Ready to download on PS4 & PS5 today

Sony has rolled out its "Essential" tier offerings for all PlayStation Plus users today. As of today, all PS Plus members can download March's games, which include Electronic Arts' Battlefield 2042, Bandai Namco's Code Vein, and Xbox Game Studios Minecraft Dungeons.

//www.youtube.co?m/watch?v=WomAGoEh-Ss&ab_channel=Battlefield

Released in the fall of 2021, Battlefield 2042 is the 12th mainline installment in the Battlefield series, once again developed by EA subsidiary studio, DICE. This entry features all of the land, sea, and air combat one has come to expect from the series, but earned infamy for its litany of bugs, balancing issues, and technical problems?? ??upon launch, while also receiving derision for being the fir??st title in the series not to offer a single-player campaign, focusing solely on multiplayer.

While the furor has long since died down, Battlefield 2042 was railed across the coals at launch, with negative reviews, players calling for r??efunds, and piss-poor sales ultimately killing the title before it had barely gotten out of the barracks. An update would fix much of the game's problems, but the horse was long out of ?the barn, with the title, even in improved form, failing to meet sales expectations.

//www.youtube.com/wa??tch?v=??o_r3tjj0XeA&ab_channel=BandaiNamcoEntertainmentAmerica

Developed by Bandai Namco's in-house studios, Code Vein is an anime-gothic soulslike that launched on PS4, PC, and Xbox One in September 2019. It tells the tale of a post-apocalyptic world, where an endangered race of vampiric creatures known as "The Revenants", embark upon a grim and hazardous journey for sustenance, lest they become the frenz??ied monsters known as "The Lost".

Though divisive, Code Vein has its own sense of style �pushing its "Metal" edge to the point of cheese which is, in itself, an endearing quality. The title poses a significant challenge to all players, and maintains flow with a??n interesting cast of characters and a dark overworld. Worth checking? out for Soulslike fans, maybe you'll find that it pushes all of your requisite buttons.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCbE47v1qV?k&ab_?channel=Minecraft

Minecraft Dungeons, as the name suggests, ta??kes the globally popular world builder and marries it to the dungeon-crawler genre, ultimately producing the cutest little Diablo clone you ever did see. Played from an isometric perspective, heroes battle their way through procedurally generated dungeons while slaying monsters and bagging loot. The ultimate goal is to reach a lost friend, who has fallen under the influence of the powerful Orb of Dominance.

Minecraft Dungeons is a ??perfectly fine dungeon crawler, but is perhaps better suited for younger players, given its ease, short length, and relatively shallow nature. As a gateway to? a world of dungeon crawling, however, it very much achieves its goals with ease.

Battlefield 2042, Code Vein, and Minecraft Dungeons are available now to all PlayStation Plus users.

The post March PS Plus o??fferings include Battlefield 2042 and Code Vein appeared first on Destructoid.

A lot of that is probably Game Pass

Minecraft Dungeons has a lot to celebrate.

Although Minecraft is still a huge IP, there was always a risk tryin??g to get people involved in a spinoff, as a lot of folks generally will just keep playing the game they already know. Although it is available for non-Microsoft platforms, Game Pass significantly helped mitigate that risk.

Microsoft has confirmed that the game just hit "10 million players." Note t??hat they didn't break down individual sales, or how much of that was Game Pass, or the standard edition of the release. As a result, they're giving away a special cape and pet for "all players," which will be added on February 24 for free as DLC.

The publisher touts that there have been 103 million multiplayer sessions across Xbox Game Pass, which were "80% couch co-??op-based." People still play couch co-op?! You don't say! It's almost like a huge portion of every console playerbase has been asking for more couch experiences for years.

They also remind us that more big DLC, including the Flames of the Nether pack, is on the way. That will hit on the same day on February 24 on "all platforms," al?l of which have cross-play, by the way. That's a feat!

