Could Terraria Work in 3D?
Hot take. Terraria 2 should be 3D. 3D Terraria. I need Terraria in 3D. It seems like a lot of people love the idea of a possible Terraria sequel taking a 3D direction. And to be fair, it sounds like a natural evolution. There are tons of franchises and games out there that start off 2D and then eventually move forward into new territory. But would this actually work for Terraria in particular, or is it not worth it? Let’s talk about it. The first thing we should discuss is why so many people want Terraria to move into 3D in the first place. I think a lot of Terraria players want something completely new, no matter what it is. The game is well over a decade old, and while it has been getting great updates throughout the years, it can still become pretty stale for people who have been playing it for such a long time. A new 3D experience with the same Terraria ideas would give these veterans a way to experience the same game in a completely new way. All of the stuff they already loved about Terraria would still be there to an extent, except they would still get a fresh new experience. Building would also become a lot more advanced, which could be great for people who have an interest in creating complicated or impressive builds. We’ve already seen how far people can take it with the 2D setting we have in Terraria already. So, imagine what people could do in this third dimension. Terraria’s building system is great, but sometimes it does feel limited by the fact that it’s 2D. The final reason that I’ve seen people argue Terraria should go 3D is that it could be a great way to appeal to more people. Terraria is already unbelievably popular, but it could reach far more people by going 3D. It’s really dumb, but we all know that there are a lot of people who view 2D games as obsolete or not worth it anymore and gravitate towards 3D games no matter what. So, getting those people to be interested in Terraria could increase the player base substantially. At the end of the day, there are definitely some benefits to Terraria going 3D. With that being said, this is one of the few things that I truly believe would be a very bad idea at the end of the day. And here’s why. Terraria is not a good game despite the fact it’s 2D. It’s good in large part because it’s 2D. That factor is what separates Terraria from most popular sandbox games and actually makes it feel unique in the first place. If Terraria went 3D, it would lose a huge part of its identity and would feel a lot like any other sandbox game. People already compare Minecraft and Terraria all the time. The last thing we need is for Terraria to go 3D and become even more similar to that game. A lot of Terraria’s core mechanics would need to be completely overhauled as well. Combat, building, exploration, and nearly every boss fight would need to be fundamentally different. And at that point, is it even worth it? Is it even Terraria? Even the graphics would probably need a substantial change since the retrol-ike pixel art of current Terraria might not look good in a modern 3D space. Going 3D would force the developers to make Terraria into something completely new and unrecognizable. And while that could be okay if done perfectly, I think it would almost certainly backfire. From a practical standpoint, it would also make development a lot longer since 3D games are more complicated. And with a team as small as Terraria, that would be a huge challenge to overcome. Terraria’s team is not big at all, and updates already take a long time to create nowadays. So, I think the last thing we really need is for Terraria to take even longer to develop. It would also probably make modding the game a lot more difficult because it’s more complicated. And that’s not really great either since Terraria as of right now has one of the best modding scenes in any video game. Some games are absolutely made for transitioning into the 3D space, but many, including Terraria, aren’t. Everything that makes Terraria what it is, and most of what gives it so much charm is the fact that it’s 2D. We already have plenty of 3D sandbox RPG games at a super high level of quality, and I don’t think Terraria really needs to become another one. Do you agree with what I’ve said in this video or do you disagree? Make sure to leave your thoughts in the comments because I’m very interested in hearing what you think. We’re also getting pretty close to reaching 3K subs, so I would appreciate your help on that if you enjoyed the video. And I’ll see you next time. Bye-bye.
Should Terraria 2 be 3D? Let’s talk about it.
Epic Terraria 2 concept footage from https://youtube.com/@-linesway?si=MDWLnryD58EcgHgN
38 Comments
I think the people who want 3d terraria should try modded minecraft. Something like betterminecraft really scratches that itch for me
Honestly I think Terraria is better in 2D and plus theres a Minecraft mod thats being made with a decent amount of content that is pretty much just 3d Terraria and it has all the content that Terraria has up until Queen Bee
There is a reason I don't like Minecraft. If I would want to play 3D game I would play World of Warcraft
The way people are buildinf 3d structures in 2d terraria we might get 4d structures if 3d terraria happens
Valheim is probably the closet game I've played to a 3d Terraria
It's not "Terrary"
You are spitting facts but you do realize this whole video you are just arguing with a strawman. I have never seen anyone say they want Relogic to remake a terraria in 3D.
Seeing my comment printed right at the first second of the video was not in my mother's day bingo lmao
But I do agree that Terraria's 2D identity makes it stand out, Terraria is THE 2D sandbox game of all time. The issue with a 2D Terraria sequel is that would require them to surpass THE 2D sandbox game of all time, it's a monumental task.
I think it's easier to make a departure and translate the game into something new [look how great Sonic 3D turned out to be :^) ] than to compete with a game with nearly 15 years of content.
I'm sure there is a great Minecraft mod that already does this.
hits blunt
What if…Terraria 3D could work on an pseudo-isometric perspective. Kinda like Don't Starve/Binding of Isaac.
