It's an interesting concept, and I'd be curious to see what it plays like. A few things make me hesitate, though. The control scheme seems to be very mouse-centric, which I'm not fond of, and the human sprites are pretty shamelessly drawn over Final Fantasy 4/5 bases.
But somehow,◊I think the character sprites may have been placeholders until they could get those changed.
Edit: Yeah, they're just placeholders.
edited 27th Apr '11 12:33:41 AM by Shlapintogan
Can't see that video...
Is it as much of a rip off of Minecraft as Fortresscraft was graphiaclly, or is it going for a different style? (Yes, I know Minecraft was based on Infiniminer, but Fortresscraft was just minecraft with fluid dynamics and high resolution graphics from what I heard.)
This is a signature. There are many like it, but this one is mine.Brace for the inevitable flame wars and fanboys crying out "ripoff!"
I heard about this a while ago (before Notch tweeted about it). Looks pretty neat so far. I think that the powerups and other Metroidvania elements should keep it from feeling too similar to Minecraft, and will make it a hell of a lot more interesting to me. I'll have to follow this and see how it goes.
@Shlapintogan: Ah, good! Excellent, that should help the visuals out immensely. Glad to hear it. ^^b
But somehow,◊A pretty interesting quote from a Minecraft forum member pulled from the Terraria fan forums about how Minecraft and Terraria are different in the long run.
It has everything I love, with extras. Platformer elements, epic combat and cool boss battles. Artifacts that make your exploration worthwhile, and cooler weapons to make you even stronger in your battles against your foes. The sandbox element has always been a thing of greatness to me, aesthetic obsessions aside, I love to decorate my own home, something I could always do in Minecraft. Woolen carpets, fancy paintings on the walls and windows that open out onto a beautiful sunset. Again however, I did think there were things missing.
The thing is, with Terraria it just seems to have almost everything Minecraft has, and more. Sure, the 3D is a missing aspect, but what it seems to lack in that department, it makes up for in the gameplay and content. Even though the game isn't out yet, it still has way more content than... Hell, any other sandbox game I've ever played, and it's not even released yet! I've seen tables, chairs, chandeliers, fancy modern lighting hangs, candles, bookshelves, you name it.
When you strip both of the games down to the barebones package, they are pretty much, exactly the same. You collect resources, you make tools to get better resources and better tools, you build a house, you explore and you dig.
Now the thing where they change, is they both branch off into different areas.
Minecraft grows up and gets to choose his own little path, and he chooses to walk the one of construction, fantastic structures pleasing to the eye, towering above the mountainous landscapes and weak foes beneath. An underground passage twists and winds underneath into a dark, harrowing mine filled with all sorts of creeps and trouble. A minecart track that goes all around the tower, and off into many different directions in this vast 3D world as the end seems to never appear. Trees grow and it rains and it snows, but the monsters never seem to be a trouble, as Minecraft can dispose of them with little effort with a simple bow and arrow.
Now, Terraria on the otherhand, parts its ways with Minecraft past the barebones aspects.
Terraria is growing old and he also chooses his path. He turns his back on the construction path that Minecraft chose and goes down the middle path. Building structures is no troublesome feat for Terraria in his 2D world, they are not as pleasing or spectacular as the ones of Minecraft yet more complex with the interior design and features. As the night falls however, the more dangerous monsters emerge, as Terraria took the more dangerous path. The enemies no longer simply charge in a line, they jump, dodge, throw things at you and even burrow under the ground! It seems nowhere is safe as the undead scourge bashes against the doors of your stronghold, unrelenting until the morning comes. After that it is safe to explore the vastly different underground dangers, such as jungles, lava filled pits and dangerous, yet rewarding dungeons. Throwing bombs and shuriken, firing arrows, even flaming ones at foes, using grappling hooks and enchanted, glimmering swords, Terraria fights off the enemies that show in its path.
The most popular indie game is Minecraft, of course. 2 million players don't lie, it shows the vast numbers of the players of the game, but Terraria could also be the other popular indie game.
With a development team of only 2, and a small handful of testers, Terraria offers the things Minecraft doesn't, while focusing more on combat and exploration, and Minecraft offers the things Terraria doesn't, focusing more on construction.
TL;DR Terraria is a game that simply offers what Minecraft doesn't, it suits more to the hardcore audience, with improved combat but weaker construction, the two games simply don't compare and there is truly no ultimate winner. Do I think Terraria will become popular? Yes, I really do. Do I think it will become more popular than Minecraft? No, Probably not. The fanbase of MC is already huge and a lot of them seem ignorant to try out this game, though I do hope it becomes big and popular. It just really seems to me that the creators of Terraria are pushing really hard to get some fans, and they've already captured me, and I wish all the best.
I've set up a page for the game. If you can think of any tropes I missed, I'd appreciate it if you could add them.
I've added all the tropes that have been seen or talked about from Blue in IRC or seen in the L Ps.
Also, Pbat is also doing a Let's play of the game.
They're just placeholders for now...
A lot of the NP Cs have been release or are done being replaced. all what is mainly left (if they are still doing it) is swapping the player character's sprite.
@12
This. Even if I'll be hooked to Terraria, my interest towards Minecraft is unlikely to diminish. I like Minecraft a lot for the freedom to build, but I'll also be happy to try out Terraria if its RPG elements compensate for its limited construction options.
Too bad Terraria is in closed development for most of us. On the other hand, I heard LPers are given early access.
edited 3rd May '11 3:27:05 AM by MalagasyParrot
I want this.
("understatement-o-meter" shatters)
(also initially read this as "if Mass Effect and Metroidvanias had a baby")
edited 3rd May '11 4:33:15 AM by WillyFourEyes
"It ain't about whether you win or lose, unless you got money on the game, because...damn. That's your money, son."

The Main Site
The Creator's youtube page, which hosts a let's play of the game
Basically, Terraria is an open world 2D game about building a nice place for yourself and protecting it from monsters.
Sound familiar? Well let me explain to you how it's different.
In Terraria, as your structures progress you start to find yourself in the company of special NPCs who serve various purposes, such as merchants and nurses, among others. Not different enough? Okay, bear with me, I'm getting to the good part.
As you explore around underground, you can find special artifacts and accessories that customize your abilities, such as accessories to breathe underwater, double jump twice, or even add a Gradius style option to back you up. You can also find heart crystals to increase your health beyond the five you start with. The more you explore, the more likely you are to find unique equipment that will help you defend your ever expanding homeland against various malicious forces.
Fundamentally, it's a Metroidvania with a randomly generated map.
Also, going by the gameplay trailer, there are large bosses that require teamwork to defeat, and invasions that put you against hundreds of enemies at a time.
It's still in Alpha right now, but it's supposedly on it's way to getting released quite quickly. I, personally, am pretty excited about it.
What about you? What do you think of this new indie title?