Remember when games were hard? No hand holding, no tutorials, just throw-you-in-the-mix-and-let-you-figure-it-out hard? TerRover, by Creat Studios, is a new game out on the PSN ($15) that is hard like that, and in an awesome way. You control a cute little tank, and your only goal in life is to navigate the level and get from start to finish. Of course your path is blocked by lots of sharp things that kill you, but luckily the game provides lots of save points so if you die you are only set back a little ways. And that’s great, cause you’re gonna die a LOT. The controls of the game are what’s really difficult though – you can flip around in all sorts of ways, and between that and the bouncy physics you are frequently surprised by where you end up.
Now I’ve seen some reviews online bashing the controls, but in my opinion they are totally looking at them the wrong way. The controls are hilarious, and you wind up having an awesome time messing around with them (remember, we loved QWOP). Sure, they can be frustrating at times, but if you go with the flow you will find yourself laughing and having fun a lot more than anything else. And when you do get over that challenge hump or past that insane spikey ball of death you have a great feeling of accomplishment.
However, the game has one stellar feature which far and away outshines everything else. The multiplayer race mode in which 1-4 friends can race together is FANTASTIC. I haven’t yelled, screamed, and laughed so much with my friends since WarioWare. The race is really amusing, with people dying left and right, respawning at odd points, and just general mayhem. This feature alone makes the game worth purchasing, and I *strongly* recommend playing this with friends. If you at all like party games and/or hard games, I promise you you’ll love this one.
Full Disclosure: We hung out with the Creat guys @ E3 in the SOE booth and they are local Boston indie devs, so we’re friends with them. That said this review is impartial and not influenced by that friendship.