Minecraft Dungeons [Twitter]

The post Minecraft Dungeons just hit 10 million players, and it’s getting new DLC appeared first on Destructoid.

Building Bridges

Mojang has announced that its cubic fantasy adventurer Minecraft Dungeons will be adding cross-play support next week via a scheduled update. As of November 17, players on PS4, PC, Xbox One, and Switch will be able to ??rally togethe??r for exciting escapades within the creepy caverns of the Overworld.

Released back in May, Minecraft Dungeons won over a loyal army of followers with its charming and cutesy aesthetic, as well as its str??ipped-down approach to the dungeon-craw??ling genre, making it an ideal adventure title for families and kids to enjoy together.

December will also see the launch of third DLC expansion Howling Peaks, bringing new dungeons, enemies, gear, and missions to the title. The continued drip-feed of continued, coupled with the cross-play update, should help consolidate the Minecraft Dungeons playerbase ?? and ??thus extend the title's life-span for the foreseeable future.

Heroes, are you listening?!

Cross-platform play arrives on November 17 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows and Xbox One! It’s almost time to join forces – whatever platform you play on! pic.twitter.com/wDusUWYYOY

— Minecraft Dungeons (@dungeonsgame) November 11, 2020

The post Minecraft Dungeons will suppo?r??t cross-play from November 17 appeared first on Destructoid.

Slated for November

Minecon isn't happening live in Orlando, Florida this year, but it did happen this past week in livestream form. In addition to revealing a bunch of new developments for Minecraft proper, our old dungeon crawler friend Minecraft Dungeons got a few updates: several of which should help people get back into the game if th?ey're on a break.

First up, cr??oss-play is finally coming in November. While it's been teased for some time since it released this past May, we finally have a window for when it'll be arriving. When it does hit, it'll be free for everyone. The feature was dramaticall??y shown off on the aforementioned stream, with the below image indicating players signified with red for Nintendo Switch, light blue for PC, dark blue for PS4, and green for Xbox One.

Following that, a December update will add "Apocalypses Plus" into the mix, which adds "20 new difficulties" as well as "new enchantments and items.?" In tandem with that free patch, you can also opt for the Howling Peaks DLC, which adds the Tempest Golem boss into the game as well as the icy mountainside biome. I still come back to this one from time to time, so a combo of DLC and free updates should help suck me in even further.

Minecraft Live Recap [Minecraft.net]

The post Minecraf??t Dungeons is?????????????????????????? getting 20 new difficulties and cross-play appeared first on Destructoid.

It's snow themed

This past July, Minecraft Dungeons got its first major DLC with the Jungle Awakens pack. Now, it's headed to somewhere decidedly colder.

Creeping Winter is ou??t today, which once again lightly continues the game's narrative while providing a new biome to explore and conquer. The title of the DLC is quite literal, as the theme is described as what I'm referring to as "spooky cold." Slippery ice, a classic g??aming trope, is also a go. I think I'm in, folks!

The DLC also comes with an update, which provides some upgrades for free for all players. Daily Trials are in, which can net you four gear pieces as a reward. T??he game is also getting new merchants as well as new weapons and armor.

As a reminder, if you own the upgraded edition of Minecraft Dungeons, you'll net this DLC and Jungle Awakens for ??free. You can find the full patch notes for the update below.

Minecraft Dungeons Patch Notes [Minecraft.net]

Creeping Winter DLC:

• A creeping winter is slowly taking over everything it touches, and the source of its chilling power is a powerful creature known as the Wretched Wraith
• Take on three new missions and face new enemies such as the Illusioner and Iceologer
• As you hunt down the source of corruption, you’ll discover new armor, weapons, and artifacts below the snow and sleet
• Two new player skins and the Arctic Fox pet

New Features – Free For All Players:

• Daily Trials – New challenges every day that make wild changes to the game mechanics which provide difficult, experimental, or fun challenges for you to overcome and earn powerful rewards. There are four new pieces of gear to earn, exclusive to Daily Trials! Learn more at the Daily Trials FAQ.
• New camp merchants to rescue during missions, such as the Blacksmith to upgrade gear and the Gift Wrapper to gift items to other players
• New weapons and armor exclusive to Daily Trials, as well as two new artifacts and six new enchantments spread across the game. Buzz into combat using new tools such as the Beenest, the Beenest Armor, and the Tumblebee enchantment!

