Minecraft Dungeons Reviews
Minecraft Dungeons is a breezy dungeon crawler that reproduces Minecraft's playful attitude.
You can build anything in Minecraft, something this fun dungeon-crawler from Mojang ably proves.
Simple and fun to play, Minecraft Dungeons is a good entry-level dungeon crawler, but it doesn't dig too deep.
Overall, the game is a fun introduction to dungeon crawlers for all the family. While there is still plenty for older or more experienced gamers to enjoy, hardcore dungeon crawler fans will likely find the gear mechanics too limiting. However, this title is not designed for that market. It's every inch a family-friendly co-op or solo player experience, and this is a goal it achieves perfectly.
Mojang's smartly streamlined dungeon crawler makes for a more accessible alternative in the action RPG space.
The first few hours are a treat, and the late game has a nice element of experimentation. Unfortunately, its flaws balloon during the lengthy middle stretch.
Minecraft Dungeons is a welcoming dungeon-crawler entry point for newcomers and a lighthearted throwback for veterans.
Microsoft and Mojang have created a game where you’re hitting endless minions and boss characters with all sorts of pointy weapons, but they did so in such a way that playing still feels creative, and freeing. That’s a very welcome magic trick from a series trying something this new, this confidently.
It's priced right for a clever, family-friendly alternative to Diablo. If you're looking for a new co-op game, buy.
Like Diablo, this is a game designed for multiple playthroughs on increasing difficulties, but few players will feel compelled to return to a seam that’s all dried up after a single day’s exploration.
Minecraft Dungeons is a capable all-ages dungeon crawl that, while doesn't use its license to anything like its full potential (see Dragon Quest Builders 2 for how to do it right), is still good fun once it gets moving.
It’s a robust piece of design that you could well consider a triumph, given just how many ways in which the concept of an ARPG based on a construction game phenomenon could have ended in disaster. And I’m confident in recommending it as worth its price to even the most jaded click-stabber, especially one with even a passing familiarity with Minecraft. But the fact it’s been executed so competently leaves me wishing the developers had been a bit more reckless, frankly.
At its heart, Minecraft Dungeons is the sort of release that feels like it rides on the coattails of greater games a little too much. If this game did not have the Minecraft branding, it’s not much of a leap to assume that it would scarcely garner any attention based purely on its own merits. The gear system, combat, level design, and presentation is all fine and entertaining in its own right, but there’s little here that we could point to that elevates this game alongside or above peers such as Torchlight II, Diablo III or Path of Exile. Bearing this in mind, we’d give Minecraft Dungeons a very light recommendation to those of you looking for a surface-level introduction to the ARPG genre or for something to play in co-op with the kids. If that doesn’t describe you, then we’d suggest going with either Torchlight II or Diablo III, which both offer a more substantial and fulfilling experience of this genre.
Minecraft Dungeons has heaps of potential, and in a year's time it may be a very different beast. But right now I can't shake the notion that this is a squandered opportunity.
Diablo for all ages.
I would have liked to see Mojang put more resources behind Minecraft Dungeons and put a unique spin on the hack-and-slash RPG genre by utilizing Minecraft‘s unique aspects. Minecraft Dungeons is fun in short bursts but does little to actually adapt the Minecraft property into its gameplay. Mojang plans to expand Minecraft Dungeons with DLC that may address some of the issues it has at launch. However, with the gameplay loop being so shallow, I wouldn’t count on any DLC expanding the game’s depth without fundamental alterations to the game’s core systems.
But, while the core Minecraft experience can be enjoyed alone, Minecraft Dungeons feels much more suited for a night with friends. So be sure to link up with a few partners, because it's dangerous to go alone.
Minecraft Dungeons could easily have been "My First Dungeon Crawler", but it's so much more than that. It does a great job of taking the genre's hooks – the waves of enemies, the pervasive drive for better loot – and making them palatable and approachable for a wide-ranging audience. It's perfect family gaming, but if you crank the difficulty up prepare for an epic beatdown, and the epic rewards to go with them.
It's funny, engaging and, at times, surprisingly challenging: Minecraft Dungeons only lacks a bit of depth in the end-game area, and we hope to see that added in the next months.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A modern day alternative to Gauntlet, whose innate shallowness and overreliance on random generation is balanced out by some fun combat and great co-op action.