Our opinion on TERA and its gameplay
Arrived in our country during the year 2012, TERA is published by Gameforge and developed by BlueHole Studio. It is an MMORPG available in Free-To-Play, which takes place in a heroic-fantasy universe. You will have to fight the evil that is plaguing the world of Arborea, born from the imagination of Arun and Shara, two Titans of phenomenal power.
Graphically, TERA keeps all its promises. The 3D environments and characters are very well realised, the game is fluid, and the display distance is remarkable. Nevertheless, the design of the characters, essentially female, is more than questionable. As a Korean MMORPG, girls are represented with more than generous shapes, and often in little clothes. Lovers of style will be won over, the others may scream at the bad taste. This is also true for the bestiary, which is quite varied but not very inspired. The game’s soundtrack is confoundingly banal, but the French version is of good quality.
The character editor is rather basic, at least as far as character design is concerned. Among the available races, you can choose between Human, Castanic, Aman, Popori, Elin, Baraka and High Elf. Each of these races must of course be complemented by a specific class from among Warrior, Lancer, Slayer, Berserk, Wizard, Archer, Priest or Mystic. This leaves enough possibilities to not get bored and create a relatively unique hero. Whatever your choice, we regret that TERA’s entry is the same, regardless of your race/class.
TERA and its original combat system
TERA ‘s biggest strength is without a doubt its combat system. The interface is clear, but unfortunately it is not customizable. Forget the automatic lock of the enemies, so present in MMORPGs. Here, it is necessary to aim, whether it is to send a blow to the enemy or to heal your ally. The reticule always indicates how far away your opponent is. The gameplay is extremely dynamic, as you have to move constantly during the confrontations, facing rather reactive opponents. It is possible to perform combos with your spells, and this requires quite a bit of dexterity to manage all aspects of the game in combat. Of course, these original ideas come to a head during PvP battles.
PvP is to be preferred. TERA does not shine in terms of exciting PvE, despite a fairly extensive background. The single-player adventure remains viable, but without any flavour, notably because of its distressingly poor quests. The PvP, which requires a good coordination of the different players (given the aiming system) and displays a nice complementarity between the classes, becomes quickly enjoyable.
A last word on mounts, an essential addition to any MMORPG. We deplore the absence of free flight: you can only move on foot, on the back of a land mount or by riding a winged creature that will follow a predefined path.
Our conclusion on TERA
What would TERA be without its well thought-out combat system? Not much, in theory. BlueHole Studio ‘s MMORPG struggles to find its identity and offers nothing more than its direct competitors. But it must be admitted that its particularly dynamic gameplay, designed for PvP, has what it takes to seduce many players.