Game review 25 May 2020, 18:27

author: Patrick Manelski

Minecraft: Dungeons Review – Perfect Diablo for Kids

The brand-new Minecraft is a hack'n'slash. Mojang's unexpected romance turned out to be quite successful, but at the same time it leaves a certain disappointment with untapped potential.

The review is based on the PC version.

Writing the review of Minecraft: Dungeons is a matter that causes great heartache for me. The game is as good as it is bad. On the one hand, Mojang has created a totally casual title that everyone will enjoy. On the other, the developers themselves admitted they haven't given it as much love as the game deserves. As a result, they have delivered a game that is an excellent position to play as part of Xbox Game Pass subscription, but I wouldn't advise buying it outside of it. Why?

The Arch-Illager is proof that plot can be flunked even in a hack'n'slash

Obviously, the storyline in games like Path of Exile or Diablo III isn't the most important element. However, the plot should have some sort of impact on the gameplay, so that our killing spree is justified in any way. And it may sound strange, but for the first time in my life, I complain about the story in a hack’n’slash.

There is a plot in Minecraft: Dungeons, but it's only realized at the beginning and end of each map – with short cut-scenes. The narrator tells us about the purpose of the mission and then about its ending – and that's basically it. Our main task is to hunt down the Arch-Illager, which we inevitably do at some point. Along the way, however, we don't meet any significant NPCs, only nameless creatures (and one actual Nameless), which doesn't help at all in constituting the game world.

Fortunately, the pickaxe swings quite nicely.

So, all you can do is shrug the story off and proceed to the most important element, which is combat. And here, the game regains some ground – fighting feels good, and eliminating waves of creepers, zobies, and skeletons is smooth and satisfying. We can dodge, we can obtain skills that will enable us to leap forward, pull enemies, chain them together, or just push them away, so the dynamics are there.

Overall, however, you could complain about general lack of depth. Character development doesn't seem overly complicated, and it is actually limited to selecting equipment. We can select from among a few melee or ranged weapons, and types of armor. Our active abilities are controlled by three artifacts, with which we go into battle. Generally, there's not too many options, and the stats are very rudimentary, and include health points’ bonus, damage, attack rate, and sometimes other bonuses.

In most cases, you will simply opt for the one that deals the greatest damage. During my adventure I rarely used any additional bonuses, because it simply wasn't necessary. Only the special effects, thanks to legendary items, made the actual weapon worth saving for longer.

It's a shame that the devs didn't include any crafting mechanics. Because of the way shops work in the game, you end up spending all the money at keepers who sell random items. If you're counting on any specific item, you may have to repeat some stages. Each stage offers a specific loot to acquire, but you will only collect a piece of it after each approach. Shaking your head in disbelief? Well, you shouldn't because the real fun begins here!

Complication in simplicity

Each piece of equipment allows one or more passive abilities to be enabled. Depending on the quality and level of the equipment, you can find armor with up to three slots for these abilities. A maximum of four abilities may be assigned to each slot, with only one being active. The remaining slots, if available, have their own abilities that do not duplicate with the previous ones.

That way, we can actually control how our character will perform in battle. We can get a tank that, for example, will ignore up to 90% of the damage for 5 seconds after drinking a potion, redirecting some of it towards the enemies, on top of that deflecting missiles. Also nothing prevents you from creating a mage, who will mostly depend on the power of artifacts. Or maybe a rogue focused on the speed of attacks and the chance for striking the enemy with a thunderbolt? Alternatively, you can also try to recreate Tolkien's Legolas, and get access to abilities enabling shooting three arrows at once, without even reaching to the quiver!

There's no shortage of options and we are only limited by our level. The higher it is, the more points we can invest in equipment, which in Minecraft: Dungeons is done through mechanics of enchanting. More powerful abilities are more expensive, so we end up juggling specific bonuses to get the best result.

The whole thing is complemented by the artifacts that function as our active abilities. There are up to three of them and they affect the game in different ways. The rod lets us pull opponents, the flare fires explosive projectiles, and the boots provide a bonus for movement speed. The most interesting, however, are artifacts based on the mechanics of collecting souls from defeated enemies.

We fill up a special bar, destroying hordes of cuboid monsters, and hence gain access to specific artifacts. The strength of the effect depends on the number of collected souls. If you have two items like that, you have to use them carefully, but it's also possible to boost the soul harvests. So we can also become the grim reaper!

Nine maps only suffice for five hours of good fun

Everyone complains about the over-simplicity of Minecraft: Dungeons, and I applaud Mojang for creating a fun system that everyone, even the most casual player, will be able to enjoy. There's no shortage of combinations, and you'd probably be willing to spend more time getting all the unique items to create even more unique a character. In theory, because the game itself doesn't encourage it.