Changes:

• Added a Map Legend, showing new rewards, secret locations, and captured merchants
• New achievements and trophies to unlock for Jungle Awakens and Creeping Winter
• After losing a life, players are now given a bundle of arrows if their they had less than one full bundle
• The host of an online game can now toggle Private Game so friends can’t join unless they’re invited
• Balance Changes
  • Shortbow / Longbow / Bow: Increased ammo 50%
  • Cutlass: Changed attack combo from 4 to 2 attacks
  • Pickaxe: Changed attack combo to 1 attack
  • Daggers: Increased dagger attack range by 25%
• Battlestaff now drops in Lower Temple
• Light Feather now triggers all rolling enchantments

All Platform Fixes:

• Crashes / Performance
  • Fixed several crashes that occurred during gameplay across all platforms
  • Fixed the game freezing after activating Flaming Quiver, Fireworks Arrow, and Torment Quiver at the same time on Nintendo Switch

• General
  • Made dozens of improvements and fixes to Text-to-Speech throughout the game
  • Fixed players getting disconnected from a session if the host experienced low FPS during the loading screen

• Gameplay
  • The Corrupted Cauldron can no longer be insta-killed
  • Fixed players having no arrows and health potion not working if getting disconnected from a game during load screen, then reconnecting
  • Using soul related items while wearing soul related gear no longer results in the player getting propelled into the air (MCD-1810)
  • Fixes to inventory salvage issues
  • Fall damage has changed to percentage of health, regardless of armor worn

• Graphical
  • Fixed the gates flickering when down on Overgrown Temple
  • Fixed the ending cinematic becoming choppy during online multiplayer

• Audio
  • Updated lobby chest close sound to better fit close action
  • Fixed missing sound when pressing the last button in the puzzle on Dingy Jungle
  • Fixed background music randomly stopping on Lower Temple
  • Redstone Golem mines no longer produce sound when Master Volume is set to 0%
  • Fixed cinematic voiceover language not changing after the system's preferred language is changed
  • Fixed menu sound effects not playing when selecting Threat Level VII

• User Interface
  • Fixed the controller disconnect prompt not disappearing after reconnecting a controller (MCD-1584)
  • Fixed the door at the end of Dingy Jungle prompting "Travel" instead of "Exit"
  • Fixed a rare issue that showed an incorrect 'P0' indicator on the Mission Select screen in local multiplayer, causing input issues
  • Fixed the white background appearing briefly during rewards screen after opening the chest
  • Panda Plateau now shows the proper loading screen for hidden missions
  • Added a spinning icon animation to the Microsoft account sign in screen
  • Altered the teleport menu so it will close if a button is pressed that isn’t bound to a specific target player

Xbox One Fixes:

• Improved title stability after being disconnected from Xbox Live
• Fixed a crash that occurred when the active profile signed out during the mission victory countdown screen
• Fixed a crash that occurred when signing out of the active profile whilst viewing the Mission Select screen at the camp
• After resuming from a suspended state on the Start Screen, the title no longer erroneously displays a 'User signed out' message
• Fixed players being unable to accept friends’ invitations after resuming the game from suspension while it was launched and suspended in offline mode
• Fixed the game crashing when leaving a game session using a secondary profile after first disconnecting and reconnecting the controller

Nintendo Switch Fixes:

• Fixed a crash when pressing the Available now button for Jungle Awakens with guest controller
• Fixed news not appearing if not logged into a Microsoft account

PlayStation 4 Fixes:

• Fixed players invited to an online session by someone other than the host not receiving the invite

The post Minecraft Dungeons’ latest major DLC is out today appeared first on Destructoid.

