Minecraft Dungeons for Windows

Adventure, dungeons, action in this Minecraft spin-off

The popular Minecraft gaming universe is back with dungeon crawling in the adventure title Minecraft Dungeons, where you have to navigate through a maze of dungeons, with the final aim of retrieving an item or defeating the head of the dungeon. Through the game, one encounters several obstacles and evil monsters that you have to defeat to get past.

What is Minecraft Dungeons?

Minecraft Dungeons, just like the popular original version, is an interactive combat game, which is set in the dungeons. Players who have experience with Minecraft will get the hang of this version fairly quickly and seamlessly. Even for first-timers, once you start playing, the rest is pretty intuitive. The multiplayer game supports up to 4 players. The objective of the game is to clear the dungeon and destroy the monsters. The game can be played on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One.

How is Minecraft Dungeons different from Minecraft?

Minecraft Dungeons is a version of Minecraft, which is set in dungeons, where players have to get rid of monsters and cross obstacles to clear the labyrinth of dungeons. Unlike the original Minecraft, Minecraft Dungeons has a singular goal, which can be enjoyed as a single-player or a multi-player game. Together, players follow an end goal in Minecraft dungeons, where you just need to be mindful of clearing the dungeons, working in tandem with the team. Even though the take on the game is based on the aesthetics of Minecraft, in Minecraft Dungeons the objective is defined.

The overall look and feel are like the original Minecraft, and the aesthetics are also similar, which is a good thing because it is intuitive and fairly uncomplicated to play. The high level of animation, just like the original, also makes the environment more immersive. Unlike the original, however, Minecraft Dungeons has a story and excellent dungeon-crawling mechanics, which make the entire gaming experience feel more complex and real.

What is the story and gameplay?

The game follows the same universe as Minecraft, where the characters are in Overworld. The story is about Archie the Illager who was banished by many villages. He encounters the magical Orb of Dominance, which gives him superpowers while corrupting him to make him evil. He pledges to take revenge against the villagers. As players, the mission is to defeat Arch-Illager and save as many villages from this enemy.

Using traps, puzzles, and trying to find treasures amidst the hidden corners of the dungeons, the players move to destroy the enemy. The final takes you to the castle where Arch-Illager will be confronted, and the Orb of Dominance needs to be destroyed to relieve Archie from its influence.

To achieve this final goal, players can use a number of weapons and armor, fight with monsters at several stages, and navigate towards the end using maps and various stages. There is no class system, and all weapons and armor are accessible to the players when they wish to use them. One can play online as a single player or multiple players, but the objective remains the same: to destroy the Orb of Dominance.

What are the best things about Minecraft Dungeons?

The game is truly engaging and can be enjoyed as a single-player or multiplayer game. The story is interesting and the animation is high quality, giving an overall immersive gaming experience. The game is light and easy to navigate around. It is a fun experience for amateurs and proficient gamers alike. The gameplay gets better after each play, as you discover different layers, secret areas, loots, enchants, and more. The various traps, obstacles, and monsters make the entire environment creative and engaging. The developers have done well with the small details like moving plants and character movement.

The Minecraft Dungeon universe is clearly laid out. If you compare it to similar games like Diablo 3, the maps and environments are clearly divided and well laid out, and one doesn’t have to worry about being ambushed all the time. Compared to games like Diablo, it is easier to navigate and play Minecraft Dungeon. Other games, like Hytale, have been heavily inspired by Minecraft Dungeons, given the success of the game.

From the point of view of the story, there is a clearly defined backstory and objective of the game, which gives it an edge over regular Minecraft.

What are the points against Minecraft Dungeons?

The main drawback to Minecraft Dungeons is that it is shallow, which means that end-to-end the entire game finishes in 5 hours. There are not too many layers or experiences, and once someone has played once, even the challenge seems to be less.

It is a multi-player game but only allows up to 4 players. Compared to new-age popular games like PUBG, World of Warcraft, League of Legends, Call of Duty, and many more games, Minecraft Dungeons seems less engaging, over-simplistic, and lacking an intense multi-player experience, with hundreds of players connected in real-time.

Minecraft purists might find themselves on edge, as this game follows the same universe but is somewhat different from the original. The lack of a complex story and depth results in a short playtime and lacks the magnetic nature of games like Age of Empires or League of Legends.

Anniversary deals

The cult-favorite sandbox game Minecraft turns 15 this year, and this milestone calls for a celebration with some anniversary treats for veteran creators and adventurers. For a limited time, you can snap up content for the original game and its spin-offs, Minecraft Dungeons and Minecraft Legends, at bargain prices. If you haven’t descended to the dungeons of Overworld for quite some time now, it is time to go back and let Archie continue his adventures in Jungle Awakens, Creeping Winter, Howling Peaks, and more expansion packs.

What’s the final verdict on Minecraft Dungeons?

Minecraft Dungeons is a great dungeon crawler game, and it is fun to play in a few hours. Taking the same universe as the original Minecraft, and adapting it to a story with an objective is something novel and innovative. Anyone who loves playing the original will be intrigued to try this out too. The story and the objective are different from the usual Minecraft, and for that factor alone, it is fun to try out. Also, the ease of play ensures that even people who are not proficient gamers can enjoy this game. The criticism is that it may be over-simplistic as compared to some of the more evolved games, but overall, Minecraft Dungeons is worth a try.