The first good news about the world of TERA is that it's not only populated by Humans and Elves. If these two races are indeed present, on the other hand, we avoid the other clichés of Western medieval-fantasy. Castanics are horned humanoids with pointed ears. The muscular Amans would here be considered as extra-terrestrials. The imposing Barakas are descendants of giants. The small, round and cute Poporis are bipedal animals whose face is reminiscent of a bear, a panda, a dog or even a panda depending on the case. And finally the innocent Elins have the appearance of very young girls that some manga are so fond of. The soundness of the design of these last characters may also be called into question, the discussions between certain players revolving a little too often around jokes in very bad taste, even highly reprehensible subjects. In general, it must be recognized that the community currently seems to be sorely lacking in maturity. This is a recurring fact in MMORPGs but, in this case, the publisher has a certain responsibility since he did everything to obtain a PEGI 12 certification rather than 16 for the Western version. By dressing up the Elins somewhat compared to the Korean version, of course, but above all by removing the violence display setting and locking it at a low value, to limit the bloody effects (in particular the projection of blood on the screen). It would have been easier to offer an identical version of the game in all countries, and to assume the age classifications that go with it. This would have saved players from shouting censorship and the forums from getting all fired up for a yes or a no. But let's ignore the controversies and focus instead on the main quality of the game: its combat system!
To arms and so on
TERA effectively shatters the gameplay conventions that have plagued MMORPGs for many years. Namely, the omnipresence of homing spells, arrows, bullets, and even sword blows. The system of choosing a target and then chaining spells with one hand while eating a sandwich with the other is out of place here. On the contrary, the Korean title is inspired by classic action games. A viewfinder therefore occupies the center of the screen and it is up to the player to position it on the target of his choice and then to shoot with the left or right button of the mouse. No question of pressing the Tab key so that the nearest enemy is automatically selected! And then, it is necessary to continue to aim permanently, under penalty of seeing the projectiles miss their goal. Naturally, some enemies tend to regularly take dodge steps. This degree of freedom also works in the other direction, which therefore allows the player to avoid enemy blows. It is therefore no longer only the level and the equipment of the character that count, but also the mobility and the skill of the player. Come to think of it, it should always be that way. However, the game remains very accessible. It splits, for example, an interactive tutorial, which has the merit of getting used to the small interface changes that the dynamic combat system involves. By the way, this is an opportunity to check if you prefer to play with the keyboard or the controller, since the latter is supported. Subsequently, everything is done so that we can easily identify the quest givers, the places where we must go, the creatures that we must kill, etc. And to attract as many people as possible, TERA has put on its finest attire. Thanks to the Unreal Engine 3 (and despite its famous bug with the display of certain textures being delayed), the graphics are of very good quality for an MMORPG. The pleasure of exploration is found tenfold while the pleasant design of the characters and creatures is nicely highlighted. Alas, all this is not enough to make us forget a huge defect that significantly dampens our enthusiasm: the quests! If the main ones are generally nice, the side quests are however terribly boring. They are almost all based on the perennial exterminator-postman scheme ("go kill so many critters, bring me back such a thing"). The substance is therefore not up to the form, and the dynamism of the fights is not enough to avoid the weariness of "grinding" at all costs. A problem all the more embarrassing as the game cannot hide behind the excuse of free-to-play. You have to pay a monthly subscription, even though this economic model seems to be living its last hours. Pleasant but imperfect, TERA does not end up being as revolutionary as one might hope.
TERA VIDEO REVIEW
