TERA PC Review - PAGE 1

Video games are beautiful, complex things and full of nuance. Take for example the concept of a "miss,” where missing with a weapon in an RPG is typically the result of a behind-the-scenes calculation or perhaps an enemy cast status effect, each unavoidable in regards to player interaction. Now consider an FPS, where missing with a weapon is almost wholly a result of player error. Not entirely ridiculous concepts, but needless to say these games would require complete redesigns to complement the new systems.

Enter TERA, a Korean-developed MMORPG that capitalizes on an action combat system, designed to reinvigorate the old fashioned "whack-a-mole" style MMO combat of old. One would expect that with such a dramatic shift in MMO formula TERA would see significant changes in a variety of other areas in addition to its combat system. Not so, as TERA maintains a conservative, or even classical attitude in terms of leveling, questing, team composition, and dungeons/instancing. Certain aspects of the game may not be familiar to Western markets, but are staples in Eastern MMOs – like BAMs and the much advertised political system. As I've been building up to, it's this clash of modern versus conservative concepts and design implementation that ultimately proves to be TERA's greatest flaw and strength.

Yet neither these positives nor negatives could inevitably decide the MMO's fate, now a mere two months into its existence in the West. Pre-launch controversy surrounding the game's character races and, well, rather discriminate female armors, combined with a series of anti-competitive lawsuits and advertising campaigns could have ruined TERA's potential despite the game's qualities.

MMOs are typically hard reviews in general, but TERA especially has been exasperating to finally put my thoughts on paper for.  Nonetheless, here's TERA, the best and worst MMO of 2012.

Standing Out in the Crowd

“Strikingly beautiful” would be an adequate summarization of TERA's visuals. Even the MMO Aion, touted for its beauty, pales in comparison to the vibrant environments of TERA. I think what I am most impressed with is the sheer scale and detail of TERA's settings. There wasn't a single area in the game where forests, mountain ranges or cityscapes weren't towering over my character's head. From level 1 on the Island of Dawn, where a giant cherry tree shaped structure hovers above and shades the island, to the Nexus spawn in the level 60 area of Northern Ashara. These two areas contrast each other, beginning and end or life and death, and complement the seasonal biomes spread throughout the rest of the world Arborea.

This visual acuity comes to life in the hands of the living denizens of Arborea. The varied races, from the furry, dancing, animal-faced Popori to the the horned, scaled and brutish Aman are all wonderfully animated and rendered. Enemies of all types are similarly designed to be interesting and eye-drawing. Yet this beauty is fouled by an unnecessary and, quite frankly, gross gender favoritism. Female versions of each race are heavily altered versions of the males, each designed to accentuate their very human feminine features as opposed to the unique characteristics the male versions share. Should I bring up armor, or the lack thereof on female characters? From plate mail to cloth robes, TERA goes out of its way to show female skin. The controversy surrounding the female counterpart to the male, chubby, and furry Popori is also notable here, as the Elin race is simply a small, youthful woman with animal ears and a tail – and very little clothing. A discussion on sexism is beyond the scope of this review, but just from a design perspective the issue is distressing, even shameless.

Here's the first and most basic contradictory design choice made by TERA. By creating a visually distinctive aesthetic for its world and the inhabitants therein, TERA begs the MMO audience to judge it at face value. Should they then be surprised at the controversy that then erupts? Shouldn't MMO fans deserve better? Ever single female friend of mine who looked at TERA, including multiple who work in the industry, were disgusted to some degree with the way their sex was represented. A number of male friends also felt similarly, and those that weren't persuaded initially quickly empathized after a large portion of discussion in TERA's general chat focused (and continues to focus) on the sexual nature of Elin or similar topics. TERA is the worse for its female character and armor design, because they made this a feature of their game. Have no doubt they created this controversy intentionally, and continue to sell it with every patch to this day.

Swords, Shields and Sorcery

First impressions are rough, but after opening the book cover of TERA it's easy to recognize the greatness of the feel of it. Combat in TERA is refreshing beyond belief, all because it requires just a small amount of movement and response. I played every single class to at least level 20, and each of them required a different sort of movement in order to maximize their potential. Warriors, a dual-wielding "tank" class were forced to dodge and constantly reposition, Archers could maximize their damage by mixing melee and range attacks, and healers would need to constantly relocate themselves for certain positionally dependent spells or just to keep up with their party. It's really unlike anything you've done in an MMO before.

The best example of the combat's quality is shown in BAM fights. For those unfamiliar, a BAM (Big Ass Monster) is a stronger than normal foe that often requires a party to defeat. However, due to the skill-based nature of TERA's combat system these BAMs could be soloed by most every class, should they prove to be a talented enough player. As a warrior I could dodge most every BAM attack, chain attacks for epic damage, and confuse the enemy with a shadow so I could heal or alter my positioning.  This experience is wholly unique to TERA, analyzing an encounter and approaching it in different manners. Defeat was simply the result of a lack in experience. It's through these solo encounters that true understanding of your class comes to fruition.

This is also how disappointment in party-based gameplay is born. The developers of TERA, in all their wisdom, created this fun and unique combat system, but then potentially broke it by relying on the same class system of traditional MMOs: tank, healer, and DPS. The Warrior caught my eye initially with the idea of tanking through movement-based dodging. If I had to move, my party had to move, and this party-based gameplay would be reliant on communication and quick reactions. Instead, I got to meet and grow to hate a class called the Lancer. As the other "tank" class in the game, the Lancer holds a sword and shield and rather than dodge attacks through movement he simply presses a button and blocks attacks. As is the nature of MMOs, this sort of reliable, non-moving tank became the preferred – nay, only acceptable tanking class in difficult dungeons. Lancers were safer, thus requiring less preparation for encounters, resulting in less risk of defeat. The latest news is that Warriors will receive a buff soon to make them viable -- yes, they're receiving a block skill themselves. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.