Game Review: Minecraft

Minecraft Review by Travis Wormald

Minecraft is an open world, creative sandbox style game created by Swedish game developer, Markus Persson and published under Mojang Studios, which was recently purchased by Microsoft. Minecraft is available multiplatform on PC, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, PS4, iOS and Android. Minecraft’s lego style gameplay, which uses 3D Square blocks to create the world, draws the player in to a world where their creations are only limited by their imaginations. Players can, as per the title of the game, mine and craft to create better tools and gain the ability to upgrade both their equipment and their creations. There is no end goal for Minecraft, and the player is free to choose however they want to play, whether it be to build a giant skyscraper or dig tunnels under a mountain, the choice is completely up to the player. There are however, different game modes which allow the player to have an alternate playing experience.

 

Creative Mode

Creative mode offers the player the ability to be freely creative with their designs and builds. This mode allows the player to access all items and blocks in the game without having to earn them, giving them an entire sandbox experience and freedom of creativity. This mode was the original form of minecraft, and while fun can get boring as there is no challenge to having an awesome build to show off and higher end blocks hold no value, for instance. A room full of diamond is merely a few clicks away in creative, although in the survival would take hours of mining to gain this.

Survival Mode

Survival mode is the game mode of minecraft where the player starts from scratch, and the player must earn all tools and blocks to create their builds. This creates a challenge for the player, creating a value to their efforts. Players start with nothing in their inventory and must gather at least the bare minimum to stay alive. Monsters spawn at night time, so the player must seek shelter and build a base. There is also a need for food or the player will starve and die, which forces the player to create a strong base with a farm to be able to live, and may set their spawn points by sleeping in a bed inside the base. This mode is by far my favourite, as it offers enough challenge to keep the game interesting while not being so harsh to make you play in a reserved manner, making you miss the full potential experience of the game.

Hardcore mode

Hardcore mode is survival mode with extreme risk. If the player dies, the entire game world is deleted. This provides the player with a unique experience not offered by many other games. Although this risk may be an intriguing addition and without a doubt it does change the way the game is played completely, it can be extremely frustrating to complete an entire base and set yourself up just to die to a mistake or even worse, a glitch and lose all your progress. I find this game mode fun however it makes you play a very careful game, which can take away the creative fun of minecraft and make you nervous about the idea of exploring and creating, which is what the gameplay should be based on.

In conclusion, Minecraft is an awesome game. It suits all ages and can be played over all platforms, making it easy to access. The game has online connectivity so you can play on a server with your friends, or install game mods or play on game servers with mods that allow you to play a completely different game type. Minecraft game servers include Hunger Games style, PVP style or Faction wars, all with different play styles and appeal to different players. This game has hours and hours of gameplay and with the ease of modifying the game with the plethora of mods available online, the game has practically infinite replayability and is well worth the money and because of that the game will be given a 9/10

Positives

-Replayability
-Fun
-Easy Gameplay
-No learning curve
-Suitable for all ages

Negatives
-Console and phone versions not available to mod
-Graphics can be seen as outdated, although I personally like the art style and it can be modded

Click here to go to buy Minecraft!