It has been a long time since I played a good dungeon crawler. In fact, the last time I played one was back in the early-to-mid 2000s with Diablo 2. However, I have been licking my chops at the prospect of jumping back into the genre and have been hungrily eyeing a copy of Diablo III: The Eternal Collection for my Nintendo Switch. So when my editor asked me to review Minecraft Dungeons, I figured it to be a good time as ever to see if the genre still fascinated me as it did back when I was in school.
Keeping things simple
The story of Minecraft Dungeons is as generic as they come. The world is under attack by an evil overlord and you, only YOU can stop them. So there is an evil villager (or ‘Illager’ to use the correct term) who has gotten their hands on a magical McGuffin called the Orb of Power, which he is then using to summon mobs of enemies and attack the peaceful villages in the surrounding areas. As the true hero, it is up to you to defeat the Arch-Illager and his numerous mobs.
Lots of character options, but their abilities do not differ
As I mentioned before, the story is pretty flimsy and is only used to tie the various levels together. It should be noted that the story campaign is pretty small and the eight or so levels in the game can be completed in about 5-8 hours depending on how much exploration you do. As such, you’ll be replaying levels quite a bit. Thankfully, the game does mix things up by changing the layout of the map. You can also change the difficulty of the level at the start, giving you the chance to make things more challenging while also giving you the chance to pick up more powerful loot. Not only that, but there are also some secrets that you can find that can open up even more levels.
The levels are limited, but loads of difficulty options to choose
Once you complete the tutorial level, you get access to a Home Camp, you can use this area to play new levels and replay previous levels. The Home Camp also features a hut that displays trophies from levels that the player has conquered. While it may not be the best way to show progression, it certainly does its bit.
Straight outta Minecraft
Minecraft Dungeons is immediately recognisable as a Minecraft-based game. The game’s pixelated structures and blocky design is unmistakable. When the game was first announced, I wondered if this was going to be a case of the developers plonking a Minecraft skin on top of a dungeon crawler. As it turns out, that was pretty much on the money. However, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
The game seems to have been lifted straight from Minecraft
From the publisher’s standpoint. Having Minecraft’s graphics should lure a new generation of players to try the game and the genre as a whole. Calling Minecraft popular would be a gross understatement and even having a percentage of the players try the game would be significant.
From an artistic standpoint, Minecraft’s block and pixelated design may look archaic, but they are pretty detailed, especially how colourful they are. From different types of soil to various enemies, each character looks different, which in turn helps with gameplay as players can visually prioritise on-screen enemies.
Pixelated and blocky does not necessarily equal ugly and dated
Of course, using Minecraft as inspiration can be a bit of a double-edged sword. For if you never liked Minecraft’s aesthetic, you won’t like Minecraft Dungeons’ either. It’s that simple.
Simplistic gameplay
Minecraft Dungeons offers very simple gameplay. The player character is equipped with one melee weapon, one ranged weapon and a set of armour. Players can also equip up to three Artifacts that grant various abilities. I think the developers intended to keep things simple as this setup makes it easier for first time players or even children to join in. This family-friendly theme is also seen in other aspects as there is absolutely no blood or gore in the game. Enemies simply fall over and dissolve into the ground.
Hit enemies till they fall
While the gameplay may be simple, combat is still pretty satisfying. Different weapons like swords and axes have their own feel to it, while there is a certain joy to be had when you use your bow and arrow to hit an enemy on the far end of the screen. There are many different types of enemy mobs you’ll come across and each with unique abilities. However, all the mobs have been lifted straight from Minecraft. So you have the Zombie, the Skeleton Archer as well as the iconic creeper.
As this is a dungeon crawler, players will find various loot scattered throughout each map. If the loot is better, players can swap it for their existing set. If not, players have the option to salvage it for Emeralds, which is the in-game currency. Emeralds are also gathered from defeating enemies or by opening chests. You can improve existing weapons or armour by using experience points that you gather as you level up. These can bestow various abilities to a weapon such as a chance to enrage an opponent, reflecting damage or even elemental attacks.
Unfortunately, there is very little you can do with Emeralds. There are a couple of NPCs at the home base that you can buy weapons and artefacts from. However, what you get from them is completely random. So there is very little reason to buy anything from them. So your emeralds will pretty much end up gathering dust.
Limited options to use Emeralds
There is a similar problem with the way you level up weapons. Any enchantment to add to a weapon is limited to that weapon only. So if you find a new and better weapon, you have no other option but discard the one you have spent experience points on. Since you have no character abilities to unlock or upgrade, you have no other option but to spend points on your weapons which you will eventually replace.
The gear system is simple, but not barebones
Another problem I had was the fact that there is no pause feature in the game. While I understand this when playing online, You cannot pause the game even when offline. This is a bit of a problem when playing the game solo as there is no one to cover you. This is sort of annoying as pausing the game is the only way to switch gears. As such you’ll have to find a nice quiet sport before deciding to switch any gear.
Audio
True to its Minecraft roots, Minecraft Dungeons is very minimal when it comes to music. However, it’s still pretty good and does a decent job of setting the mood. Sound effects are equality minimalistic but manage to do the job well.
Best played together
While Minecraft Dungeon can be played solo. It is best enjoyed with some friends. The game can be played online, or offline in co-op mode. While I didn’t get to play online, I did play co-op and it was a fun experience. The simple controls mean that almost anyone can play, making it a good game to play with kids or anyone who isn’t a hardcore gamer. The game is also set to support cross-platform play, across the PC, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, highlighting its focus on playing together.
Verdict
Minecraft Dungeons isn’t the perfect dungeon crawler by any means. However, its simple controls make it very inviting to those who haven’t had a chance to try the genre yet. While the story is pretty short, it does offer some replayability thanks to the changing layouts of the levels. As such the game is not for someone looking for a hardcore dungeon crawler. However, if you’re looking for a simple game that you can play with friends or your kids, then Minecraft Dungeon might be just what you need.
Skoar – 7
Moar
Developer: Mojang Studios
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Platforms available: Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Price: Rs 1,099, Xbox Store
We played a review copy of Minecraft Dungeons on the Microsoft Xbox One.
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Shrey Pacheco
Writer, gamer, and hater of public transport. View Full Profile
