Terra Battle
{{Short description|2014 video game}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Terra Battle
| image = Terra Battle.jpg
| caption =
| developer = Mistwalker
| publisher = Mistwalker
| director = Koji Ohno
| producer = Hironobu Sakaguchi
| programmer = Takuto Nakamura
| writer = Masaru Hatano
| designer = Yuki Nishimura
| composer = Nobuo Uematsu
| engine =
| series =
| released = October 9, 2014
| genre = Role-playing video game
| modes = Single-player, multiplayer
| artist = Kimihiko Fujisaka
}}
Terra Battle was a role-playing video game developed by Hawaii-based studio Mistwalker. It was released for iOS and Android devices on October 9, 2014. It was produced by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the Final Fantasy series, with music by Nobuo Uematsu of the same series. The game also featured artwork by Kimihiko Fujisaka, who has contributed to works such as The Last Story and Drakengard. Service for Terra Battle was discontinued in June 2020.
Gameplay
The game plays as a tile-based tactical role-playing game,{{cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/2014/9/5/6107893/terra-battle-console-version-port|title=Terra Battle's console version won't be a port, Sakaguchi says|author=Megan Farokhmanesh|date=September 5, 2014|website=Polygon|publisher=Vox Media|access-date=February 20, 2015}} with elements of collectible card games and puzzle video games as well.
Development
The earliest reports from the game come from June 2014, when Mistwalker trademarked the name Terra Battle.{{cite web|url=https://www.vg247.com/final-fantasy-hironobu-sakaguchi-terra-battle-trademark|title=Is the father of Final Fantasy's new project called Terra Battle?|author=Brenna Hillier|date=June 27, 2014|website=VG247|publisher=Gamer Network|access-date=March 9, 2023}} The game was officially revealed through Famitsu on July 1, 2014.{{cite web|url=https://www.gematsu.com/2014/07/hironobu-sakaguchi-announces-terra-battle-smartphones|title=Hironobu Sakaguchi announces Terra Battle for smartphones [Update]|author=Sal Romano|date=July 14, 2014|website=Gematsu|access-date=March 9, 2023}} The game was released on iOS and Android on October 9, 2014.{{cite web|url=https://toucharcade.com/2014/10/08/new-iphone-games-october-9/|title=Out Now: 'Dragon Quest II', 'Terra Battle', 'Castaway Paradise', 'Zombie Highway 2', 'Reckless Racing 3', 'iBomber 3' and More|author=Eli Hodapp|date=October 8, 2014|website=TouchArcade|publisher=TouchArcade.com, LLC|access-date=February 20, 2015}}
To promote the game, Sakaguchi chose to create a new model of releasing content. Inspired by Kickstarter, he created a means called "Download Starter", where new content would be created based on the number of downloads the game would receive.{{cite web|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/-i-final-fantasy-i-creator-finds-much-to-learn-from-mobile-game-design|title=Final Fantasy creator finds much to learn from mobile game design|author=Alex Wawro|date=October 7, 2014|website=Game Developer|publisher=Informa|access-date=March 9, 2023}} He enjoyed the fan involvement that came with KickStarter campaigns, but did not like the idea of fans directly financing development.{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2014-09-08-final-fantasy-creator-sees-mobile-success-in-download-numbers.html|title=Final Fantasy creator sees mobile success in download numbers|author=Mike Suszek|date=September 8, 2014|website=Engadget (Joystiq)|publisher=Yahoo|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140909151405/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/09/08/final-fantasy-creator-sees-mobile-success-in-download-numbers/|archive-date=September 9, 2014|url-status=live|access-date=March 9, 2023}} Instead, he chose the "Download Starter" model, which was aimed to create interest in the game after it was already created. At 100,000 downloads, more music from Nobuo Uematsu was created for the game.{{cite web|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/mistwalkers-terra-battle-to-get-more-content-based-on-number-of-downloads|title=Mistwalker's F2P Terra Battle to get more content based on number of downloads|author=Jeffrey Matulef|date=August 28, 2014|website=Eurogamer|publisher=Gamer Network|access-date=March 9, 2023}} After the game had been downloaded 1.6 million times, composer Kenji Ito joined the project, with Kingdom Hearts series composer Yoko Shimomura joining him after the game had been downloaded 1.7 million times.{{cite web|date=February 10, 2015|url=http://www.terra-battle.com/en/news/2015/02/1-6mdl.html|title=Achieved 1.6M downloads!!|website=Terra Battle|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213015236/http://www.terra-battle.com/en/news/2015/02/1-6mdl.html|archive-date=February 13, 2015|access-date=March 9, 2023}}{{cite web|date=February 24, 2015|url=http://www.terra-battle.com/en/news/2015/02/1-7mdl.html|title=Achieved 1.7M downloads!!|website=Terra Battle|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150301195639/http://www.terra-battle.com/en/news/2015/02/1-7mdl.html|archive-date=March 1, 2015|access-date=March 9, 2023}} To commemorate the milestone of 1,800,000 downloads, a new musical track by famed Chrono series composer Yasunori Mitsuda was added to the game.{{cite web|date=April 6, 2015|url=http://www.terra-battle.com/en/news/2015/04/1-8mdl.html|title=Achieved 1.8M downloads! Check out Yasunori's new song!|website=Terra Battle|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412034209/http://www.terra-battle.com/en/news/2015/04/1-8mdl.html|archive-date=April 12, 2015|access-date=March 9, 2023}} The final milestone, at two million downloads, would have been releasing a version of the game on consoles. The game's servers were shut down on June 30, 2020.{{cite web|url=https://www.gematsu.com/2020/05/terra-battle-to-end-service-on-june-30|title=Terra Battle to end service on June 30|author=Sal Romano|date=May 29, 2020|website=Gematsu|access-date=June 1, 2020}}
Reception
{{Video game reviews
| MC = 84/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/terra-battle/critic-reviews/?platform=ios-iphoneipad|title=Terra Battle for iPhone/iPad Reviews|website=Metacritic|publisher=Fandom|access-date=June 4, 2018}}
| GI = 8/10{{cite magazine|url=https://www.gameinformer.com/games/terra_battle/b/ios/archive/2014/11/12/smart-tactics-on-your-smartphone.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114184104/http://www.gameinformer.com/games/terra_battle/b/ios/archive/2014/11/12/smart-tactics-on-your-smartphone.aspx|url-status=live|archive-date=November 14, 2014|title=Terra Battle Review (iOS)|author=Daniel Tack|date=November 12, 2014|magazine=Game Informer|publisher=GameStop|access-date=March 10, 2023}}
| Gamezebo = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.gamezebo.com/reviews/terra-battle-review-brave-new-world/|title=Terra Battle Review: Brave New World (iOS)|author=Nadia Oxford|date=October 10, 2014|website=Gamezebo|access-date=March 10, 2023}}
| JXV = 18/20{{cite web|url=https://www.jeuxvideo.com/articles/0002/00020009-terra-battle-test.htm|title=Test: Terra Battle|language=fr|author=Anagund|date=October 17, 2014|website=Jeuxvideo.com|publisher=Webedia|access-date=March 10, 2023}}
| PG = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.pocketgamer.com/terra-battle/terra-battle/|title=Terra Battle (iOS)|author=Matt Thrower|date=October 13, 2014|website=Pocket Gamer|publisher=Steel Media Ltd|access-date=March 9, 2023}}
}}
The iOS version received "favorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.
