Terraria is a two dimensional action-adventure game of exploration and crafting. Players can use mines and picks to collect various items from the environment including wood, ore and even spider webs. Resources acquired from the environment can be placed or crafted into all manner of items.
The story revolves around survival as players must set up a base before night fall hits in order to protect themselves from roving zombies and eyeball monsters. Building a nice home will attract NPC (non-player characters) to your house to set up residence, including merchants to trade with and nurses who can heal your wounds.
Gameplay involves exploring the environment, collecting resources, and crafting items using the automatic system that lists any item you have the materials for. During the daytime, slimes roam the land and must be avoided or dispatched with a weapon such as a sword or axe. As you gather materials, you can construct more powerful weapons from different ores as well as armor to protect yourself.
The game features 30 monsters, including slimes, floating eyeballs, giant earth worms, and zombies. In addition, players can engage in single player, multi-player servers, and player vs player combat.