Free for the Hero Edition

[Update: The patch is now live, which brings a ton of balance updates along with the new DLC. You can find them below or read them here.]

Minecraft Dungeons launched back in May, and Mojang is teeing o??ff its DLC strategy very soon.

On July 1, the first DLC pack, Jungle Awakens, is set to arrive. Naturally it'll take place in...the jungle, featuring classic Minecraft cuteness (pandas) and terrifying enemies (the Jungle Abomination). In all it seems like a standard extra level to run, which should last you around 15-30 minutes each time you dive in. As a reminder, you can get the DLC free with the $30 Hero Edition, or opt f??or the "Hero Pass" for the standard/Game Pass version.

Mojang also promises a string of free updates for the game, which adds a new "Lower Temple" dungeon into the mix, as well as new items and balance changes. For 30 bucks (which gets you the announced DLC), that's not too bad. Oh, and the game's soundtrack just officially launched.

Between this and the recent Nether Update for the core game, Minecraft is still on a roll.

Minecraft Dungeons: Jungle Awakens [Minecraft]

New Features:

• Jungle Awakens
  • The first DLC pack, Jungle Awakens, is available for purchase digitally on Windows, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation™ 4
  • A source of unbelievable power has crash-landed among the twisting vines of a distant, dangerous jungle. This mysterious power has spread its influence through vile vines, and now new terrors bloom – such as the Leapleaf and Whisperer
  • Trek through three new missions that will take you to the heart of the jungle where you’ll find new weapons, armor, and artifacts. This journey is meant for the bravest of heroes, for all twisted vines and paths lead to the source of corruption: The Jungle Abomination. This beast must be dealt with to restore balance to the jungle, so strike true and move swiftly
  • This pack is also available for players who have already purchased Minecraft Dungeons Hero Edition or the Hero Pass Upgrade. More details on Jungle Awakens can be found at aka.ms/JungleAwakensFAQ
• Lower Temple
  • All players will be able to unlock this new secret mission and discover new loot!
• News
  • The latest news for Minecraft Dungeons is now shown in the main menu

Changes:

