What do you think of when you think of the word’my world‘? If you’re anything like me — and the countless generations now raised by games — you think about creativity, exploration, and the freedom to do things your way. The original game (now a Microsoft property) lets you explore a geometric sandbox at your leisure, letting you revel in the world in your own time. Set your own goals and do your own thing. Have fun without having to constantly check compass points or look at your goals.
It’s odd to see the latest spinoff of the Minecraft IP adopt a type so rigid, keeping you relentlessly on the road, that it’s actually built around the driveway. We are talking about MOBA – Multiplayer Online Battle Arena. The word “soup” doesn’t sound like much, but it’s spawned some of the most popular games of all time; League of Legends, DOTA 2, SMITE, and more. It’s a notoriously difficult genre to penetrate, and it takes a lot of time and investment to understand.
Still, it’s pleasing that Mojang has decided to give MOBAs the Minecraft treatment. minecraft legend good results. During the preview event, various members of the European press were given about 20/30 minutes to get to grips with the game system through the simple (and very kid-oriented) campaign mode, before being forced into the melting pot together to showcase what we had learned. The premise is simple: destroy the enemy before they destroy your base. We picked it up quickly.
After a few minutes, the 4v4 combat becomes very straightforward: I go out to mine resources, build a base with defensive walls, turrets, and small AI Minecraft mobs I can control, and the ally on my left goes to scout out the enemy base and do some early sabotage , the ally to my right begins building a forward base from which we can attack.
It sounds complicated, right? But actually playing the game is going to be pretty easy–kids about 7+ should be able to understand their character with real ease and how to get the most out of defense, AI, and movement.
You have four toolbars, one for each main quest: mine resources, command/summon companions, construct buildings, and explore the world. Everything is laid out so you can quickly see what’s going on at a glance, and once you figure out how to bring up each toolbar and place items, it becomes second nature. Children who are new to gamepads may need more guidance, but if you’re reading this, I’m going to assume you have at least some gaming knowledge at home.
In addition to other human AI, there are hostile Piglins in the wild – you can also use these angry pigs as target practice and healthy resource spawns. Defeating them and taking their precious jewels allows you to build higher-level structures, and the more structures you build, the more powerful creatures you can summon. But buildings require other resources too: from the simple wood and stone placed early on, to the more industrious redstone, diamonds, and coal, balancing offense and defense with resource management is the name of the game here.
Each map is randomly generated when you load it, and if you have a kid who loves vanilla Minecraft, you can easily and happily let them go and pop mining nodes – every action, no matter how small, helps the team . Recognize them for discovering rare diamonds, encourage them to find mounts that make navigation easier, and build their confidence by letting them interact with Piglins. For a match or two, you’ll be charging arm in arm, ready to storm any fortress that stands in your way.
I know a lot is going on here. It sounds overwhelming. But the best comparison I’ve found to Minecraft Legends is actually from the fairly popular 360/PS3 hit: Brutal Legends. It’s a madcap-like genre mash-up, where theoretically complex elements are achieved with simple control schemes and very accessible settings. Part tower defense, part MOBA, part real-time strategy, both games excel at standing in about five different genres at once and guiding you through them all with ease.
My only concern about the reality of playing Minecraft Legends with your kids is the existence of sadders: any only game will have them, and if you try to play a moderately competitive game with kids and some bored teens kill you (there are infinite respawns, don’t worry), it can get a little annoying. I couldn’t see any option to play against bots in the demo, but this might be a good answer: simulate the PvP nature until you’re ready to hit the real world and face another parent-child combo battle in glorious cartoons.
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I think Minecraft Legends is a very clear statement of what Microsoft is trying to do right now; remove as many barriers as possible to make the game an intergenerational thing that can be enjoyed and shared without exorbitant costs. From the time I’ve played it until now, Minecraft Legends is a joyful and stimulating example of a family game that Mojang has a reputation for care and creativity. I hope it finds its place when it launches later this month.
Minecraft Legends is coming to Xbox and PC on April 18, 2023, and will join Xbox Game Pass.
