Terraria is a side scrolling 2-D sandbox action game with RPG elements. It is often compared to Minecraft, but is different enough that comparing them is a little unfair to both. Terraria has the same kind of gather materials, craft materials, and build, elements of Minecraft, but otherwise, it's an entirely different beast.
There is no real ultimate goal to Terraria. You explore the map to gather materials both on the surface, and through spelunking through the dark underground; which you use to build a fort, town, or home. There are bosses to test your mettle against, areas that require you to defeat said bosses or have special items to access, and you have to unlock NPCs like achievements, ranging from having enough money, to having a certain weapon, or just finding them on the map. This gives the player some clear goals to strive for, despite their being no real end to the game.
Heavily focusing on combat, Terraria offers plenty of weaponry, and in the accessories available really do let you customize your character to play the way you want. You can play all the traditional rpg roles like a tank, a ranged fighter, or a mage, or you can just equip a bunch of items that increase your jump length or height, buy a bunch of grenades, and rain fire-y death from above. This is a big part of why terraria is so enjoyable. It takes a good amount of time to get the materials to craft higher tier items, and many accessories have to found in map and dungeon chests. Just to make a single character strong enough to beat the games strongest boss, It took me well over 50 hours of play. And I still haven't found and crafted all the items I'd like to experiment with.
One of the biggest arguments I hear against Terraria is the graphics, and while I agree the game is graphically unimpressive, it is still very aesthetically appealing, having a feel similar to that of an old 16 bit game, but with much better fidelity (I've seen it looking crisp on a 32-in screen). The lighting and particle effects are also beautiful, as one would expect in a game where spelunking through underground passages plays a large role. The only criticism I will make of Terraria's looks is that mobs are repetitive, to the point where you feel like you're fighting the same mobs over and over again just slightly stronger, and even the Hard-mode bosses, are very similar to the normal bosses. It's not a deal breaker, but it would make the game much more interesting if mods were more varied.
The music in Terraria fits the 16 bit era look with some very catchy music. It's the kind of stuff you remember well after you've played it. It does loop constantly, and after a few hours of play you can mute it and not feel like you're missing out on anything, but the fact that it plays the entire time and doesn't get grating is more than you can say for most games.The sound effects are alright. Nothing phenomenal, but nothing to complain about.
As for quality of play, I can't find a complaint. It doesn't feel padded, and you'll never feel you're just wasting time. Traveling the map may take a few minutes, but mobs and interesting terrain keep it from getting stale. If there is one criticism I can kind of make, it's that Terraria feels really slow when you make a new character. The growth is paced well enough that you never really realize just how much faster it becomes to gather materials or move with top tier items until you start again. You can move your characters between worlds, allowing other characters access to your better items, but it does feel just a little bit like cheating.
The one comparison I really have to make with Minecraft is the modding community. Terraria is moddable, but their really isn't anywhere near the amount of mods out there as Minecraft, and that's a shame. Terraria is great, but still has potential, and I'd love to see some weapon mods, custom items, custom bosses, and custom maps, but there just aren't many. Theres nothing to do about it though, and one can't really blame the game for not having a larger modding community.
Now, let's talk value. I already said you can easily get 50 hours of play from it, and with a price tag of $10, the play to cost ratio is great, and that's just for offline play and one character. There is no cost for online play, and it really changes the game when you have a party, adding a lot more to do and a reason to specialize in ways that wouldn't be viable offline. To date, I have only made one better purchase than Terraria. It's the longest game I have ever played that didn't cost at least twice the price.
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