At the time of release, Minecraft: Dungeons offered only nine maps, which at the basic difficulty level yield about five hours of good fun. I know that the main strength of hack’n’slash games is customarily its repeatability and the inevitable grind. One can therefore ignore the fact that the plot ends so soon, since most people are looking for end-game anyway.

The Problem, however, is that this is not necessarily the case. Already after playing beta, I complained about procedural generation of levels, which seems not to be working. And in fact, after completing the plot, I increased the difficulty level, after which I went back to the old maps, just to find they're virtually identical. Differences were limited to minor details. On top of that, each board has certain obligatory elements that never change, which only intensifies the feeling of déja vu.

Each offers different environment and different mechanics

Speaking of maps, I'll praise the developers again. Each of the nine available locations is completely different, not only visually, but also in terms of level design. Anyway, when it comes to graphics,Minecraft: Dungeons, because I have no reservations about this aspect – the game looks absolutely lovely. Unfortunately, I was disappointed that the potential of unique mechanics on individual maps was not fully realized.

For example, if you find traps in one region, you are guaranteed not to encounter them anywhere else. Each map is a separate adventure, which on the one hand you might enjoy, because there is little to no recycling, but on the other, the game is practically begging for a more substantial challenge. Instead, each stage is rather predictable.

However, I once again praise the creators, this time for the level of difficulty. I was pleasantly surprised when it turned out that you could actually die at the lowest starting level. Larger opponents should not be underestimated, large groups of mobs can also create problems, and specific enemies must be prioritized, because they can generate unique problems.

At the same time, each map clearly shows the mechanics that will be used in a boss fight or during the final moments of the stage. So, if something goes wrong and we die, it's mostly our fault and Minecraft: Dungeons will not hesitate to slap us sometimes. The only problem I could find here was the fight with Arch-Illager, which was impressive, but left a certain sense of disappointment caused by the simplicity of the encounter.

I envy kids who'll begin their hack'n'slash adventure with this game

Quite a few complaints about this Minecraft: Dungeons, right? But to be completely fair, you have to remember I review the game as an experienced player, who expects a lot from these games. What's worth noting, however, is that Mojang's new game has a certain appeal, a very alluring quality. While the simplicity of Warhammer: Chaosbane caused me many a sleepless night, in Minecraft: Dungeons, it becomes the game's unquestionable asset.

This may be due to the fact that this hack’n’slash is clearly aimed at a younger generation. And I will confess that I absolutely envy the kids whose first encounter with this genre will be Minecraft: Dungeons. It is a colorful, uncomplicated game, that has simple rules and literally everyone will find their bearings. The universe is also a huge advantage – the franchise is just massively popular.

When I was a kid, I used to play Sacred or Diablo – and when I look at it in retrospect, I kinda see these are not really games for children. Because of that, I wasn't able to play the game together with my dad, which in case of Minecraft: Dungeons is totally possible (even recommended) – it is the perfect game for playing with kids. To have casual fun with friends or family.

I am convinced that such an innocent-looking production will encourage even the most skeptical person to play. Really, if I had a kid, I would rather play this game with them than Path of Exile, Diablo III, Wolcen or Grim Dawn. And this is how you should perceive Minecraft: Dungeons as a hack’n’slash for kids, which adults can also enjoy.

Dear Mojang, I ask for more, but also better!

But I also can't help feeling that Minecraft: Dungeons is a prime example of wasted potential. I can forgive five-hour plot, ignore the shortage of maps – more will come with DLCs, of which two have been already announced. It's hard not to feel that the game can, and in fact should, be a lot better. Individual locations are unbalanced, with some having a lot of secrets and collectibles, and others being pretty much empty.

The same is true of the opponents. I spent a lot of time exploring nooks and crannies that offered nothing – no enemies, nor prizes, just wasting my time. Then, five minutes later, you enter a room packed with all sorts of creatures like fish in a tin. This lack of consistency can be seen throughout Minecraft: Dungeons and is perhaps its greatest flaw.

Ultimately, it's hard for me to award a fully satisfying score to this game. I enjoyed it, I played it with pleasure, but at the same time I don't necessarily feel the need to go back to it. This would certainly look different if I had another person to play with – in such case, I'd launch the game faster than you can say "Jack Robinson." In fact, the title resembles a pack of chips – the packaging suggests something bigger than the actual content, half of which is air. If you can get the game via the Xbox Game Pass service, you're in the perfect position, but if you're thinking about actually paying for it, why not go for something more fleshed-out?