Terraria vs Ylands
Terraria
Terraria is one of the biggest breakout indie game of 2011 and, like Minecraft, is still incredibly popular until today. However, despite the many similarities between Terraria and Minecraft which is mainly because they are both sandbox games, Terraria is a definitely much more fleshed out version of Minecraft without all the 3D voxels but with 2D pixels instead. The great thing about Terraria though is that it has more of everything that Minecraft has - more recipes, more enemies, more pets, more bosses... well, like we said, more everything. The depth in Terraria is simply astounding!Combat also feels action-packed in spite of being 2D and interestingly, the game provides an immersive storyline that you can follow... again, unlike in Minecraft where you literally have to create your own story if you want all of that. The game is cross-platform game and supports multiplayer as well.
In short though, we'd say that Terraria is more suited to adventure-based RPG gameplay rather than Minecraft but unfortunately, not everyone likes its 2D looks. So, if you're a fan of Minecraft and you don't really mind 2D games, you should definitely check out Terraria. You'll be blown away by the overwhelming size of the content!
Ylands
Ylands is a sandbox adventure game that has a gameplay that's a lot like a massively expanded version of Minecraft with a lot more resources for you to gather, items to craft, and amazing things to build. Instead of being "just a game", Ylands is more like a platform, much like Roblox is, where players are given the tools to create whatever worlds or games they like, be it a fun go-kart racing game that's inspired from Lega Racers or even a watery world where epic pirate-themed naval battles can take place. The worlds are completely interactive as well and every action you do will modify, no matter how slightly, the game environment of that segment of the world you happen to be in. In fact, if you change a terrain and populate it with an entirely different diversity of flora and fauna, you can basically change the climate system there.Unlike Minecraft though, Ylands has opted for a more polygonal appearance which gave it the extra leverage it needed to overcome the painful dismissal and degratory label of being simply a "Minecraft clone" - which admittedly, Ylands is most definitely not. The game has so much going for it and players truly have all the freedom within the game's pretty wide parameters to literally create anything they like. Of course, the game also supports sharing, so you can let other players in Yland enjoy that (for example) crazy maze-running game you've just made!
Ylands is most certainly impressive to say the least. However, due to its indie origins, not many players know about the game, let alone buy it on Steam. So, if you really like Minecraft-like sandbox games, you simply must give this game a try, and if you've had a great time there, be sure to recommend it to your friends or even buy it for them as their Christmas/ birthday gift!