DRAGON QUEST BUILDERS MENTIONEDπππ
Thee name of the game at 3:29 – 3:32, is Dragon Quest Builders
ok but but what r u playing in the background tho, that 3d fan game looks sickπ
on a real note, yeah. Terraria being 2d is a big part of its identity, and a huge part for why I love it so much. β€οΈ
The performance issues should also be considered. Terraria is very accessible as you don't need a particularly beefy PC to handle it, but transitioning into 3D would cause a lot of current and new players to not be able to play Terraria 2.
how would 3d terraria even work? where would the jungle be? would it just be a vaguely circular region of jungle or a single strip of greenery?
how would housing even work? how would summons work? would whips have horrid aoe? what about goblin army like events?
minecraft terraria mod is just terraria 3d
terraria 3d would quite literally be minecraft with more content
Imagine having to purify your world from evil in 3D
i wouldn't hate 3d terraria but i'd prefer it stay 2d tbh
What if Minecraft was 2D and Terraria was 3D?
Ironically, there is game that I think implements the surface level idea of 3D Terraria pretty well. It's called Trove by TrionWorlds. The game itself is shit, with p2w bullshit, power level, other shitty greedy MMO stuff. But the core concept, if developed well, can be put into a 3D Terraria game.
I really love terraria, I mean, heck, my all time most played game by a fat margin, but honestly, I'd rather want for Relogic to buy out Starbound.
I actually prefer 2D games over 3D games and also it would be a LOT harder to make games in 3D (there is a reason rainworld and terraria are 2D I cannot imagine how they would make the above the cloud scenes in rainworld in 3D)
I love terraria bc itβs 2D if it became 3D I wonβt play it
Nah. Terraria is so good cuz it's 2D.
i think 3d Terraria could work it just needs to be a spin off, a sequel should work on improving what people loved about the Original while also innovating enough to have a bit of it's own identity, but only a bit, or else you just end up with a black sheep.
i would personally rather have a Super Metroid then a The Adventure of Link or a Fire emblem Gaiden
everytime someone asks for terraria 3d red delay the update for more two years, thank you
donkey kong country 2 music?
i think a big part of terraria's appeal is the artstyle and the game-feel. one reason i don't like the "terraria 3d" project shown in clips here is the art is this weird uncanny valley between "realistic" and fantasy that just doesn't work (plus its got too many ugly flashy effects). the game feel is also such a delicate thing to recreate that it'd need to be examined under a lot of detail to get right, but the 3d project just sort of slaps mechanics together with no real care on if they're faithful to the original.
one way i think terraria 3d COULD work is making it voxel based like the console trailers. a world could be a big island and every biome could be arranged in a circle around the player (ie jungle to the east, dungeon to the west, snow to the north-west etc). some bosses would probably have to be reworked slightly (like the wall of flesh) but i dont think the rest would be drastically different, just add an extra dimension to their existing movement pattern
ive considered making my own version of a 3d terraria, might try it out
I feel like with how much of the community is centered on boss fights, 2D game is a much better medium to do that
Just wait for Hytale
I agree and disagree at the same time, team size makes terraria 3d impossible but, say i have all the money i need, i would be more then willing to hire a lot developers designers and so on and work on 3d implementation of terraia, graphics in my oppinion should be like something like ark, i would also add a story, it would in the end be a totally different game, but it would still be terraria with terrarias story just expanded like everyone would want, terrarias enemies bosses ultimate goal and so on, of course the current terraria team would have to be on board with that and work with us, and there would be no modding or at least not at the start. so yea if i had all the money i think it would be possible to make in a span of 5-6 years with a large enough team and it would need to be perfection or that wouldn't be it
I tend to mention 3D Terraria a lot when comparing Terraria (and Starbound) with most Minecraft-clones!
I just really like the QoL of Terraria, and what it does to ease the grindy progression a little. No durability, only lose coins on death, resources are easy to find (thanks to inherent x-ray ability of being 2D). Then there is Journey mode, which is the kind of creative mode I wish more games had!
As for Starbound, the best feature in it to me must be the ability to travel between almost infinite planets! Which allows for infinite building space.
But the only problem I face with both Terraria and Starbound is in building stuff, as I love building with small blocks in both games, yet not being able to expand my builds in 3D sucks.
Also Minecraft has one very good benefit above every other sandbox game right now, which is the Create mod! Being able to animate builds like what it allows for is some of the best fun I've had in a while, and keeps me coming back to it.
But all of the Minecraft-clones then have the problem that building in them feels awful due to how big the blocks are. Some not-exactly-Minecraft-clones like Valheim and Space Engineers fix this problem by replacing the terrain with a smaller voxel grid and building blocks with prefabricated pieces.
But those again have the problem that it doesn't allow for as much freedom as building with tiny blocks would, and makes connecting structures with terrain a lot harder!
I think a 2.5D or top-down 3D game with the same/similar artstyle would be the best option
2.5d would be great
You should play Valheim! Its essentially the closest thing we have to 3D Terraria!
i don't really see the point in making terraria 3d? it's like saying terraria should be a rhythm game, that's not really an upgrade, it's just something else. if you want something else you can play another game, no one game covers all bases
There is a game that is terraria 3D and it is called Modded minecraft modpacks. Normal minecraft is as boring as watching paint dry modded minecraft is what you play when you want terraria but 3D.