Minecraft is massive. There is no getting away from the fact that it is the biggest IP Microsoft has. With an estimated 140 million users across countless platforms, they struck gold when they took in Mojang for just £2 billion. With an estimated £3 billion of in-game sales alone, who knows how much skin packs, DLC and merchandise have generated? However, we do know that the franchise is here to stay and will probably be encrusted into the gaming world forever. Because the possibilities are endless, not just in the core game but also in the spin-offs. 

Mojang has tinkered with Minecraft outside of the building and crafting phenomenon. First with Story Mode and then following on with Minecraft Dungeons. These spin-offs have not been anywhere near as popular, but have generated enough of a player base to keep expanding. Minecraft Legends has finally landed on Xbox consoles, Windows PC, and Playstation4|5. It goes without saying that being an Xbox user grants you instant access as part of an Xbox Game Pass subscription.

Introduction

Now I’m not going to lie, I’ve scratched my head for almost a year wondering what this game would be and how it would play. When it was first revealed it wasn’t very clear what type of game it was. When more information came across that it was a strategy-based title, my interest soared as that is my jam. I have recently spent countless hours ploughing through Age Of Empires II on Xbox, so anything more leaning that way is welcome. Blackbird Interactive has also had a hand in this game alongside Mojang and they have some experience in strategy games having worked on projects such as Hardspace: Shipbreaker and the upcoming Homeworld 3 for Windows PC.

The game takes place in the Minecraft universe where the overworld has been overtaken by piglins from the Nether. It is up to you to bring peace and tranquillity by preventing them from infiltrating the lands. The campaign can be played co-op whilst PvP can be enjoyed by up to eight players split into two teams of four. The goal of the multiplayer is to focus on attacking and destroying the enemy base.

Gameplay

The story mode offers different difficulty levels storied, fabled, mythic, and legendary. I opted for fabled as it would present me with challenges but wouldn’t be as rock solid or hardcore as legendary. The game sets off with a short tutorial and holds your hands through the basics of movement, building and more. This is super short, but don’t worry since the early part of the campaign will give you plenty of hints and tips early on. I’ll do my best to not spoil any of the cutscenes and story in this review, but you’ll find strangely that all your enemies from the core Minecraft experience are now your best mates.

The great thing about Minecraft Legends is that you won’t be spending hours manually mining resources, instead, you’ll get your community to do this. Whilst you can still gather resources and will need to scout out the rarer stuff, it means you can keep the focus on the fast-paced base-to-base action rather than punching tree trunks in. The minions back at base will take care of the basics while you head out and manage the biomes across the procedurally generated open-world map.

Play Around & Have Fun

The best part of the game is messing around with various strategies and there are not really any limitations to how much you put into your base building. What I struggled with were the commands and controls and sometimes it was difficult to craft something in the heat of battle. For instance, building a bridge is reliant on snapping from A to B and if something doesn’t connect, then it won’t work. This becomes quite fiddly when you’re trying to do things quickly and I would often get really frustrated with everything being several button presses to access or a press and hold something to trigger the reaction. Learning the control scheme takes a lot of patience and if you’re willing to spend the time with the game, it does become easier eventually.

Whilst I personally loved going around and wrecking piglins by myself, you’ll need to craft and create armies to help you. This is easy enough, but commanding them can be the right pain in the arse. You have to be stood in their vicinity to direct them and everything is a little basic since you can only really instruct them to go somewhere and attack something. There are no options to defend an area or proper divisive elements in breaking up these armies. Whilst it is satisfactory to send them into the heat of battle, I wish there were more features to play about with here.

Lost Legends & Myths

The campaign can get rather repetitive after seeing the same enemies and carrying out similar tasks but it does look like the development teams will keep bringing other modes. There is a mode named The Portal Pie and the premise is to survive through thirty waves of piglin attack and I’ve had an absolute blast with it and it reminds me of a Minecraft Legends iteration of a horde mode like Call Of Duty Zombies. I do hope they keep thinking outside the box and whacking in some of these extra creations to keep things fresh.

Play Around & Have Fun

The best part of the game is messing around with various strategies and there are not really any limitations to how much you put into your base building. What I struggled with were the commands and controls and sometimes it was difficult to craft something in the heat of battle. For instance, building a bridge is reliant on snapping from A to B and if something doesn’t connect, then it won’t work. This becomes quite fiddly when you’re trying to do things quickly and I would often get really frustrated with everything being several button presses to access or a press and hold something to trigger the reaction. Learning the control scheme takes a lot of patience and if you’re willing to spend the time with the game, it does become easier eventually.

Whilst I personally loved going around and wrecking piglins by myself, you’ll need to craft and create armies to help you. This is easy enough, but commanding them can be the right pain in the arse. You have to be stood in their vicinity to direct them and everything is a little basic since you can only really instruct them to go to somewhere and attack something. There are no options to defend an area or proper divisive elements in breaking up these armies. Whilst it is satisfactory to send them into the heat of battle, I wish there were more features to play about with here.

Graphics & Audio

Minecraft Legends is the best-looking game in the franchise, that’s for sure. The cutscenes do an excellent job of creating life within this world and introducing you to the mechanics as you go along. Everything is voice-acted and narrated wonderfully and I welcomed the British voice acting compared to American, no offence to them whatsoever but it resonated with me more. The lighting, backdrops and world immersion are just simply stunning and I was kind of left wishing that this is what the base Minecraft game looked like as that is due an upgrade. Having the view perspective third person works well across the strategic elements of the game and absorbing the surroundings, even if the controls and mechanics are somewhat fiddly. Accessibility options throughout the menus are spot on with colourblind options and text-to-speech ticking the boxes for those who struggle.

In Conclusion

Minecraft Legends is a good crack at something totally different within that world-famous blocky aesthetic. I do have to grumble at the control scheme as everything became a little bit frustrating to manage at first, although I will add that it does become second nature after several hours with the game. My five-year-old son though could simply not get to grips with it and rather than playing it how it should be played, he just spent his time beating the crap out of piglins and riding around on his horse. So I would say that if you have little ones who are used to the basic controls of Minecraft, Roblox and Fortnite, this may be a little too advanced for that age group. That said, I’d imagine if you were say 8 years and above, I do believe it will capture plenty of people including adults.

Not Build For The Long Game As  A Solo Player

The campaign did become really repetitive in my opinion but I still enjoyed traversing the world and feeling all-important by knocking up bases and defeating the hordes. The multiplayer modes are where the longevity and replayability will keep Minecraft Legends alive, but playing solo you’re reliant on randoms and with no in-game voice chat it becomes pretty redundant alone.

This is the perfect co-op experience though and a brilliant title to play online with groups of friends and that is when the game truly shines. I do believe that the foundations are set for something that could be truly brilliant if they kept adding more to what is already there. Perhaps the chance to have every man for himself with multiple players on a large map and more building and attack possibilities. Either way, the game is well worth a look especially if you have an Xbox Game Pass subscription where you can check out the game as part of the catalogue.