Terraria and Don't Starve are both incredible success stories of indie survival games. The two titles offer very different takes on the survival genre, but they both draw from different subgenres of horror to flesh out their roster of creatures and enemies that can quickly kill unprepared players. Now, Don't Starve and Terraria have announced that they are teaming up for a crossover that is such a great idea it's surprising that it took this long to happen.
The announcement of the Don't Starve and Terraria cross-over came via the official Twitter accounts of both games, with each posting a sneak peek of what some of their most iconic enemies look like in the other title. The Terarria account posted a clip of Don't Starve's Winston running into the Terarria boss known as the Eye of Cthulhu, while the Don't Starve Twitter shared a clip of the Deerclops in the 2D world of Terraria. Little else was shared about the cross-over other than the Don't Starve account not-so-subtly hinting that fans should expect it to happen sometime next month. While there is undoubtedly more that players wish they knew about what it will feature, it is already a great match for both titles, as both will be able to take advantage of the other's different horror influences to make some unique new enemies.
The Mixing of Two Types of Horror
Enemies and bosses in Terraria are largely inspired by Lovecraftian horror. This manifests in the game by players fighting massive bosses in Terraria like the Wall of Flesh, the world being infected by a corrupting biome, and even the iconic Cthulhu itself. In true Lovecraftian fashion, players also find many of these horrors beneath the ground as they delve deep into the Earth and awake them from their slumber.
Don't Starve, on the other hand, challenges players to manage their character's sanity, hunger, and thirst as well as fight monsters that are often exaggerated versions of real creatures or are heavily inspired by folklore. Many of the creatures that players come across are based on legends like Krampus, literary nods such as the White Whale from Moby Dick, or a horrifyingly giant dragonfly. Other monsters mix animals together, such as the moose/goose that works to make players a bit uncomfortable due to how familiar but "off" they are. This design philosophy helps mirror the game's theme of insanity, as the world feels familiar yet corrupted to the player much like how it does to the character as they lose their mind.
Both of the games drawing from different types of horror will help the crossover be successful in that the new enemies in each game will be unlike anything else players can see in them, helping them stand out and bringing welcome variety to them as well. However, the new enemies likely won't stand out enough to feel out of place either, as both games draw from horror influences to intimidate the player. It will be very interesting to see how the crossover ends up, and just how difficult it is to kill the new monsters in Terraria and Don't Starve. Hopefully, fans will get some more news on what the crossover will entail soon, though the fact that it is happening at all is very promising.
Terraria is available now on Mac, Mobile, PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, Switch, and Xbox One.
