Minecraft Review – One of The Greatest Games Ever Made

In video games, no other title has pushed the boundaries of creativity like Minecraft. And considering the game’s release 11 years ago, it is remarkable that it still holds the reputation of being one of the best games today. So our Minecraft Review will cover all the recent changes and updates the game has seen over the past few years, emphasizing the recent 1.20 Trails & Tales patch.

We will also touch a little on the aspect of some recent mods and shaders available for the game. While these aren’t directly a part of the game, they have had a huge hand in its overall success over the years. Therefore, it is only fair we also shed a little light on these topics. 

Story And Setting

Minecraft is one of the few games that works well without any story. Granted, there is a different version of the game.

If I had to condense the premise down to its very roots, here is how I would explain it. You start the game by punching trees to get some wood for early tools. You use these to gather resources, and soon after upgrade to the Stone tier, then Iron, and finally Diamond. This upgrade tree has been updated to go up to Netherite, after which you seek out the demise of the Ender Dragon and finally end the game.

Minecraft itself is an open-world survival game that relies on the creativity and intent of the players themselves.

Minecraft itself is an open-world survival game that relies on the creativity and intent of the players themselves. If you want, you can hop on a creative world or server and create the most breathtaking structures or landscapes the world has ever seen. But if that isn’t your cup of tea, you can start a hardcore survival world where you keep going until you finally meet your demise at the hands of a baby zombie.

If neither of the above is your cup of tea, then you’re probably completing the yearly ritual of starting a private server with friends and going until you get tired of playing. Maybe trying out some mods, or that one nice new shader you heard about.

Gameplay

Writing about the gameplay of Minecraft is a completely subjective topic, so we will be discussing it while taking into consideration some of the popular ways people usually play it. We will also touch on the 1.20 update in more detail in this section so you know all the recent changes made to the game.

Let’s start with the new update, Trails & Tales. We should start with the most important features, which include the changes made to the process of obtaining Netherite equipment. It is no longer as simple as farming Ancient Debris and using a smithing table for a Netherite item. You will now have to use the Upgrade Smithing Template found in Bastion Remnants for each piece of Netherite that you require.

Mod packs have added a lot of flavor to Minecraft and continuously kept the game alive well into 2023.

Some other features added to the game are a selection of new mobs like Camels and Sniffers, as well as a whole archaeology mechanic where you can brush suspicious gravel for items. Furthermore, a new biome called the Cherry Blossom Biome is also now available for exploration.

Mod packs have added a lot of flavor to Minecraft and continuously kept the game alive well into 2023. Shivaxi’s RLCraft boosted the popularity of the game out of proportion in early 2020, with how difficult the mod pack presented itself to be (trust us, it’s pretty hard).

And it wouldn’t be a complete review without discussing Minecraft’s many community servers. It has refined the way many people enjoy vanilla gameplay with added modes like Hunger Games, Sky Wars, and community survival/creative worlds. Many tournaments have been hosted with these modes, which has always kept Minecraft in the spotlight. 

Visuals And Performance

Minecraft isn’t particularly revered for its visuals. However, it’s still a very charming game if you can ignore that aspect and focus on the actual scenery and aesthetically pleasing geography of the terrain. From hillsides to ocean views, from underwater mansions to sky-high monuments, they all hold beauty in their own special, Minecrafty way.

Expanding on the aesthetics; using shaders or different texture packs can be an entirely new experience. However, it does put a heavy toll on your machine, but if you can handle it, we recommend trying some popular shaders out.

The visuals certainly testify to how much the game has evolved over the years.

The visuals certainly testify to how much the game has evolved over the years. You wouldn’t think a pixelated game’s visual experience would change a lot, but the default textures have improved significantly when compared to how it looked during the first few years of its life.

The performance of Minecraft has always been decent, and this is one aspect of the game that has never been of much concern unless your PC is truly dated or you’re using multiple mod packs or running hardcore shaders. The game’s performance is a crucial parameter of the game’s huge success.

Verdict

Minecraft will probably go down in history as one of the most significant games ever created, and the competition is not even close. It certainly isn’t going away anytime soon because the developers have teased many new features for years to come, and fans are more excited for the future than ever.

The gameplay is simple but has depth, its art style is basic but endlessly charming, and most importantly, it rewards creativity in ways that no other has ever managed. This game is still incredibly relevant in 2023.

This has been our Minecraft Review. While you’re here, consider checking out some of our other articles. 

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• Monster Hunter Rise Review
• Final Fantasy 16 Review
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Review
• Dislyte Review
• Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun Review