It's Minecraft on a 2D plane with a heavier focus on combat and survival. There's not much of a story. It's up to you to go as far as you want too. The progression is basically learn the systems. Learn how to survive above ground. Learn how to survive below ground. Start collecting gear. Start challenging bosses. It's pretty easy to get into. The real challenge is in the bosses. You need to think outside the box early on because you're not just wacking a boss to death like you will the normal mobs. Mobility and verticality are key.

It's not Elden Rings level of difficulty. It's like a harder Minecraft survival mode. There's a lot to do and it's not hidden from you. In Minecraft because you're in first person view and there's stuff all around you, you can miss a lot. And the crafting system is similar too. You don't know what you're getting until you put the ingredients together. With Terraria you can see everything because it's all on one plane. So you're not playing a guessing game. Crafting is the same way. Once you discover gold ore you know all the things you can make with gold now. So discovery isn't a hey I found this let me search for more in hopes I can make an item. Its more of I know exactly where I can find some ore that corresponds to the item I want because I discovered it at this depth and I need exactly this much to make that item I want. Does that make sense? The real sense of discovery comes from there being so much to craft.

You have it. Try it. IMO it's one of the best video games ever made. It has a bit of everything. Survival. Crafting. Metroidvania aspects. Platforming. It looks great and sounds even better. It's one of a handful of game I ever put more than 100 hours into as an adult. It basically got me through college. I still pick it up every once and a while to let my mind veg while I listen to music and fight mobs while I build a pretty base.