Minecraft—Better Together
Minecraft, is without a doubt, one of the most popular games over the past several years. Last year the Switch received an eShop only release titled Minecraft: Nintendo Switch Edition. Now, Minecraft is getting a retail release built using the Bedrock Engine.
Not only is Minecraft bigger and better than ever it also includes several packs such as the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack, Natural Texture Pack, and more. Thanks to the Bedrock Engine, you can now play and share with others on mobile, PC, and Xbox One.
Let’s take a look at Minecraft overall and what’s new in the brand new version of the game on Nintendo Switch.
Game Details
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Developer: 4J Studios Ltd. / Microsoft Studios
Publisher: Mojang AB
Genre: Adventure, Action, Strategy, Simulation
Modes: Single-player, Multiplayer
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10+)
A game about placing blocks and going on adventures
The multimillion selling Minecraft franchise has been around since 2009 and since that time has been released for virtually everything under the sun including the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PS Vita, and Wii U. If you are new to Minecraft, I’ll explain to you what it is all about.
In short, Minecraft is a game that focuses on exploring the open world around you with virtually no rules or objectives. With randomly generated worlds, you are free to explore and build amazing things by using blocks and resources found in the environment. You can recreate the simplest of things such as homes to some to the most magnificent castles of all times.
In essence, it is easiest to think of the world of Minecraft as a giant set of virtual Legos where the only limit is your imagination.
The same great gameplay with nice additions
Since the launch of the Nintendo Switch, it only seemed natural that one day Minecraft would come to the system. The system’s touch screen seems like a natural fit for the game and the ability to manage your inventory using the touch screen is fantastic.
One of the things I like most about Minecraft on the Switch is that fact that you can take it with you on the go. It is the same exact experience on the go as it as at home. One of the new features with the Bedrock Engine is an in-game store called the Minecraft Marketplace.
It allows you to discover community creations in a much easier, more streamlined, and safer manner. Here you can get textures, skins, worlds, and mash-ups made by creators in the Minecraft community using Minecoins.
Craft, create, and explore
Just like other versions of the game, Minecraft on the Switch includes three modes—Survival, Adventure, and Creative. In Survival Mode, you have a health gauge and hunger gauge, and your goal is to collect materials and survive for as long as possible. With multiple difficulty levels that scale enemy spawn rates and health regeneration, it does an excellent job of conveying the man vs. nature theme.
Adventure mode is virtually identical, except that you cannot use any sort of cheats and must follow conventional rules just like a standard action/adventure game. On the other hand, Creative Mode strips away all the difficulty. In this mode you have unlimited access to an infinite amount of materials and the ability to fly.
If you are just looking to build without the hassle of enemies, then Creative Mode will be where you spend most of your time. If you can imagine it, you can most likely build. It is impressive what people have managed to build in this mode, more than I could ever possibly accomplish.
Solid graphics and presentation
Minecraft is filled with lively colours and the speed at which it generates random worlds is fairly impressive. It runs at 60fps and is visually on par with other versions of the game. Essentially, if you have seen Minecraft before, you will know what to expect.
Local co-op and online play
Minecraft has a 1-4 player local co-op mode. Surprisingly, when playing the local co-op mode, the game runs quite well. You can play 4 player split screen on the Switch’s display, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Things get a bit crowded and with everyone hovering around the scree, it can make it hard to see what you are doing.
Playing online in Minecraft on the Switch is a real treat. Now that Minecraft on the Switch is using the Bedrock Engine, it is possible to cross play with not only mobile, and PC players but also Xbox One owners of the game. By simply creating, or logging into, your Microsoft account it is as easy as 1-2-3.
And, to top it off, you can earn Xbox achievements by playing Minecraft on the Switch. How cool is that?
Final Thoughts
In the end, Minecraft on the Nintendo Switch is a solid port of the ultra-popular game. If you have played the game on any other platform, you will be able to jump right in. The game offers hundreds upon hundreds of hours of gameplay, which allows you to build and create anything you can think of.
If you have yet to play Minecraft and are looking to jump in the first time, or are looking for a great game on the go—then Minecraft on the Switch is your perfect opportunity. Otherwise, you might want to think twice before diving in again.
+ Great to play on the go and at home
+ Local co-op and online play is really fun
+ Cross play with Xbox allows for a larger pool of players to play with
+ Earn Xbox achievements by playing a game on your Switch
– Super Mario Mash-up Pack is only playable with other Switch owners
– No online voice chat
OVERALL
Gameplay: 4.5/5
Graphics: 3.5/5
Sound: 4.5/5
Lasting Appeal/Replayability: 5/5
Overall Rating 4.4/5 (88%)
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