Although the Wii U version was not forthcoming, the 3DS iteration of the popular 2D mining game Terraria - recently confirmed as coming to Nintendo platforms - was fully playable at this year's Gamecom.

We've put quite a lot of time into the PC version and it took a little while to get used to the controls on the 3DS port. This is common to any transition to new hardware but before long we were happily oblivious to the form factor of the device and could simply get on with enjoying the game.

The game offers both button and touch screen control, although to fully get the accuracy of the other versions the touch screen is really the way to go. Having a second screen on the 3DS was a real help as it could be used to display your inventory, a map or a zoomed-in view for more accurate building.

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As you can see in the video here, we stuck with the stick and button controls to begin with, which worked fine. However, we did struggle to place platforms and items accurately. The touch screen zoomed-in method resolved this.

Not playable at the show was a multiplayer mode. This enables 4-8 players to journey together into new worlds. The 3DS version offers local WiFi play supported for up to 4 friends, while the Wii U can accommodate 8-player online or 4-player split-screen using Wii Remotes.

The game felt polished and seemed to be fully featured. It includes all of the PC version updates with over 1,300 crafting recipes, 150 enemies and 15 bosses to battle. Important for newcomers is that there is also a comprehensive tutorial mode.

Terraria hasn't got a firm date yet on either 3DS or Wii U, except the promise from publisher 505 Games that it will launch in early 2016.