[3] Rather than promoting the consumption of resources to expand, the game is inspired by the rewilding movement and the climate crisis, and seeks to restore nature rather than exploit it.

[11] The unique selling point of the game comes in the third phase, where – once a sufficient amount of the ecosystem and weather has been restored – the player is tasked with recycling the buildings they have placed in order to create an airship on which they will leave the map.

[12][13] Terra Nil was developed by a three-person team (Sam Alfred, Jonathan Hau-Yoon, and Jarred Lunt) at the South African studio Free Lives using the Unity game engine.

The game was originally developed by Sam Alfred, Jonathan Hau-Yoon, and Jarred Lunt for Ludum Dare 45 in October 2019[14] and released on Itch.io.

[25] Hardcore Gamer praised its "simple yet incredibly fun gameplay, striking and gorgeous visuals, and a nice level of challenge".

[24] Rock Paper Shotgun found the reverse city-builder puzzle elements to be "an unavoidable punishment",[27] though Hardcore Gamer singled them out as the game's "most clever and unique hook".