Minecraft

It's pretty much impossible to live in the United States (and I'm sure elsewhere) without having at least a minimal understanding of what Minecraft is. The game has been released on practically every console of the previous few generations, has spawned spinoffs and countless imitators, is represented in the books, toys, bedding, and clothing sections of your favorite retailer, and has been on the minds of children everywhere for nearly a decade. You shouldn't let the overtly kid-centered marketing scare you away though. Even without owning a themed pajama set, you can enjoy the creative freedom that Minecraft offers its players. 

The basics of the game are pretty simple. You are presented with a randomly generated world constructed largely of destructible blocks made of various materials. Despite it's blockiness, the world feels alive, with expansive forests, active wildlife, and even bustling villages! However, the true magic of Minecraft comes in the fact that you have complete freedom in how you interact with this world from the very start. I always gravitate towards building a shelter first, as I know the danger of being unprotected at night, but others may decide to focus on creating weaponry right away instead, and others still may have those dangers turned off entirely. Yet, each playstyle is driven by the same central concept. Whether you want to build a cozy house and start a farm, mine for ore to make powerful weapons, or recreate the entirety of Helm's Deep, you will need to craft your materials.

Thus, the gameplay loop for a game of infinite possibilities becomes a bit more clear. To build anything, you'll need the right materials. Plain raw materials that you harvest from the world may be enough to craft the most basic items, but anything even a bit more serious, like a sword or a ladder, will require crafted items to produce. I really enjoy this cycle of harvesting, crafting, and building, as it gives me the opportunity to build what I want while still challenging me to locate the resources that I need to build in the first place. Minecraft's "creative mode" removes the necessity to find your own resources and craft your own items, but I found that to be a lot less enjoyable, just because I would get bored building with no gameplay variety to shake up the experience. No matter how you play though, Minecraft will likely have something for you.

I found that I had the best time playing with friends, especially when those friends had different playstyles. Instead of quietly making progress on my own, playing with others made me feel like a valuable part of a team, and it was a lot more fun to share my achievements when I actually had an audience. This is made better by the fact that most people can play online together, whether or not they are on the same platform, making Minecraft a fantastic option for playing with friends. However, it's still absouletly a valid option for solo play, so whichever approach you prefer to take, I'm sure you'll have a good time with this game. Plus, it's relatively affordable, and the open-ended gameplay boosted by constant updates means you'll be able to play this for a long time.

The game is available for 3DS here (as of 6/6/21): https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/minecraft-new-nintendo-3ds-edition/
The game is available for Switch here (as of 6/6/21): https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/minecraft-switch/
The game is available for WiiU here (as of 6/6/21): https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/minecraft-wii-u-edition/
The game is available for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S here (as of 6/6/21): https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/minecraft/9NBLGGH537BL?activetab=pivot:overviewtab
The game is available for PS4 and PS5 here (as of 6/6/21): https://www.playstation.com/en-us/games/minecraft/
The game is available for Android here (as of 6/6/21): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mojang.minecraftpe&hl=en_US&gl=US
The game is available for iOS here (as of 6/6/21): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/minecraft/id479516143

Popular posts from this blog

Meow Tower: Nonogram Pictogram

Image
I seem to have a thing for mobile games about cats, and I am a huge fan of Nintendo 's Picross series. Normally those two interests don't overlap, but Meow Tower changed that. Combining the fun of befriending cute cartoon cats and solving intricate number puzzles hooked me immediately. While it's technically not a Picross game, seeing as that is a Nintendo trademark, the nonogram puzzles are still the same, and I loved being able to play them on my phone. Granted, there have been plenty of options to play these kinds of puzzles on the phone for years, but Meow Tower  sets itself apart from the rabble thanks to its stellar aesthetic. The developers behind this game are true artists. While it's a solid, straightforward nonogram game at its core, Meow Tower just looks so much better to play than any of the numerous generic options that crowd the app stores. The bubbly sticker-book style used for the art and menus gives Meow Tower a lot of charm and personality from t
Read more

Space Lich Omega

Image
Inspired by the ever popular Candy Box and Candy Box 2 , Space Lich Omega is an browser-based RPG adventure with an almost entirely ASCII display. However, it chose to step away from the established fantasy style of it's inspiration for a more science-fantasy theme. I ended up having a fun time with this game, despite its need for a little polish, thanks to the unique story and hilarious pop-culture Easter eggs that can be discovered throughout the different explorable locations. Despite the crude-ish interface, I never had any trouble navigating throughout the game. I actually ended up beating it in a relatively short time, especially when I had my gunk production going all out, allowing me to jump my health up enormously. Although I did need to do a little grinding every now and then for an item that I missed, that didn't interfere with my enjoyment too much. Ultimately, this is no Candy Box , but it still has its merits and is worth playing if you ever find yourself in
Read more

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes

Image
Reusing game engines has proven to be pretty popular in the Zelda series. It offers developers a chance to craft more experimental and risky games, as the initial investment on the engine was covered by the previous, more traditional release. As a huge fan of A Link Between Worlds , I was ecstatic to learn it was getting a pseudo-follow-up. My excitement only grew when Nintendo sent me an early-access demo, and I somehow had no concerns that this was another multiplayer-focused game, despite my preference for solo play. Since the previous multiplayer Zelda games had pretty functional single-player modes, I anticipated that I could expect the same here. Unfortunately, that wasn't an entirely accurate assumption. Like its predecessors , Tri Force Heroes is level-based in order to accommodate its multiplayer focus. All of the stages are designed like dungeons, so they hold up really well for puzzle-solving challenges, but they lack a lot of the same charm you can find in Four Swor
Read more