Minecraft's next major spin-off Minecraft Legends is almost here, and it looks like it could be a lot of fun. The game will be bringing Minecraft's blocky world to the action-strategy genre, and it seems like the perfect starter RTS for anyone who wants to explore the genre. It may be exactly what the RTS genre needs right now, and it has the chance to finally get the Minecraft spin-off right.
Minecraft has had a bit of a strenuous relationship with spin-off games. Minecraft: Story Mode and Minecraft Earth are no longer playable, while Minecraft Dungeons received mixed reviews from critics and players. It does not feel like Mojang has quite nailed down what these Minecraft spin-offs should be, and hopefully, Minecraft Legends can change that.
Minecraft: Story Mode
The first major Minecraft spin-off took the blocky world to a genre that no one could have really expected. Telltale Games was tapped to create an episodic point-and-click game set within Minecraft, thus Minecraft: Story Mode was born. It was Minecraft's first foray into story-based content, and it proved popular enough to get two full seasons. While it never blew critics away, it was a decent experience for Minecraft fans.
The story of Minecraft: Story Mode followed a character named Jesse and their friends on a journey to find the mythical Order of the Stone. Unlike earlier Telltale titles, players were able to customize Jesse to their liking. The plot also went for a more family-friendly tone, and that made it perfect for younger audiences. It may not have reached the heights of The Walking Dead or The Wolf Among Us, but it still featured a pretty interesting tale for players to enjoy.
Players would control Minecraft: Story Mode's cast of characters through eight different episodes in season one, and five in season two. Every choice that the player made could change the trajectory of the story, and sometimes these choices could have major ramifications. It was a pretty decent point-and-click adventure, but it has been left to gather dust. The game was removed from sale when Telltale closed its doors, and there has been no news of a revival since.
Minecraft Earth
Minecraft Earth brought the blocky world to the augmented reality space. It was a free-to-play sandbox game for iOS and Android, and it utilized the player's location to deliver a unique type of Minecraft experience. It was like Pokemon GO with a Minecraft spin, and it was entertaining when it first launched.
Players would walk around the real world and gather Minecraft resources called tappables. These tappables could be acquired by finishing various tasks, fighting mobs, or solving puzzles. A lot of these tappables came from Minecraft directly, but there were also many Minecraft Earth-exclusive items. Players could get buildplates that let them build Minecraft structures in the real world with their blocks alongside other players.
Minecraft Earth had a lot to offer, but the gameplay loop quickly got stale. The game only lasted for three years before Mojang pulled the plug on it. Official support for the game ended in June 2021, and there do not seem to be any plans to revisit the concept.
Minecraft Dungeons
Minecraft Dungeons is the only major spin-off still standing in 2023. Dungeons took Minecraft's blocky world to the dungeon crawler genre, and it seems to have worked mostly well. Minecraft Dungeon was criticized for its short story and lack of depth, but it feels like the perfect starter dungeon crawler for anyone that wants to check out the genre.
It has all the conventions of a dungeon crawler and other games similar to Minecraft Dungeon, but a bit more streamlined. Players fight through procedurally generated dungeons, collect loot, and level up their characters. They can do this solo or with some friends, and it can be pretty enjoyable. The six expansion packs have only added to the fun factor, and Mojang also brought the game to arcade cabinets with the help of Raw Thrills.
None of these Minecraft spin-offs have proven as groundbreaking as Minecraft was, and most of them have failed to make any sort of impact. It feels like the franchise has never quite found its footing outside the sandbox genre, but hopefully, Minecraft Legends finally shows players what these spin-offs can be.
Minecraft Legends releases on April 18, 2023, for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S