Minecraft Legends

Minecraft Legends is a testament that the series can tap into any genre, offering a new action strategy experience focusing on combat rather than creation. It's an odd direction for a franchise that's more about breaking down barriers regarding player creativity, pushing a more limited narrative, and condensing the base game's scope. There's an aura of skepticism behind the release, undoubtedly.

However, it's interesting to see how this franchise develops. One can still be impressed at how a simple block-building game has generated so much buzz around it. Today, we see various incarnations of the title, including story-based, education-driven, and puzzle games, that continue to add to its popularity. It's the action genre's turn to impress; enter Minecraft Legends.

Saving the Overworld

How do you make an action game out of what's arguably one of the world's most popular video game franchises? Minecraft Legends seeks to combine the canon lore of the game to create a battle experience that's not only comical but as thrilling as some of the player-made scenarios. The pressure is on to bring some success to Minecraft Legends, and a sizeable player base doesn't work.

The visuals behind the game set it in the right direction, maintaining that traditional blocky aesthetic while presenting an attractive color palette backed with fluid animations. However, it's when we get into the mechanical side of things that the initial skepticism of Minecraft Legends comes to fruition.

The developers have forgotten the average intelligence and creative potential of the average Minecraft player, where the whole experience feels dumbed down from the get-go. Effectively, you'll yield control as a warrior defending the Overworld from piglin invasion, coming out from a third-person perspective only to swing your sword a few times and win.

There's no encouragement for players to be creative, there are uninteresting action strategy mechanics, and the limit on structures to build is frustrating. The whole experience feels counterintuitive to what an action strategy game should be, let alone a Minecraft one. The game's features aren't well-implemented, and honestly, I don't feel like something worthy of a Minecraft-branded title.

Limiting the Limitless

Minecraft Legends goes the other way where the original game built its name by facilitating player creativity. It condenses action strategy mechanics so much that it takes all the fun out of the experience. Even where the franchise has a different genre, some features could let players build bases the way they want or form a strategic battle approach to make combat more interesting.

Round-Up - Pros & Cons

Pros:

• The visuals and animations are satisfying
• Proof that the Minecraft franchise can tap into every genre
• Good humor in the game

Cons:

• Very elementary action strategy mechanics
• Little creative input from players
• Strays far from the base game foundations

One of the most amazing things in the video game industry is its ability to impact popular culture. And that's been a fact ever since they've existed, and that was pretty clear in the decade of 1980 and 1990 with the arcade machines and all that. And currently, we still see it a lot, just that different. Even though the franchise was originally released back in 2011, this franchise has been one of the most influential we've seen in the last decades. and now Mojang Studios and Blackbird Interactive came up with a new way to innovate this IP. We are talking of course, about Minecraft Legends.

But what is this game all about? Is it any different from the original Minecraft? Well, let's talk about it.

About the game

Minecraft is a franchise that defies all others. It continues to attract huge numbers of players thanks to its endless replayability. And, after a successful foray into new territory with Minecraft Dungeons, Mojang is taking another small risk in the form of Minecraft Legends.

Minecraft Legends is a real-time strategy game, but not in the traditional sense. You take control of the main character on horseback and, from an active position on the battlefield, you march and lead troops as you move with them. It's a more active way of taking the reins, which places you as the field general of an army rather than an omnipotent observer. It also means you can move seamlessly between two types of gameplay.

This means that even factions like zombies can join your cause. There are also various power-ups, from wheat patches that increase your speed for a while, to mushrooms that allow you to jump high for a while.

The threat looming over all of this is the invasion of the Piglin, who break through Nether portals to take over parts of the world with their sprawling bases. These moments are peppered with fun cutscenes that have a touch of polish, reminding us that Mojang isn't shy with backgrounds. You'll need to find these Piglin bases, scout them out to come up with a plan of attack, and then build your force to take them on, to destroy the Nether portals at their core.

New game, the same core

As you can see the entire focus and gameplay mechanics of this game, it is a very different title from the original Minecraft game. Here the game does have a narrative and a story with quests and missions, even though the world is procedurally generated. It is still based on survival and building, but now there is a campaign mode with a linear storyline. This will help you understand the lore of the game better, which is a great thing considering how obscure some of the references may become. And even the visuals are different, more silized with edges and a more cartoony look, while the gameplay itself feels more like a The Legend Of Zelda game combined with Minecraft.

Preview: 8.5/10

Minecraft Legends is a real piece of work, with an innovative take on the beloved Minecraft franchise, exploring a new horizon and a new world of Minecraft gaming.

Pros:

• It's got a fun story
• The battle system is interesting and is full of dynamic elements
• There are a lot of possibilities to explore

Cons:

• Still not fully released