‘Terrorarium’ Video Game Review – ‘Lemmings’ Meets ‘Angry Birds’

Terrorarium – yes, that is tricky to say – is a game of destruction and cute gore, which is apparently a thing in this murder gardens game. The description for Terrorarium reads as follows:

Maker Mode builds deadly levels filled with lava pits to murderous plants that you can share to kill untold numbers of cute little Moogu. You play as a space granny, obsessed with winning the blue ribbon from the Intergalactic Horrorcultural Society. She controls a small army of Moogu: a cute but stupid invasive species who breed out of control which frees up the Gardener to send hordes of them to their violent deaths. Each level is a fresh environment filled with traps to decimate your Moogu swarm.

This is another game that my son Ethan and I have reviewed on the Mac for PopHorror (the first being The Church of the Darkness, which you can read here). It’s so cool that Mac finally is getting some recognition for gamers worldwide. Firstly, Terrorarium draws heavily from others like it, for example, 2002’s Lemmings. But unlike Lemmings, the gamer tries to lead their Moogu to death rather than safety, because killing off these little guys is what helps you complete each level. It’s like a combination of Lemmings and Angry Birds. Each level gets progressively harder, as you would expect. But is the game any fun?

So, the main game has over 100 polygon-styled levels for you to try and figure out. Each has its own unique puzzles and traps to get past. The sound design is good, and the score complements the vibrancy of each level. It does take some brain power to get to the end of some of the particularly tough puzzles, but there’s a sense of achievement when you have done this. There is also Maker Mode, which allows players to create levels of their own design. So, if you are feeling creative, then jump on in. Chances are if you do, your level will be played, as there aren’t many to choose from at the moment. The Maker level world is crying out for your amazing, creative mind!

The Moogu also have different abilities which makes the gameplay interesting and fun. You must decide which of the Moogu’s traits will help you to progress. As you get into the harder levels you will discover new Moogu… say that three times fast. Go on, it’s fun… new Moogu, new Moogu, new Moogu! Maybe if you stare into a mirror and say it five times, a Moogu may appear. But I digress. The more you play, the more the game reveals what it has in store for you, which is a great way to keep you playing.

The problem is, once you’ve completed all the levels, what you do you do? Especially as there are only 15 player-made levels at the time of writing this.

However, the gameplay is fun. The score and sound are good. There is fun to be had with Terrorarium, but only for a limited amount of time.

Ethan and Ruben give this game 6/10