• Obsidian Pinnacle
  • Reduced minimum threat level from V to IV to make the boss less difficult to beat (letting more players unlock Adventure mode)
• Soul Siphon
  • Made each soul collected respect your soul gather bonus
  • Reduced amount of souls per pop a little
  • Reduced chance a little
• Exploding
  • Increased explosion radius by 50%
• Fire Aspect
  • +100% damage
• Poison Cloud
  • +50% damage
• Thundering
  • +25% damage
• Pets
  • Half HP
  • 50% damage reduction
  • Increased attack damage 10%
• Llama
  • Increased attack speed 15%
• Iron Golem
  • 25% more health
• Wolf
  • Increased movement speed 15%
• Life Steal Aura
  • Increased life steal 3% -> 6%
  • Capped the damage on which life-steal is based to the actual health of the target
• Radiance
  • Reduced radiance melee range to 750 (same as ranged)
  • Fixed issue causing radiance heal amount to scale twice as much as it should (effective reduction at Apocalypse -50%)
  • Increased radiance ranged trigger chance to 20% -> 50%
• Leeching
  • Increased healing 4/6/8% -> 5/7/9%
• Shockwave
  • Increased damage 20 -> 35
  • Increased projectile base speed by 13%
  • Fixed missing notify
• Snowing
  • Reduced stun duration of snowball 3s -> 2s
• Health/Speed Synergy
  • Synergy now triggers on Lightning Rod and Corrupted Beacon when it is activated
• Soul Speed
  • Max stack reduced from 100 to 5
  • Increased speed bonus from 1% to 5%
  • Increased duration from 2,3,4, to 3,5,7 seconds
  • Removed soul-amount multiplier for the speed bonus on collected soul (each visual soul == one stack)
• Anima Conduit
  • Removed soul amount multiplier on soul collection
  • Increased effect from 1/2/3% to 2/4/6% per visual soul collected
  • Now triggers on any kill source
• Soul Gathering
  • Reduced Soul Gathering on all gear 2->1
  • Soul Gathering is now collected from all gear no matter what kind of kill it is
  • All soul themed enchantments now give +1 Soul Gathering (added bullet point to UI)
  • All soul themed permanent enchantments now increase the item's natural soul gathering
  • Increased soul bar max souls 50 -> 300
  • Added error feedback to soul bar when you have too little souls
• Soul Knife
  • Increased damage 40%
• Soul Scythe
  • Increased range by about 20%
  • Increased damage by 35%
  • Increased splash multiplier 0.4 -> 0.75
• Soul Bow
  • Increased ammo stack from 40 -> 50
• Harvester
  • Increased cost 25 -> 40
  • increased cooldown 1s -> 4s
  • Max damage also effectively increased by 60% due to damage being DAMAGE PER SOUL
  • Removed variable soul cost
• Corrupted Beacon
  • Increased Cost 1 -> 2
  • Added cooldown 2.5s
  • Increased beam radius 150 -> 200 unreal units
  • Increased damage by 100%
  • Fixed bug causing the armor property bonus damage to be applied twice. (E.g. reduced damage bonus from Soul Robe compared to before)
  • Fixed bug in soul cost which was making it not drain correctly
• Lightning Rod
  • Increased cost 10 -> 15
  • Added cooldown 2s
  • Increased radius 300 -> 350
  • Increased damage 30 damage per soul -> 60 damage per soul
  • Max damage also effectively increased by 50% due to damage being DAMAGE PER SOUL
  • Removed variable soul cost
• Soul Healer
  • Increased cost 20 -> 50
  • Increased cooldown 1s -> 5s
  • Increased healing allies spark start speed 100% and acceleration 150%
  • Healing per soul 10 -> 4
  • Removed variable soul cost
• Torment Quiver
  • Increased cooldown 1s -> 6s
  • Increased soul cost 10 -> 30
• General Soul Gathering Changes
  • Your non-soul item kills still give souls
  • All your pet kills give souls
  • All ally player kills where either the player or the kill is within 1200 range, you get souls too
  • Number now shown in the HUD next to soul bar for changes to souls
  • Soul Gathering bonus from armors reduced 100% -> 50%

Fixes:

• Crashes / Performance
  • Fixed several crashes that could occur during gameplay and improved stability across all platforms
  • Fixed a crash that could occur when joining an online game
  • Controls are no longer unresponsive while interacting with a merchant or Camp chest and getting kicked or disconnected from an online session
  • Fixed a crash that occurred while host was fighting the Heart of Ender and other players were below the arena, waiting by the jump pads
  • Potential fix for crash that occurs when there's no proper audio device connected
  • Fixed a crash that occurred when docking and undocking during a loading screen on Nintendo Switch
  • Fixed a crash that could occur on PC when pressing Enter on the Add Friend screen
  • Fixed an infinite loading screen that could occur after joining another player's session after reconnecting to Xbox Live while in a suspended state during single player gameplay
  • Fixed an infinite loading screen that could occur when attempting to proceed past the title screen after being forcibly signed out during a loading screen

• General
  • Fixed some issues with Windows Store players receiving the "Unable to verify game ownership" error (MCD-1230)
  • Added a notification when a player leaves the game during online multiplayer
  • Fixed the game getting stuck in offline game when removing a second player from the main menu
  • Starting an offline game after the host of an online game forcibly disconnects no longer launches into a mission-camp hybrid (MCD-165)
  • Kicked players can no longer rejoin the session without an invitation if they were kicked during the reward screen
  • Players are no longer able to send invitations or join themselves through the Xbox app

