I love Terra Nil, free game updates, and animals. What do you get when you put those together? The first free major Terra Nil update, Vita Nova. Terra Nil, by Free Lives, published by Devolver Digital, was already a stunning “reverse-city builder,” but now, with more focus on creature comforts.

Vita Nova is just waiting to be discovered by past, present, and future gamer conservationists, and I couldn’t wait to be one of those getting back to nature, albeit virtually. My return to the ecological field has been further enhanced with five new levels, nine new buildings, and a completely reworked wildlife system.

My task is to breathe new life into the landscape, fitting since, according to my good friend Google, Vita Nova literally means “The New Life”. That’s precisely the goal: making the optimal habitats for wildlife.

Terra Nil did have an animal discovery element before, which involved ensuring they had enough of a specific biome to reside in, enough water tiles, or enough of a particular terrain. I found endlessly spamming to find enough tiles for the optimum conditions to be a weaker part of Terra Nil. The Vita Nova update improves the wildlife system, bringing more meaning to balancing nature and nurture for the animals inhabiting it while reclaiming the wasteland.

The complete overhaul of the wildlife system brings new buildings, levels, climate conditions, and challenges. The five new levels tested my skills learned from the original content. Hill and Dale have plenty of potential riverways and prime forest real estate on cliffs, while Polluted Bay tested my skills in working more with the new buildings.

Balancing out each biome on the map is more of a challenge than before; a forest might not be enough for a bear if there aren’t enough food sources nearby, and a deer may not be happy if it doesn’t have enough room to roam, the importance of balancing each biome in a map is more crucial than ever.

Striking that balance comes with the nine new buildings, which was overwhelming until I learned how to optimise them. The Cone Filter cleanses the wasteland to reveal fertile soil, similar to the toxin scrubber but with a conical area of effect. At first, it was a strange concept of less is more as far as purifying the wasteland; though it gave me extra ground to work with for other biome types.

The revamped Research Centre no longer scans for creatures; instead, it can change the weather, which is handy in completing optional goals requiring particular climate conditions. The Chaparrallum makes a rocky shrubland that some critters are partial to. While doing my landscaping, the Wildlife Bridge lets me build little river crossings for deer, and the Sonic Pulse emits a minor sound wave to gently urge the creatures away while you’re working.

Animals are a picky bunch, Animal Necessities warns that they will vacate if they are even slightly inconvenienced in their accommodations. Make sure they have good food, plenty of space to sit and/or swim, and a nearby watering hole for some creatures. Don’t fret; give them what they want, and they’ll return trotting, flying, climbing, and swimming. Most importantly, the animals have names. I am a sucker for a named critter; I was thrilled when my deer friend named Clover and an amphibian acquaintance, Primrose the Frog, were back home.

There is a significant challenge with resource management. If you consider land to be a resource, optimising the use of the terrain is critical. Early on, I made my typical pro gamer move and focused too heavily on completing the optional goals, meaning I had to do quite a bit of adjusting later on to get each biome to each animal’s liking.

It’s all worth it though; the moment the ship takes off, and I’m given a chance to admire the semi-pixellated isometric scenery, all while serene music plays, is the epitome of calming. All is right with the world in those moments; seeing the animals living their best lives in the gorgeous revitalised land.

Terra Nil is an extraordinarily poignant gaming masterpiece. I didn’t think I could love this game more until Terra Nil’s Vita Nova update. It has a unique approach to city-builders while addressing the genuine issue of destroying natural habitats, which we need to acknowledge right now. Terra Nil can’t change the world as a game, but it helps change how we see it.

Deforestation and pollution have taken a lot from the environment, but Terra Nil restores some faith that humanity could use technology for good, and give nature some of its life back. A purchase of this humble game goes toward a donation by Free Lives to the Endangered Wildlife Trust, and the Vita Nova update is a completely free inclusion for those who have the base game. Terra Nil is an incredible title, and with a glorious update like Vita Nova, it may still make conservationists out of us.

Written by: Yasmin Noble