Minecraft Dungeons

Minecraft Dungeons is a 2020 dungeon crawler video game developed by Mojang Studios and Double Eleven and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is a spin-off of the sandbox video game Minecraft and was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in May 2020, and for Xbox Series X/S in February 2021. It was also adapted into an arcade video game by Raw Thrills. The arcade version released in May 2021.

Minecraft Dungeons received mixed reviews, with most critics deeming the game fun and charming, and praising its visuals and music. However, its simple gameplay and use of procedural generation were met with a more mixed reception, with its short story and lack of depth criticized.

Gameplay

Unlike Minecraft, Minecraft Dungeons does not feature an open world nor mining or building. Instead, it is a point-and-click hack and slash-styled<ref name="gr">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="pcgn">Template:Cite web</ref> dungeon crawler, rendered from an isometric perspective.<ref name="bi">Template:Cite news</ref> Players explore procedurally generated and hand crafted dungeons filled with randomly-generated monsters and also deal with traps, puzzles, bosses and finding treasure.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There is no class system; players can use any weapon or armor they wish.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The game includes a four-player local and online multiplayer.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Plot

Minecraft Dungeons is set in the same fictional world as Minecraft, known as the "Overworld", consisting of rough 3D objects—mainly cubes and fluids, and commonly called "blocks"—representing various materials, and inhabited by both peaceful and hostile mobs. Unlike 'Minecraft', the game features a linear, story-driven campaign, and cutscenes.

The opening cutscene tells the story of a villager named Archie, who was driven away by his people. While searching for a new home, he was forced to leave every village he found due to Villagers not allowing him to live with them. One day, Archie stumbled upon a powerful artifact known as the Orb of Dominance, which granted him magic powers but also corrupted him. Now known as the "Arch-Illager", he sought vengeance on all those who wronged him and subjugated numerous villages with his newly acquired army. Players assume the role of heroes who embark on a quest to defeat the Arch-Illager while liberating oppressed villages, fighting monsters, and completing various quests. Ultimately, the players face the Arch-Illager in his castle and destroy the Orb of Dominance, freeing Archie from its influence. Rather than punish Archie for his actions, the players show him kindness and forgiveness and quickly befriend him. As the players and Archie depart, the Orb is shown to be rebuilding itself. It is then found by an Enderman who picks up the orb and goes into the End. The last scene in the cutscene shows an Endersent climbing out of the portal. In the game, after defeating Archie, players unlock new difficulties that make the game more challenging but provide better rewards.

Downloadable content

There are six expansion packs that continue the story of the game:

• In Jungle Awakens, the players travel to a jungle that has been corrupted by a shard of the Orb of Dominance, turning its inhabitants into violent monsters. At the end of the expansion, the players face a boss, the "Jungle Abomination", before destroying the Orb shard and liberating the jungle of its corruption.
• In Creeping Winter, the location is changed to an island trapped in an eternal winter and the final boss is the "Wretched Wraith", but the premise remains the same.
• In Howling Peaks, the location is the windswept peaks of a mountain and the final boss is the "Tempest Golem".
• Flames of the Nether, set in the Nether, is the only expansion to feature no story elements.
• Hidden Depths returns to the premise of the first three expansions, and has players travel to the murky bottom of a deep ocean corrupted by an Orb shard. The final boss is the "Ancient Guardian".
• Echoing Void is the conclusion of the Orb of Dominance storyline, and sees the players traveling to the End to destroy the final shard, facing various monsters along the way, with the "Vengeful Heart of Ender" as the final boss.

Development

Dungeons is developed by Mojang Studios for Xbox One, Windows 10, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch using Unreal Engine 4.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="pcgn-1">Template:Cite web</ref> Console ports are being done by Double Eleven.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

With the continued success of the original Minecraft, Mojang thought about other possible games that could bring something new to the Minecraft universe.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> Experimenting with different ideas, the game was originally meant to be a single-player dungeon crawl game, inspired by The Legend of Zelda series, for the Nintendo 3DS.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref> However, as the game began to take shape, these elements were changed or removed. For example, after adding in multiplayer features, the development team realized that these changes made the game more fun.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> According to game director Måns Olsen, the game was inspired by Diablo and Torchlight,<ref name="pcgn-1" /> as well as co-operative first-person shooter games like Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide and Left 4 Dead.<ref name=":0" />

