Review: Minecraft Dungeons

• Platforms: PC (Reviewed), Xbox One, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch
• Developer: Mojang Studios, Double Eleven
• Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
• Release Date: May 26th, 2020

With over 200,000,000 units sold since its inception nearly a decade ago, Minecraft has ascended to being one of the juggernauts of the videogame industry. Now Mojang has teamed up with Double Eleven to take the series into the dungeon crawler space with Minecraft Dungeons, and the transition fits the series like a glove. While it certainly isn’t Diablo or Path of Exile, Minecraft Dungeons offers hours of rewarding dungeon crawling action for players of all ages and experience levels.

When a once-shunned Illager comes in possession of the powerful orb of dominance, it’s up to you to take the reigns of an unlikely hero who trades in their pickaxe for a sword and spells to put an end to his evil plan for revenge and dominance across the land. To do so you must take on nine quests, either solo or with friends via couch or online co-op, collecting rare gear and enchantments to become a formidable challenge for the evil Arch-Illager. In typical Minecraft fashion the story is light-hearted, a little campy, but overall charming as hell.

Due to the series’ wide target audience, Minecraft Dungeons is probably the most approachable and streamlined dungeon crawler you will ever play. There are no skills trees or classes to specialize your character, however your weapons and armour are customizable using enchantment tokens you obtain by leveling your character. Each weapon or armour set will have a few passive buffs called enchantments to choose from, and these can be upgraded to boost their effectiveness. Some gear will have just one set of enchantments to select and upgrade, but rarer gear can have up to three.

Apart from the game’s final quest, you likely won’t feel the need for grinding out quests over and over again, but the option is always there for those that love the RNG thrill of collecting loot. The nine quest storyline breezes by in just a few short hours, but there’s plenty of added challenge once you complete your first playthrough. Seasoned players of the dungeon crawler genre will likely feel at home with Minecraft Dungeon’s Adventure and Apocalypse modes, which crank up the mob density while introducing new weapons and artifacts.

Minecraft Dungeons does a great job of switching up locations throughout its quests so that no two quests feel or look the same. This isn’t your run of the mill grim, grey dungeon crawler, as you’ll travel through luscious green swamps, sandy canyons and desert temples, glowing redstone mines, and more. Each location feels authentic to the look of the series, with every set piece or structure looking as if it was borrowed from a Minecraft server. With that being said, Mojang and Double Eleven have managed to breathe life into the static voxel world of Minecraft and make settings that feel much more alive than the base game. Bushes and trees will sway with the wind, fireflies will swirl around clusters of mushrooms, and mine carts will scoot around the tracks of the redstone mine.

From a controls standpoint, Minecraft Dungeons controls pretty reliably using keyboard and mouse or an Xbox One Controller. The only small gripe to be had is the sometimes unpredictable trajectory when trying to execute a dodge roll. This mostly goes unnoticed except for the odd occasion where you’ll need to dodge over gaps to small platforms that have treasure chests on them.

As mentioned before, Minecraft Dungeons can be played with friends either locally or online with a party of four heroes. At the time of writing this review the online co-operative function of Minecraft Dungeons is limited to playing with friends that also own the game on the same platform, however there will be a future update that will allow players to cross-play across Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and Playstation 4.

If there is one area that Minecraft Dungeons is lacking, it is the main hub where you prepare and select each quest. In most dungeon crawlers these main hubs are flooded with merchants, NPC’s that share little nuggets of lore and offer side quests, and chests to stash away loot you’d like to hang onto without carrying it in your inventory like a pack mule. Minecraft Dungeon’s hub feels sparse and unfinished, with nothing more to offer than a blacksmith and wandering trader that will trade you a random artifact or piece of gear for your hard-earned emeralds.

Overall Minecraft Dungeons is an excellent entry point to players that are intimidated by the complexity of most games in the dungeon crawler genre. That’s not to say that savvy players won’t find enjoyment out of the experience, as the Adventure and Apocalypse modes prove to be both rewarding and entertaining. Whether you’re a Minecraft fan, a parent looking for an approachable game to play with your children, or someone who loves dungeon crawling with their friends, Minecraft Dungeons offers a little something for everyone, especially at the affordable price tag and availability on Game Pass right at launch.

A PC review code for Minecraft Dungeons was provided by Xbox Game Studios