Review Minecraft Legends: The Epic Strategy Spinoff You Need to Play, Despite Its Flaws
The game developers have incorporated some of the most impressive features of “Minecraft” into their real-time strategy game, but there are certain areas that require further improvement.
See more: Minecraft Rug
“Minecraft” has undergone significant transformation since its inception as an indie game. Originally intended to offer free-form and emergent gameplay, the franchise has since evolved and transitioned ownership, achieving great success as a video game powerhouse upon its full release.
Nowadays, Minecraft is just as popular among children as Lego blocks or “Super Mario Bros.” It has become a crucial part of childhood and, like any successful franchise, Microsoft has capitalized on this by expanding on “Minecraft’s” characters, ideas, and style with titles such as “Minecraft Dungeons” and the now discontinued “Minecraft Earth.” Although not all of these spinoffs have been flawless, they have still managed to evolve the game’s universe.
The newest undertaking, named “Minecraft Legends,” incorporates the primary ideas of the franchise and modifies them into a game of real-time strategy.
SAVING THE OVERWORLD
During the game, participants assume the character of a heroic figure who is suddenly transported to a world under distress. A group known as the Piglins, originating from a realm called the Nether, have invaded this world and are causing chaos and destruction. Their influence is spreading to the Overworld and causing corruption.
The hero is entrusted by three entities known as Foresight, Action, and Knowledge to defend against an invasion. They provide the protagonist, who is controlled by the player, with the Banner of Courage, Flames of Creation, and Allays as instruments to accomplish this task. The players are required to rescue villages and seal the portals of the three hordes that have set up camps using these tools.
FAMILIAR CONCEPTS
If you are acquainted with the “Minecraft” mechanics, you will easily comprehend fifty percent of the gameplay. The process of collecting materials still remains crucial, but the lead character doesn’t engage in mining activities. Instead, the hero dispatches small fairy-like creatures called Allays to gather wood, stone, coal, diamonds, iron, and Redstone. Furthermore, you can obtain other resources like gold, Prismarine, and Lapis by attacking Piglin outposts.
Similar to other games in the RTS genre, the availability of resources plays a crucial role in constructing buildings and producing additional troops. As the protagonist, it is important for players to generate both resources to defend settlements and muster a formidable army capable of defeating intruders. This necessitates exploring diverse biomes and identifying the primary resource in each one.
With the provided materials, gamers have the ability to construct fortifications surrounding their respective settlements. “Minecraft Legends” fosters players’ ingenuity as they have the option to erect walls in a labyrinthine manner and scatter the vicinity with fortresses, artillery, and snares. Outside of the perimeter of the village lies an obstacle course, where the resources and allies required for construction are a constant need. Thus, if players aspire for an intricate edifice, they must continuously collect materials such as timber and stones.
MEET YOUR TROOPS
They have the ability to construct formations that produce various types of golems such as Cobblestone, Plank, Mossy, and Grindstone. Each golem serves a unique purpose in the army, with Planks being proficient in long-range attacks against piglins, Cobblestones being specialized in close-combat and demolishing structures, Mossy golems having the ability to heal, and Grindstone golems being capable of stunning enemies.
As the campaign progresses, the hero receives assistance from Zombies, Archer Skeletons, and Creepers who have also taken it upon themselves to protect their homeland from the piglins. Each of them has their own distinctive duties – Creepers act as sappers, using their explosive powers to inflict significant damage on walls and other structures, Skeletons are effective in long-range combat, and Zombies excel in close-quarters combat.
The management of all the game units is disorganized due to an inadequate and complicated control scheme, resulting in a chaotic experience. The gameplay can be likened to “Pikmin,” where players only have two commands to order troops to either attack or follow. However, the issue is that the soldiers’ artificial intelligence is not very clever, which can lead to them falling off cliffs or getting left behind while the hero moves further into enemy territory. A universal command that allows players to quickly summon all their troops in the area is desperately needed in the game. Instead, “Minecraft Legends” requires players to move the hero and press the follow button, which is an inefficient system regardless of whether the game is played with a controller or keyboard and mouse.
PROBLEMS WITH THE BUILD
One issue with the controls pertains to constructing structures during combat, which is a unique feature that distinguishes this RTS from others. For example, when presented with a lava pit, players can create a bridge for the hero and troops to cross. Nevertheless, it becomes challenging to construct stairs that enable the army to access different areas of the base. Players must contend with the fussy process of aligning structures, which often leads to unsuccessful attempts.
The issue becomes more noticeable as the Spore Horde, Hunt Horde, and Bastion Horde’s bases become more intricate. Players will encounter towering structures when battling the Spore army, necessitating the need to climb them. Similarly, when confronting the Bastion, players must either breach the walls or devise a method to bypass them.
The battles with the four bosses in the game are also a concern as they lack any memorable moments and a consistent plan or tactics to educate players on the usefulness of each character. To emerge victorious, players are required to obtain the First golems, exclusive units that possess immense strength and can easily alter the outcome of any combat encounter.
In conclusion, “Minecraft Legends” conceals its more sophisticated constructs in the depths of its menus, and the campaign falls short in educating players about superior buildings and how to obtain them. This is just one of many missed chances in the game.
Ultimately, “Minecraft Legends” presents some interesting concepts that are not fully developed. The novel concept of constructing bases on the go-to-launch attacks, as well as the creativity involved in building defenses, highlights the franchise’s strengths. However, the lack of challenge in the base building due to the villages being primarily on flat land and having similar structures is a drawback. It seems like this project required more time for the developers to fully unleash its potential.
Read more:
- Top 6 Best Minecraft Legends Improvements To Prioritize First
- Top 10 Most Beautiful 3D Minecraft Rug That You Should not Miss
- Top 8 Minecraft Decoration Ideas For Bedroom