• Gameplay
  • Fixed camera issues that could occur when players simultaneously jumped off a cliff
  • Fixed Evokers spawning too many Vex
  • Fixed dying on some ledges in Obsidian Pinnacle without falling off
  • Fixed some sections of Camp that caused players to get out of bounds (MCD-457)
  • Fixed players getting stuck in a pit on Squid Coast
  • Players can no longer fall off the edge at the start of the secret Rune Room
  • Players can no longer roll onto platforms in Cacti Canyon before they’re raised
  • Arrows no longer auto-target dead mobs until their bodies disintegrate
  • Fixed Redstone Golems not attacking players if attacked from a far distance
  • Fixed an item duplication glitch
  • Fixed the Cores not animating during the Redstone Monstrosity fight during online multiplayer
  • Shooting a Key Golem with Trickbow or Heavy Crossbow no longer causes arrows to loop back and forth around them

• Audio
  • Fixed Witch potion bottle breaking sounds
  • Fixed Redstone Monstrosity and Arch-Illager sound effects not affected by master volume setting
  • Fixed sound effects for some artifacts not playing when encountering large groups of mobs

• User Interface
  • The "Start Game" button on the main menu now defaults to the last selected mode
  • Fixed missing characters in Korean localization the enchantment and brightness screens (MCD-1394)
  • 'Lobby Chest' is now just called 'Chest'
  • Burning enchantment now has the proper description, stating that it "damages nearby enemies"
  • Artifacts can no longer hover over weapon and armor slots on the Inventory screen
  • Flaming Quiver/Torment Quiver/Fireworks no longer overlap with arrows on the HUD
  • Fixed overlapping buttons on the main menu in non-widescreen resolutions
  • Fixed corrupted Fireworks Arrow animation
  • Power and level of consumable items no longer on the HUD in online multiplayer
  • Fixed mob health bars get wider as the game progresses
  • The friend list now updates properly after kicking a player
  • Fixed the friend list automatically scrolling when clicking buttons or hovering the "Join" button
  • The host of an online multiplayer game now always appears at the top of the player list

The post (Update) Minecraft Dungeons’ first DLC pack, Jungle Awakens, is out this week appeared first on Destructoid.

The power of Minecraft

Animal Crossing has enjoyed a long reign at the top of the Switch eShop charts, but th?e time has come for a new king.

According to the "best-sellers" portion of the Nintendo eShop, Minecraft Dungeons (which is priced at $19.99 for the standard edition) is now taking the top spot. Price aside that's a huge accomplishment, given the global success of Animal Crossing: New Horizons and its enduring appeal.

Coming up in third is Xenoblade Chronicles, followed by Clubhouse Games. This only further adds to Minecraft Dungeons' success, as those are bot??h first-party games, with Microsoft coming in on top over multiple brand new Nin?tendo IPs. 2020 is weird.

Another fun fact: amazingly, there are two Minecraft gam??es in the top five best-se??ller list right now.

The post Minecraft Dungeons dethrones Animal Crossing as the eShop’s top seller appeared first on Destructoid.

Free and paid DLC

So far Minecraft Dungeons is off to a great start.

At $20 with local and online multiplayer it's a pretty easy sell, especially with the emphasis on random dungeons and loadouts. I've had a ton of fun with it so far at multiple player counts, but there's more coming for those of you who need it. As announced on the official blog, two big DLCs are coming.

The first is "Jungle Awakens," a pack due in July that will add three new missions to the game, as well as a host of items (weapons, armor, artifacts). Next up is Creeping Winter "later this year," which is merely mentioned, but will likely be in line with the "three levels, more items" concept. Then in a more tease-like fashion, the Dungeons team is promising "cool new free content," as well as cross-platform play. As a note, the two premiu??m packs are included in the $30 "Hero Editio?n."

