Terra Memoria

Review

Terra Memoria is a pixelated turn-based RPG developed by French developers La Moutard and obviously inspired by classic Japanese role-playing games (Final Fantasy, Chrono Trigger). Set in a magical world where humans and anthropomorphic animals co-exist, you play as six different characters who embark on a journey to investigate a shortage of magic crystals that is destabilizing the planet and waking up some ancient robots; this journey will also be the occasion for your party to dive through their diverse personal stories. Since there isn’t one defined protagonist, you get to swap between the six characters at any time to choose your preferred avatar. As you explore the world you will often be attracted by a great number of side quests involving NPCs and their daily problems. Environments aren’t really big, so solving these quests takes little effort and doesn’t provide enough satisfaction. You do them because you happen to be there, not because there is something that really motivates you. Quests aren’t that interesting or original if you have played enough of these games, but I appreciated the character design and general world building, though the latter offers very limited exploration.

Battles are turn-based and offer a very intuitive combat system. You have a timeline where you can clearly see the order of actions for both your party and your enemies. The recommended tactic during combat is to attack enemies’ weaknesses so they can be pushed to the end of the queue. It’s a simple system that doesn’t offer much enjoyment and later on even becomes slightly repetitive. Each one of your three fighters is supported by an additional character which directly affects the type of skills available. Instead of using a common MP bar, each spell has a cooldown that depends on its power (weak spells can be used more often).  Although using a classic JRPG formula, this a cozy and easy game, with little grind involved and minor QoL features that make it enjoyable even for those who are new to the genre. While some players might appreciate the relaxing atmosphere, others like me probably won’t like the lack of challenge. As in any RPG, you can expand your party’s abilities as well as finding and forging new equipment in the form of pins. While being at a campfire or inn, you also have the option of cooking, with each recipe providing a permanent boost to your party’s health. Finding ingredients and discovering new recipes is actually a very fun side activity that has major benefits for combat. Later on, you will also be able to help build a town through very basic building mechanics that at least offer some more variety to the gameplay.

The world of Terra Memoria is fascinating to explore, with beautiful visuals and pixelated characters moving through 3D environments. It’s so beautiful that you will occasionally stop to admire the landscape… literally. Yes, your character can occasionally glitch in the environment and stop moving. This is probably a known issue because there is an “unstuck” option in the menu, but it is undoubtedly annoying, especially because enemies respawn after you have been resetted. Fortunately, my character only got stuck a couple of times but the unstuck option is not really a pleasant or definitive solution.

Overall, Terra Memoria is a love letter to classic JRPGs with modern QoL features and very little grind. Even if it’s difficult to feel invested in the story, the game provides a fascinating world from which to build new and better sequels. Despite the good, simple combat mechanics, battles are very easy and don’t provide enough challenge, which makes the game more suitable for those who are looking for a casual experience.  

Review written by Sonic Punk for Zeepond.com

Terra Memoria Steam Store Page