Minecraft

Minecraft is one of the most creative games of the 2010s. In its interactive world you can either survive in a hostile environment or create incredible landscapes, objects and locations. Developed by Mojang and now distributed by Microsoft, it’s one of the best selling video games ever.

Storyline 10/10

There are various modes available, but the major two are Survival and Creative. In Survival mode, your character appears in a wild place where you need to stay alive. There are dangerous wild animals in the night, and edible and domesticable appear in the daytime. In addition, there are useful plants, trees, stones and ores, for you to get yourself metals, better tools, and finally reach higher. So you can build your own civilization, armed with time, insistence, and knowledge.

Crash trees, find stones and make ropes to craft your first tools, build yourself a house, and make weapons to fight the most dangerous beasts. There are light and hardcore modes; in Hardcore, you only have one life. If you lose, the game cannot be replayed.

But what made Minecraft famous is its creative mode. Not limited by anything, having enough of every material, and collaborating with friends, you have even powers to dig deep and transform the very basis of your world. Probably you have seen real objects or locations from Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or The Game of Thrones recreated in Minecraft decorations.

Finally, you can sell the worlds you create or skins for characters, maybe imitating real or fictional characters, on Minecraft’s own store. Many players adore this way of extending their worlds.

Graphics and Sound 10/10

The cubic appearance, rough and seemingly obsolete, might have been seen as a necessity to lower the consumption of resources, but then it became the style. The cubes turned out not only easy to display and render, but also greatly recognizable as a style in its own right. It’s hard now to find a real or fictional location, object, or character that hasn’t been minecrafted yet.

As for the music, the soundtracks by C418 are of their own value, meditative, electronic and creative. They can be purchased separately on Steam or iTunes. Released in 2011, they sound fresh even now.

In 2019, Minecraft Earth, an AR-powered version of Minecraft, was released. Now its cubic objects can be integrated with the real landscapes, due to augmented reality technologies.

First-person survival games now have a default set of controls, and Minecraft makes no exception. In its mobile version you have a virtual joystick for movements under your left thumb, camera moving area in the right part of the screen, and virtual buttons for your active tools and the inventory.

If you prefer playing it on mobile devices, you may feel better with a gamepad. Now there are numerous Android-compatible Bluetooth gamepads, and iOS 13 supports PS4 and Xbox One controllers.