Minecraft Dungeons is set to be a game in the style of Diablo, but with a slightly different target audience. Instead of a dark world and creepy creatures, familiar block creatures await you. You should be able to dive into the adventure as early as May.
What kind of game is this? Minecraft Dungeons is a dungeon crawler in the typical block look of Minecraft. The game was first revealed in 2018 and showcased at E3 2019 with a big trailer and lots of new information.
In Minecraft Dungeons, you will explore procedurally generated dungeons alone or in a group of up to 4 players and seek out loot. The system is inspired by well-known games like Diablo or Path of Exile, but can also be played as a couch coop game.
When does Minecraft Dungeons release? The exact release date of the dungeon crawler is May 26, 2020, for PC, Xbox One, PS4, and Nintendo Switch.
Since Gamescom 2019, small developer diaries have been released that focused on the sound in the game (via YouTube) or the gameplay.
Minecraft Dungeons revolves around equipment and loot
How is Minecraft Dungeons played? In Minecraft Dungeons, you enter the fight with a character that is not bound to any class. Instead, the equipment determines your playstyle. You can access:
- melee and ranged weapons
- various armors
- 3 artifacts
The artifacts grant you various bonuses. The fire quiver has already been introduced, which causes your arrows to burn. Additionally, there are enchantments on your weapons that can influence their use and your playstyle. These are randomly generated when picked up.
Lastly, you can use useful items like potions or TNT to take out an enemy and complete a dungeon.
What types of dungeons are there? The dungeons are supposed to be randomly generated, with sections that give each dungeon type a recognizable quality or belong to the story. Thus, dungeons should offer something familiar, but also something new each time.
In each dungeon, players must solve a series of tasks to conquer it successfully, including:
- Find the key to the next door
- Defeat the boss
- Defeat several waves of monsters
- Rescue all villagers
- Solve various puzzles
What about the loot? In dungeon crawlers, loot plays a crucial role, and that will also be the case in Minecraft Dungeons.
The loot in the game is supposed to be easily understandable, and one should already be able to recognize from the appearance whether the equipment is useful or not.
Also, the locations where items are found should be logical: A pickaxe can be found in mines, while skeleton archers are more likely to drop bows and arrows.
Loot comes in three rarity levels:
- normal
- rare
- unique
To acquire rarer loot, you must conquer higher difficulties. Unique items are supposed to bring special enhancements.
Can you build in Minecraft Dungeons? The highlight of the original Minecraft is that you can create your own worlds. However, you will not be able to build your own dungeons at release, as David Nisshagen, Executive Producer of the game, explained to MeinMMO at Gamescom 2019.
The team is supposed to be small and would initially focus on the core content of the game. However, in the future, a system could be devised to design your own dungeons.
What else we learned in the interview at Gamescom 2019:
A Diablo for families?
Who is Minecraft Dungeons aimed at? The hack and slay from Mojang is heavily inspired by other dungeon crawlers. However, it has one crucial difference.
Due to the adapted look, the familiar characters from Minecraft, and the lack of brutality, the game is more suitable for children, teenagers, and families. Our editor Irina Moritz reached this conclusion after she had the opportunity to play Minecraft Dungeons at Gamescom 2019.
However, Minecraft is not only played by children and teenagers but is a global phenomenon. It is quite possible that Minecraft Dungeons will also appeal to hack and slay fans.
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