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0 Are you looking for something totally different? Well, look no further than Terra Alia, an enchanting game where technology, magic and language mix into an immersive experience. Think Duolingo, but on steroids and in VR! Developed and published by 30 Parallel Inc, at the time of writing the game was on sale on the Meta Store at just under £8. What an absolute bargain for an interactive learning experience. I mean who doesn’t love learning when its gamified!
Pick Your Language
If you are looking to learn a new language, then let us know whether Terra Alia takes your fancy in the comments.
Gameplay
In essence, Terra Alia looks to help you learn one of ten different languages. It just takes you on an enchanting journey in the process.
Starting off just like any other game, firstly you must pick your character. Once you’ve done this you are introduced into the game’s language mechanics and what that actually means. With some amazing technology, it highlights the names of items in whichever language you choose. You can dive into English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and Brazilian Portuguese. Once you have picked your chosen language the game then rewards you for pronouncing the words correctly. That’s right, you will be interacting with your voice!
Donde Esta La Biblioteca?
It’s been over 20 years since I studied at Spanish at secondary school. But with no time like the present to brush up my skills, I decided Terra Alia could be just what I needed to perfect my schoolboy Spanish. We started out with some basic words, libro (book), silla (chair), escritorio (desk) to start. These then rewarded me with magical powers to use later on. My favourite element is the puzzles, with one of them giving you a number of words already translated and you have to work out which is which. These puzzles usually unlock doors, or chests giving you other goodies.
Once you have gone through the main tutorial you are let out to embark on your journey of discovery and learning. Your journey is to find Professor Esperanto, who has disappeared in strange circumstances. You will venture throughout the magical realm of Terra Alia, using your vocabulary to fight mythical creatures and rogue androids, as well as conversing with other characters on your way.
As you progress further through the game you will learn more powerful spells, completing quests that bring you ever closer to finding out what happened to Professor Esperanto. Who knows, maybe they just popped out to refill the tea and coffee from the staffroom?
Graphics & Audio
Graphically, Terra Alia is beautiful. The vibrant colours of each realm you travel to give a great feeling that you are indeed, on an enchanting journey. Even just venturing around the starting area you are treated to great shadows and beautiful architecture. And it just keeps getting better. From the desert environments to the cities you find along your path, each is recreated in gorgeous colour. The character models that you can interact with are all believable. You never really lose the sense of reality with the stylised brightness that greets you. Even whilst being aware that you are in VR at all times!
Audio-wise, I mean what is there to say? A game that is so heavily reliant on sound and language better have them perfected right? Well thankfully you won’t be let down, the dialogue is perfect. Using the audio prompt on words to hear how you are meant to say words was great. Giving me a little guidance on the correct pronunciation was always welcome.
The dialogue is so good in the game, that it almost makes me want to learn an entirely new language. Maybe Korean.
Longevity
As with a lot of VR games, you aren’t signing up for a 100+ hours story, but with the addition of the learning aspect of the game this might become the case. Being able to take on one of 10 popular languages to learn might keep you coming back to Terra Alia on the regular.
Thankfully the game isn’t a one-trick pony and has a compelling storyline as well, which drastically helps the game’s replayability. However, once you’ve completed the game, some people may find there isn’t enough of a story to bring them back. Even to learn to another new language.
Final Thoughts
Terra Alia has great dialogue, there is no denying that. Does the rest of the game live up to the same? Thankfully yes! With a compelling storyline taking you on a journey of discovery and intrigue, you are treated to a great RPG with learning elements.
Terra Alia receives the Thumb Culture Gold Award. Felicidades
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
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