Terraria’s creator “wanted more of a purpose out of Minecraft”

pcgamesn.com:

Terraria is often compared to Minecraft, and it’s clear to see why. The pair stand side-by-side among the best sandbox games, and their core concepts of digging out resources and building something of your own are quite similar. However, the two actually take rather different approaches to progression – in fact, the creator of Terraria says his inspiration to create it came largely from a desire to have a similar game with more explicit goals.

Responding to a Twitter thread discussing criticisms of Minecraft and whether the game should have more specific motivations or goals to work towards, Terraria creator and Re-Logic president Andrew ‘Redigit’ Spinks says, “Wanting more of a purpose out of Minecraft is a big part of what drove me to make Terraria.”

This statement isn’t specifically intended as either a compliment or a diss towards Minecraft, he explains, but a little of both. “You can’t argue with the success of Minecraft’s formula,” he says of Mojang’s more freeform, creative sandbox, “but I side with the people who wish it was a different game.” That doesn’t mean he thinks Minecraft needs to change, either: “It’s a great game and I’ve had my fun with it,” he adds, “my kids play it all the time still.”

As an ardent Terraria lover, I’m of course forever thankful the inspiration struck him. Initially, I went into Terraria expecting it to mostly be a ‘2D Minecraft’ and didn’t really click with it as a result; it wasn’t until later when I realized how its gear progression, NPCs, boss fights, and ever-changing world states worked that I got truly hooked in.

I still love Minecraft, too, and as Redigit notes the best part is that we get to play and enjoy both games. If I just want the complete freedom of an open world