One of the primary challenges the development team faced was figuring out how to adapt the gameplay of dungeon crawl games like Diablo into the world of Minecraft. Since Minecraft characters did not have any special innate abilities, Mojang had to think of alternatives to things such as character class that would normally be found in games of that genre. Their solution was to focus on creating weapons and armor that the player could make more powerful through enchantments, allowing the player to explore their creativity through customization.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref>

In addition, Mojang wanted to streamline the traditional dungeon crawl game experience into something more accessible. Olsen remarked that other games in the genre "are approachable to some degree, but they're typically games with very deep, interconnected systems", and that they wanted to make getting into Minecraft Dungeons "super easy" yet "instantly familiar".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The decision to not allow building or crafting, a staple of the original Minecraft, was also made in order to focus on the core dungeon-crawling experience.<ref name=":0" /> To give more experienced players a challenge, the team added options to change the game's difficulty, which would reward players with better equipment and new secret content for playing on harder difficulties.<ref name=":2" />

Minecraft Dungeons was announced on September 28, 2018, during the Minecon live streaming event.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A video showcasing gameplay was released during E3 2019.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Release

Minecraft Dungeons was released on May 26, 2020, after being delayed from its original April release date<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> due to the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The closed beta for the game ran for a month from March 25 to April 24, 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

After the initial release, the game was supported with several downloadable content (DLC) expansions packs that each added new dungeons, weapons, items and artifacts.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The first expansion, titled Jungle Awakens, was released on July 1, 2020.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> It was followed by Creeping Winter on September 8, 2020,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Howling Peaks on December 9, 2020,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Flames of the Nether on February 24, 2021,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Hidden Depths on May 26, 2021,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Echoing Void on July 28, 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> An Xbox Series X/S-optimized version was released alongside the Flames of the Nether update.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On July 28, 2021, the same day that Minecraft Dungeons: Echoing Void was released, Minecraft Dungeons, Ultimate Edition was released with all 6 DLCs and access to all Hero Pass Cosmetics.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In March 2021, Mojang announced an arcade version of the game associated with collectible cards.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Officially licensed from Mojang and Microsoft, it was created by developer Play Mechanix and entertainment company Raw Thrills. The gameplay was changed into a beat-em-up format, similar to games such as Golden Axe. It debuted at Dave & Buster's restaurants sometime in May 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Reception

Template:Expand section Template:Video game reviews Minecraft Dungeons received mixed to positive reviews from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic.<ref name="mc-pc"/><ref name="mc-ns"/><ref name="mc-xone"/> Critics generally found the game fun and charming,<ref name="gr"/><ref name="gs"/><ref name="ign"/><ref name="guardian"/><ref name="pcgn"/> complimenting its visuals<ref name="des"/><ref name="gr"/><ref name="ign"/><ref name="guardian"/> and music.<ref name="guardian"/> Some were divided on DungeonsTemplate:'s simplicity<ref name="shack"/><ref name="ign"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the procedural generation system used to generate loot and dungeon layouts.<ref name="shack"/><ref name="euro"/><ref name="gi"/><ref name="gr"/><ref name="pcgn"/> Most reviewers were critical of the game's short story mode and perceived lack of depth.<ref name="shack"/><ref name="gr"/><ref name="des"/> Shacknews called it "a fun, laid back dungeon crawler for friends to get into."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Hero Edition of Minecraft Dungeons sold 11,450 physical copies on the Nintendo Switch within its first week on sale in Japan, making it the fourth bestselling retail game of the week in the country.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The game was nominated for the category of Best Family game at The Game Awards 2020.<ref>Template:Cite web.</ref> The game has over 15 million players, as of February 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In other media

Three music tracks from this game, Halland, Dalarna, and The Arch-Illager, are featured as downloadable content in the 2018 crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, with the former two being rearranged into a single medley. These songs were added to the game on October 13, 2020, as part of Challenger Pack 7, which features content from Minecraft franchise including the default skins Steve and Alex as playable fighters and a stage based on Minecraft biomes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Template:-

External links

• Template:Official website