ahead of your on-screen character and constantly having to switch between running and walking cautiously. There is some scrolling but nothing to hinder gameplay or to surprise you up ahead of where your on-screen character is standing.

Another small complaint is that the game doesn’t appear to have fast-app switching or multitasking. When you exit the game and re-enter, you have to go through the main loading screen. Lets hope an update will address this setback. What kind of remedies this for now though is the game appears to save your last point in the level. So, as long as you hit continue from the main menu when you will be back where you left off last time you played.

What I really like about this game is the interactivity with the NPCs — as well as the overall RPG elements thrown into the mix. There are a lot of fresh ideas in the title like the ability to aim the projectile weapons to shoot enemies from angles. If you are looking for a game that is different from standard App Store platformers and offers unique gameplay elements thrown in — with multiple level layouts and floors to explore — be sure to give Terava a try. it’s a very nice breath of fresh air on the App Store.

Tips
Play around with the controls and learn to master the jump — by learning to tap the right spots on the edges of the touchscreen. Also, try jumping on enemies as much as possible because arrows can be hard to come by and aren’t cheap to purchase.

Recommendation
Terava is recommended for anyone looking for a fantasy-themed platformer mixed in with RPG and point-and-click adventure elements thrown in. The game is a Universal App but the iPad version offers a co-op mode for multiplayer. Terava is selling for $2.99.

YouTube Video

Photos

Note: A promotional code was provided by the creator for use in this article.

Please post your comments, tips, and your own reviews below in the comments area!

Tweet