In the genre intersection between a slash-em-up, a dungeon crawler, and a game made for kids, lies a glorious party land made of blocks. Minecraft Dungeons is easily the most fun I have had in a video game recently. Developed by Mojang Studios and Double Eleven, this videogame is a Minecraft spin-off without any of the open-world building and mining. It is available for free on the Xbox-PC game pass, and I would recommend you get it without thinking twice. But here’s my review anyway.
The game’s main story follows the quest to defeat an ‘Illager’ named Archie, who has turned over to the dark side. ‘Arch-Illager’ has sworn vengeance upon those who wronged him, and sends out hordes of monsters to eat up villages. We are the heroes, setting out on a perilous journey of saving the world. Armed with nothing but a simple sword and bow in the beginning of the game, Minecraft Dungeons is a remarkable story of growth—because the battle is all over in a matter of five-ten hours. But the shortness of the game works to its advantage: involving some really concentrated fun, and ensuring that the game ends before we get tired of it.
If you have played Minecraft before, you may be aware that the game’s graphics are essentially a cluster of clunky, textured blocks. Despite it, the maps in the game are incredibly beautiful. The lighting in the dark dungeons and castles provide an interesting aesthetic to the game, and the music retains the excellence present in the original Minecraft versions.
As a game series that is generally considered beginner-friendly, Minecraft Dungeons has a good variability in terms of difficulty. The level progression can get steep, and it requires us to set some time to think about our weapon options and upgrades. The current version of the game also offers cross-play cooperative gameplay, allowing for up to four players to team up together against the ‘Arch-Illager’. Based on a combination of weapon choices and special items, co-operative gameplay offers the option of using different combat strategies to tide over the more difficult levels in the game.
The quest to find and release ‘Arch-Illager’ from the corruption that controls him is murky. There are several creatures to defeat, and the path ahead may seem endless. But, Minecraft Dungeons is a story of hope. It constantly rewards us, even if all we did was shoot an arrow at a green creeper. All hail games that give us 10 drop-items per minute! The generosity of Minecraft Dungeons will ensure that people play it forever. 5/5 for this fun dungeon crawler.