Terraforma (2022)

Terraformers may not be greater than the sum of its parts, but its unique mix of mechanics and low asking price should help spark curiosity in fans of strategy games and card based roguelikes.

Terraformers is an engaging game that can deliver that “one more turn” feeling that strategy fans crave. The interplay between resources, cards, leaders, and terraforming efforts requires careful thinking and asks players to make difficult choices. There’s a lot of variety both when it comes to scenario objectives and the planet setup.

For an Early Access release Terraformers is well on the right path to being a great fun game. All the right boxes are ticked for the game style and with ever-increasing difficulties, it will be hard to walk away from. The gameplay is challenging but still fun and can be entertainingly frustrating without wanting to rage quit. If this is your bag, then you should definitely bag it, it is definitely worth the investment.

I think that Terraformers is okay. I had fun with it, and I’ll definitely jump back into it when version 1.0 launches. But right now, I feel no urge to jump back into it.

Whether or not Terraformers is the game for you depends a lot on what you are looking for. This isn’t a digital garden that you can plant and watch grow. This is a brutal series of tough choices. It’s about resource allocation, long-term planning, and a decent amount of luck. I was hoping Terraformers would help transport me off this dying Earth into a science-fiction fantasy. It did not. Instead, I found a challenging strategy game that distracted me in a whole different way. It made me into someone who needed to play for just one more turn. That is decidedly familiar territory! But a space I enjoy. Terraformers won’t transport you to another world, but it will help you puzzle your way through the hours on this one.