The staying power of Mojang's sandbox building and adventure title Minecraft is frankly difficult to comprehend, as even after 11 years on the market it remains one of the most popular games of all time. Its influence can be seen across the industry through the influx of throwback voxel graphical styles, crafting elements, and more. With that being said, it's surprising that the developers have not capitalized on the game's massive success with any spin-offs outside of Telltale's narrative-driven Minecraft: Story Mode until this year's Minecraft Dungeons.
Taking inspiration from dungeon crawlers like Blizzard Entertainment's Diablo series, Minecraft Dungeons appears to have a lot going for it leading up to its release on May 26, from a recognizable brand name to a focus on making an accessible, entry-level action role-playing game (ARPG). However, early reviews on Metacritic are mixed-to-positive, landing it at a score of 76 based on 11 critic reviews as of this writing.
With Minecraft continuing to break sales records, having sold 200 million copies in its lifetime as of this week, it would be a shame if the ARPG spin-off were not also a hit. So what are critics saying about Minecraft Dungeon's successes and faults?
IGN (Seth Macy)
"Minecraft Dungeons is a beautiful and fun dungeon crawler with a simple but tried-and-true set of systems in place. It plays it extremely safe, though, without bringing anything mining or spins to the genre to accompany Minecraft's signature look and feel. Still, it's just so damn charming, and so fun..."
7 / 10
GamesRadar+ (Alex Avard)
"As a more approachable entry point for the hack and slash genre that levels the playing field against its brawnier contemporaries, Minecraft Dungeons succeeds wholeheartedly, filling a gap in the market in a way that only a Mojang creation could. But those achievements aren't enough to avoid the sense of feeling a little shortchanged by Dungeons' light touch..."
3.5 / 5
Windows Central (Jez Corden)
"That familiar, satisfying addiction that comes with loot-oriented games like this has already gripped me, owing to the game's persistently fulfilling combat. If you're a fan of action RPGs, I dare say Minecraft Dungeons will end up being your next addition too."
4.5 / 5
Screen Rant (Daniel Gusinski)
"There are many, many indie games that offer far more content than the few hours Dungeons currently provides (barring repetition), and while the gameplay itself is undoubtedly polished, one can't help but wonder if the price tag is including the levels they have yet to add."
2.5 / 5
Stevivor (Steve Wright)
"In the end Minecraft Dungeons is competent, fun in spurts, but not amazing. I had more fun in the Xbox Live Party just catching up with friends mindlessly shooting the shit than I did actually playing."
6.5 / 10
Destructoid (Chris Carter)
"Although Minecraft Dungeons might not have the depth that a lot of hardcore dungeon crawler fans are looking for, it's an easy game to pick up and play at pretty much any point: solo or otherwise."
8 / 10
Attack of the Fanboy (Diego Perez)
"While it lasts, Minecraft Dungeons is a great time. The moment to moment action of mowing down mobs is addicting, and the abilities available to use are diverse and interesting. The game's sole weakness, however, is that it's sorely lacking in loot variety."
4 / 5
TechRadar (Stacey Henley)
"Minecraft Dungeons is a solid game, although disappointingly for a franchise built on creativity, there's not too much variety to be found, especially towards the end ... With friends, Minecraft Dungeons has enough to offer for you to overlook the repetition and the cracks which have been papered over."
3.5 / 5
While reportedly a well-built, enjoyable game to play with a group, Minecraft Dungeons apparently might not have much to offer in the way of long-term investment for players — particularly not in the shadow of its sandbox older brother. That said the game's adjustable difficulty makes it a good title for newcomers and Minecraft fans alike, but ARPG veterans may want to save their money.
Minecraft Dungeons releases May 26th for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
Source: Metacritic