Pocket Gamer described their reaction to the preview build of the game as "cautiously optimistic", stating that the game was "an RPG stripped down to its barest bones, and...it works surprisingly well." while citing concern with the minimal graphics and free to play payment model.{{cite web|url=https://www.pocketgamer.com/terra-battle/hands-on-with-terra-battle-is-mistwalkers-free-to-play-tactical-rpg-worthy-of-it/|title=Hands-on with Terra Battle: Is Mistwalker's free to play tactical RPG worthy of its heritage?|author=Harry Slater|date=September 15, 2014|website=Pocket Gamer|publisher=Steel Media Ltd |access-date=March 9, 2023}} Joystiq played a version available to play at PAX Prime 2014, and stated that, while the game was overwhelmingly frantic at first, "the slide-and-move-on action was innate and enjoyable enough to encourage continued play."{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2014-10-05-sakaguchis-terra-battle-lands-on-ios-android-this-week.html|title=Sakaguchi's Terra Battle lands on iOS, Android this week|author=Thomas Schulenberg|date=October 5, 2014|website=Engadget (Joystiq)|publisher=Yahoo|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006012956/http://www.joystiq.com/2014/10/05/sakaguchis-terra-battle-lands-on-ios-android-this-week/|archive-date=October 6, 2014|url-status=live|access-date=March 9, 2023}} Game Informer praised the core gameplay, but expressed concern over the long-term effects of the game's imposed waiting time periods.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.gameinformer.com/games/terra_battle/b/ios/archive/2014/08/31/hironobu-sakaguchi-s-terra-battle-requires-nimble-fingers-and-a-quick-mind.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190817224800/https://www.gameinformer.com/games/terra_battle/b/ios/archive/2014/08/31/hironobu-sakaguchi-s-terra-battle-requires-nimble-fingers-and-a-quick-mind.aspx|url-status=live|archive-date=August 17, 2019|title=Terra Battle (Preview)|author=Mike Futter|date=August 31, 2014|magazine=Game Informer|publisher=GameStop|access-date=March 9, 2023}}
{{clear}}
Legacy
In June 2017, Mistwalker announced a sequel and spinoff to the game, respectively titled Terra Battle 2 and Terra Wars, both for Android and for iOS.{{cite web|url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2017/06/21/hironobu-sakaguchis-new-games-are-terra-battle-2-and-terra-wars|title=Hironobu Sakaguchi's New Games Are 'Terra Battle 2' and 'Terra Wars'|author=Joseph Luster|date=June 21, 2007|website=Crunchyroll|publisher=Aniplex|access-date=June 23, 2017}} Terra Battle 2 was released on September 21, 2017, but its lack of success led to it being discontinued, with it being removed from storefronts on June 3, 2018, and its servers shutdown in September 2018.{{cite web|url=http://en.terrabattle2.com/news_detail.php?article_id=18&page=35|title=Terra Battle 2 has launched!|date=September 21, 2017|website=Terra Battle 2|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180515183640/http://en.terrabattle2.com/news_detail.php?article_id=18&page=35|archive-date=May 15, 2018|access-date=March 9, 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://www.destructoid.com/terra-battle-2-gets-the-axe-in-north-america/|title=Terra Battle 2 gets the axe in North America|author=Christopher Hovermale|date=June 4, 2018|website=Destructoid|publisher=Gamurs|access-date=March 9, 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://www.siliconera.com/terra-battle-2-to-end-its-service-in-japan-on-september-28-2018/|title=Terra Battle 2 To End Its Service In Japan On September 28, 2018|author=Yukiyoshi Ike Sato|date=June 28, 2018|website=Siliconera|publisher=Gamurs|access-date=March 9, 2023}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20150204043014/http://www.terra-battle.com/en/ Official website]
- {{moby game|id=/83584/terra-battle/}}
{{mistwalker}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Android (operating system) games
Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games
Category:Role-playing video games
Category:Video games developed in Japan
Category:Video games scored by Hitoshi Sakimoto
Category:Video games scored by Keiichi Okabe
Category:Video games scored by Kenji Ito
Category:Video games scored by Nobuo Uematsu