This is pretty much the perfect way to support the game: sprinkle in free and paid stuff as time goes on. Hopefully there's more planned past Creeping Winter, as the carefree nature of Dungeons will keep me going for a whil??e when it comes to quick runs. Cross-play will make that even easier.

Minecraft Dungeons: On the Horizon [Minecraft.net]

The post Minecraft Dunge?ons i??s getting cross-play, as well as DLC appeared first on Destructoid.

Bring the family

If you include its alpha period, Minecraft turns 10 years old this year.

I know! For some that's a long time; but for others, it feels like it's always been there. For years the folks at Mojang have been slowly building on the original concept, boosted by C418's beautiful score and the promise of limitless creation. After Microsoft took control of the property, Minecraft only expanded from? there on new platform??s, with cross-play uniting people all across the globe.

Now that everything is be?yond stable, it finally feels like it's the right time for a spinoff.

Minecraft Dungeons (PC [reviewed], PS4, Switch, Xbox One)
Developer: Mojang Studios, Double Eleven
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Released: May 26, 2020
MSRP: $19.99 (Standard Edition), $29.99 (Hero Edition), also on Xbox Game Pass

Minecraft Dungeons is a little more straightforward than Minecraft proper. Kicking off with an epic (and I mean that in the literal romantic sense) intro in the signature blocky style, the framework of having to stop the misunderstood-but-ultimately-tyrannical Arch Illager is easy to grasp but still very Minecraft.

The mechanical premise is just as painless. Dungeons is a dungeon-crawling action-RPG (ARPG) in the style of Diablo, but with simplistic control and design philosophies that a lot of ARPGs could learn from. For instance, your health potion is on a cooldown: there's no need to annoyingly micro-manage them. Food is eaten automatically and provides limited-time buffs. Your dodge is linked to RB (R1) or the right analog stick, where you can roll in any direction (on a cooldown to prevent spamming) like God of War, which al??so serves as ??a way to "leap" across gaps.

Beyond managing your skills, a standard melee slash, and arrow shots, you're good. While hardcore inventory-puzzle-solvers might long for more, it's a great compromise that helps keep you in the game and out of menus. Of course there are menus, bu??t they're streamlined and meant for a small amount of customization for your melee/ranged weapons, suit of armor (one slot), and three optiona??l relics.

Minecraft Dungeons also eases in roguelite tendencies in a non-annoying way. Upgrades (called "enchantments") are random rolls for each item, akin to something out of Rogue Legacy. They encourage players to re-roll characters and try out new builds, or enchant brand new items to see what they get (and salvage them for parts or more enhancement points if the??y are dissatisfied). Dungeons themselves are also randomized (with a method to their madness — sometimes too methodical) to promote replayability.

Part of that replay factor, mind, is predicated on the wacky powers that enhancements grant. Abilities can cleverly chain, like equipping firework arrows then imbuing your bow with the "multi-arrow" enchantment for a spread of explosive projectiles. You also might build your character a certain way, like attaching a piece of armor that fires out an occasional stunning blast with the fishing rod (one of several callbacks to classic Minecraft items) to chain stun an?d focus on controlling elite e??nemies.

Even though there might not be as many raw abilities compared to other ARPGs, the combinations remind me fondly of the Ultimate Alliance/X-Men Legends series. Some enemies can get stunlocked or stomped too easily if you go too far, but given that the developers have openly said they're okay with overpowered builds, you just have to choose not to use them if you're? uncomfortable with it. There's more drawbacks to that laissez faire approach, like wonky auto-aiming for ranged attacks and frequently unhelpful map navigation. But the mentality works as a whole and those shortcomings are easy enough to compensate for.

