Minecraft is one of the biggest video game franchises in the world, and it shows absolutely no signs of slowing down. Available for just about every platform of the last decade, Minecraft is the perfect family-friendly game, being accessible enough for new gamers to get into, but with plenty of complex mechanics to keep advanced players happy. As should be expected of all popular properties, Minecraft has had a series of spinoffs over the years, and the upcoming Minecraft Legends may just end up being the best of them all, just as long as its combat mechanics get a bit of a rework.
Announced in June of this year, Minecraft Legends is an action-strategy game that pits the player against the Piglins, who have set up Nether portals across the blocky world. Though the brief announcement trailer showcased a few glimpses of gameplay, Mojang has just released a 10-minute deep-dive on some of the game's core systems. While some of the game's mechanics look surprisingly complex, the same can't be said for Minecraft Legends' combat, which looks disappointingly simple.
Minecraft Legends Needs More Complex Combat Mechanics
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
In the recently released Minecraft Legends gameplay reveal trailer, fans got a good look at most of the upcoming game's core mechanics. The ability to ride a mount, rally friendly animals, spawn helpful mobs, and send them into battle were all showcased, along with the game's streamlined building mechanics, whereby the player uses Allays to automatically build structures for them using their gathered resources. Fans also got a pretty good look at the game's combat mechanics, which seem extremely simple.
In the trailer, only mounted combat was shown. Atop a regal tiger, the player engages a horde of Piglins in combat alongside their ally mobs. Based on this footage, it seems as though the player just presses one button, and their character attacks, swinging their sword in a forward arc. There is only one attack animation shown throughout this 10-minute trailer, and that's not a great sign for the end product.
Minecraft Legends' combat seems very simple, and that seems to be at odds with the rest of the game's strategic nature. It seems as though Minecraft Legends' gameplay is designed to encourage players to think strategically on the fly, using their Allays to build defensive or offensive structures, while also commanding their mob armies to engage the enemy. It would be a shame if the game's combat didn't match this approach, instead allowing players to just spam one button in order to damage those in front of them. Pressing just one button to repeatedly attack requires little to no thought, and while that does help to keep the game from being too overwhelming for newcomers to the action-strategy genre, it doesn't bode well for replayability.
Minecraft Legends' combat needs to have some more complex mechanics, and to do so, it might need a bit of a rework before it hits that Spring 2023 launch date. To make the game's combat more complex and engaging, Minecraft Legends could add a variety of different melee weapons, each having a unique set of attack animations, and each being strong against a certain type of foe. Ranged weapons should also be added to Minecraft Legends, as that would allow the player to keep towards the rear of the battle, where they can command their troops more strategically. Minecraft Legends' combat mechanics should work in tandem with the game's more strategic elements, as opposed to just feeling like an afterthought.
Minecraft Legends releases in 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.