Minecraft Dungeons (First Impressions)

Overview

Developers: Mojang Studios, Double Eleven

Genre: Dungeon crawler, Action role-playing game, Action-adventure

Platforms: Xbox One, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows

Official Release Date: May 26, 2020

Purchase the game: minecraft.net

My First Impressions

Minecraft Dungeons just released yesterday on PS4 and Nintendo Switch (it had been available for Xbox users first) and I didn’t exactly have high expectations, but I would say those expectations have at least been met, if not exceeded. I will say, however, it is a bit of a crazy experience to see the Xbox Games Studios logo come up on my Playstation. I picked the game up on PS4 in order to play with my brother, since the biggest draw of games like this is to play cooperatively with friends, and so far it has been a fun experience.

The game is basically a Diablo style game with a Minecraft skin on top of it. The game doesn’t have the same deep level of customization and systems that Diablo does, but being a $20 game I don’t think it needs to. The game is simple, but fun, and as someone who was a huge fan of Minecraft for a long time it is really cool to find iconic gear from the game and enchant it with well-known enchantments from the original like thorns. I found a diamond sword early on in my time with the game and I would be lying if I said I didn’t get hyped.

The experience consists mostly of running through a level in classic dungeon crawling style and defeating hordes of enemies either alone or with a group of up to 3 other players. Every so often you will see a piece of equipment drop from one of the mobs, which is what kept me engaged throughout the entire experience. Just like in Diablo, the carrot at the end of the stick of finding new gear and getting stronger is what the game is all about.

There is a story here that involves a scorned villager who is taking revenge, but it is cursory at best and really just serves as a vessel to move the player through the levels and get back to the action quickly. I don’t think there is necessarily anything wrong with having a light story in a game like this, even in Diablo the story of the game wasn’t the main draw. I think the story is good enough for what they are trying to accomplish here.

There are only a handful of levels right now, but there are multiple different difficulties and a new one unlocks after beating the game (which is needed for the platinum trophy) so there is plenty of replay value in building up your character for the hardest modes. There is also the promise of DLC down the line. I think there could be a lot of cool stuff added into the game to add a bit more depth, but as it stands I still think the game is completely worth it.

I can see myself leaving this game loaded on my PS4 for a long time and jumping in whenever some new content drops or when I want to mindlessly grind my way through a level or two while listening to a podcast. I think there is a lot of value to be had here for the price-point if you are into this type of game or are a really big Minecraft fan. I definitely don’t see this as a mind-blowing experience or anything that will blow the doors off the game of the year race or anything like that, but for an inexpensive and relatively quick experience I found it to be greatly enjoyable.

As always, thanks so much for reading! Are you playing this game, or are you interested in it at all? Let me know in the comments or reach out over on Twitter! I hope to write up a full review after we work through the rest of the story and build towards the platinum! Check back for posts like this and much more (at least) every Wednesday and Saturday and sign-up via email to make sure you never miss anything!