If you're not content with solo play, you can go in with four friends locally or online (without mixing the two, and cross-play is coming later). Extra difficulties (Adventure, then Apocalypse) are unlocked sequentially after beating the game (a process that you can do the first time in an evening), which offer tougher enemies and better rewards. You can jack up the difficulty of individual missions on a sliding scale for improved rewards. The entire game is scaled, actually, and even postgame settings are all on the same shared world map (like Nioh). You don'??t even need to ??beat every level to reach the final boss.

Although there's a lack of building mechanics, Dungeons is true to the Minecraft aesthetic. The world looks the part, and the camera is positioned just right to allow players to focus on the environments and character models while providing a bird's eye lay of the land. The unique bits of Dungeons also shine through on their own merits: if you don't laugh when the anthropomorphic keys (who have little legs!) try to wiggle free, you don't have a heart.

There is a certain fatigue involved with playing Dungeons for extended periods. The world and its environments are compelling, but by virtue of making every character baseline the same, th?ere's no real connection to the story. That story, mind, is very brief and mostly lore table setting for each zone, with layouts that can feel very guided at times. There also aren't enough unique minibosses to encourage experimental postgame runs, and having DLC "coming soon" on the world map rubs me the wrong way, even if the base game feels complete and is budget-priced, and the DLC is included in the 10??-dollars-more hero edition.

Although Minecraft Dungeons might not have the depth that a lot of hardcore dungeon crawler fans are looking for, it's an easy game to pick up and play at pretty much any point: solo or otherwise. Minecraft has proven itself to be quite the enduring and endearing IP over the past decade, and Dungeons is now partially responsible for that legacy.

_{[This r??eview is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Minecraft Dungeons appeared first on Destructoid.

A family-friendly dungeon-crawler should hit the spot

Minecraft Dungeons, Mojang's co-op dungeon-crawler Minecraft spin-off game, won't launch in April 2020 ??as expected ??(and I'm sure you can guess why). The game's new release date for Xbox One, PC, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch is May 26, 2020 – a relatively minor bump, all things considered.

This delay is in fact "due to the curre?nt state of the world." The studio "wanted to guarantee the health and safety of our teams, and empower them to deliver the best possible experience to the community."

So much of the IP plainly isn't for me these days, but I'm pretty fond of Minecraft Dungeon's look and feel. There's no shortage of hardcore action-RPGs and dungeon-crawlers, so it's neat to see somethi?ng that can speak to younger audiences and especially families given the four-player local/online co-o??p.

It should be a breezy Xbox Game Pass chill-out ti?tle. As a parting note, there are two editions – Standard, which is $20, and Hero Edition, which is $30 &nda?sh; and most of us can safely skip the latter. It comes with a pair of future DLC packs, a pet chicken, two character skins, and a hero cape.

Mojang expects to release a free update adding cross-platform multiplayer sometime after? launch.

The post Minecraft Dungeons slips to May 26, 2020 appeared first on Destructoid.

Answer the call

Mojang has released the opening cinematic for its fun-looking dungeon-crawler set in the cubic fantasy world of Minecraft. Minecraft Dungeons, which launches in the second quarter of 2020, will see a party of b??ox-headed her??oes band together to overcome the forces of evil.

The cinematic tells the story of a outc?ast Illager who stumbles across a lost artifact offering them untold power. Returning to their village as an almighty sorcerer, the man once laughed out of town is now a monster, capable of commanding armies of men and monsters and bringing about destruction and havoc at will.

In Minecraft Dungeons, up to four players will guide their custom heroes through an array of forests, castles and dungeons - gathering loot and engaging in combat with the evil beasties roaming the land - on a quest to stand face-to-face with the all-powerful Arch-Illager . A Diablo-style game set in the Minecraft universe sound like a pretty fun co-op venture, and fans of Minecraft and the dungeon-crawling genre in general might want to keep an eye out ?for this neat-looking title.

Minecraft Dungeons is expected to release on PS4, PC, Xbox One and N?intendo Switch in spring 2020.

The post Minecraft Dungeons’ cinematic is holding out for a hero appeared first on Destructoid.