Minecraft Dungeons II (XS) - Review

  

Much like the ambitiously epic-yet-humble blocky game from which it's based, the Minecraft Dungeons games make for great beginner-friendly romps within the genre they represent so well; in this case, the often overwhelming and complex dungeon crawler. While the 2011 heavy-hitter enticed countless gamers of all ages by offering a solid bridge to rewarding sandbox gameplay, its Dungeons spin-offs (particularly this more fleshed-out sequel) largely achieve the same with regard to Diablo-like games, albeit with much less detail hidden beneath the surface. While I'm a fan of the subgenre - and this improved sequel - that's not to say I view this game as Minecraft's equal in terms of scale, quality, or significance.

  

Still, Dungeons II should aptly scratch the itch of gamers and fans looking for a quick ARPG fix. To be sure, despite its improvements and deeper gameplay, the experience still feels more akin to Hades-lite than it does to even the combat-heavy portions of Minecraft. Still, it proves an enjoyable family-friendly crawler in its own right, with a moderate amount of depth for those who seek it — especially when fighting through its colorful biomes with others.

  

  

Unlike the more minimal first game, which had to lean more on the novelty of "it's Minecraft meets Diablo!" for its thrills, this sequel expands on most areas it needed to, taking a fairly sizable leap so as not to feel stale. I'm mainly referring to elements like level design and scale, combat mechanics, greater player build capacity, gear and item quantities, and so forth. Granted, the end result still isn't revolutionary in most respects (the simple visuals and physics, lack of player classes, shallow narrative/world-building, and thin endgame content particularly come to mind), but a number small-but-effective gameplay additions and QoL tuning go a long way toward adding some substance, which, beneath its Minecraft skin, is less bare-bones this time around, especially in the multiplayer realm.

  

While there are more elements gamers can satisfyingly sink their teeth into compared to its predecessor, the story isn't one of them — being as one-dimensional as one might expect from a vibrant, kid-friendly fantasy title. Basically, a band of magically augmented Illagers come across an enchanted world, from which they create a rift that unleashes all sorts of powerful monsters and critters. Harnessing this magical chaos into powers they can wield to send forth hordes of foes, the Illager leaders terrorize and rule over the once-peaceful Overworld and newly introduced Sift realm. They must be stopped by you, the ambiguous blocky hero; one weapon, Artifact, and region-plundering quest at a time. As a side note, a handful of neat Pixar-esque pre-rendered cut scenes add some character and paint a bit more of a grandiose picture, but there's little more of note on either a narrative or presentational level.

  

  

The aforementioned new dimension — the busy, vibrant, and trippy 'Sift' — is perhaps the most notable addition, and usually brings the most memorable dungeon backdrop. Poised to appear in Minecraft in early 2027, these wild realms present a cool introduction to what fans can expect in the main franchise game. There are new sporadically appearing 'Rifts' that lean more 'Soulslike', being randomly generated dungeons, and transport players to isolated Sift biomes. Serving as often tougher and more chaotic crawls, players can enter through the appearing rifts to clash with ominous bosses and scoop up rarer, more potent loot in the process.

  

Shifting back to the core environments, Mojang Studios improves the design and exploration on this front quite a bit, too. Gone are the isolated locales and missions of Minecraft Dungeons I, replaced with a larger, richer Overworld of interconnected sub-regions, each with their own themes, enemy types, and side quests scattered throughout. Expanding outward from the new peaceful refuge, Brave Haven, players can now seamlessly trek across interwoven biomes, ranging from green meadows to dark caverns & woodlands to icy cliffs. This greater, seamless composition of these regions brings a grander scale and sense of adventure, more in the ballpark of the advanced dungeon crawlers Dungeons II clearly seeks to emulate. Unlockable fast-travel points allow you to move about fairly quickly, while the town of Brave Haven serves as a central hub where you chat with NPCs, get quests, and customize/upgrade your hero. This all produces a nice blend of more free-flowing open-world traversing, while the campaign structure and navigation remain fairly tight and organized. 

  

Another jump this sequel makes is a simple-yet-effective one: the addition of, well, jumps. Players can now take short hops about the more three-dimensional environments, providing a more dynamic and less restrictive feel. While it's far from a nuanced Nintendo or Ubisoft-esque plane of intricacy, these more developed mechanics add a welcome sprinkle of platforming that feels a touch more "Minecraft-y". This naturally complements the quasi-open-world and injects free-roaming exploration into this otherwise combat-heavy action game.

  

  

The jump ability ties into the combat as well, as players can perform a leaping attack in addition to the usual hack-and-slash. Coupled with an included dodge roll, charged attacks, and three swappable Artifact powers at your disposal, fighting mechanics hold more variety, allowing practiced and skilled players to thrive. The usual cycle of melee, bow, and magic attacks can still feel fairly straightforward in the long haul, as each tends to be spammed frequently. Yet, Mojang Studios has added enough depth to keep the barrage of enemy clashes feeling fairly interesting across the roughly 10-hour campaign, and perhaps a dozen more hours of side questing (which encourages further venturing and tracking down more potent loot via tasks given by NPCs).

  

It can certainly be satisfying unleashing lightning strikes on several targets or bleeding them out with DPS-inflicting poison vines, or knocking back hordes with a spinning longsword move. Along with the slew of satisfying, potent ranged and magic attacks, close-range fighting — despite remaining somewhat spammy — tends to feel solid too. Combat as a whole proves a bit more fun and holds up better as a result, especially as you play around with different weapons and abilities. This is useful, as the game from start to finish swarms you with countless waves of nostalgically familiar and colorful new monsters out for blood. Baddies range from pesky Cave Spiders and ice zombies to sabotaging Creepers and magic-wielding Enchanters. You'll get in more prolonged scrapes with several minibosses/bosses ranging from Endermen to ominous Monarchs and aptly-named "Monstrosities".

  

Against common enemies, at least, the difficulty is such that you're effectively able to spam most actions in your repertoire, aided by endless health potions, arrow-flinging from unique bows (which are also now infinite), as well as three Artifact powers neatly affixed to your hotkeys. Still, there are catches here. Powers require you to scoop up Souls as fuel — obtained mainly through slaying foes — and the "limitless" potions come with often lengthy cooldown times. With this in mind, and the relative depth of combat options, mindless hacking-and-slashing won't typically cut it in the later game, nor will you get the most out of it by doing so. I can't attest to Easy mode, but rather my chosen "Normal" difficulty, which is the recommended option, as it not only amps up the challenge and fun, but enables more potent loot that's 'Special' and 'Unique' in rarity, rather than capping things at the second (green/Rare) level as Easy mode does.

  

  

Even if you do limit yourself from this rarer gear though, Minecraft Dungeons II sets a more fleshed-out foundation from which to build and tailor your fighter to a preferred, advantageous style — which is mostly tied to said equipment. Elements like rotating, gear-boosting Enchantments return here, along with weapon and armor upgrades by way of the Blacksmith, who himself can be upgraded and utilized to buy better and repurposed gear. In standard ARPG fashion, a notable addition here is that of multiple pieces of armor (rather than a simple "all-in-one" suit), including a chestplate, leggings, helmet, and boots.

  

These can be mixed, matched, and customized to one's liking, offering more diverse and refined builds that can be taken advantage of in different battle scenes and when teaming up. Players can opt for several builds in combat, from a tanky spear-wielding berserker to a swift mage who thrives on gluttonous Soul absorption. One inclusion I found nifty and which further invites this build exploration is Talismans. These items — of which three can be slotted at once — yield perks and boosts that range from Soul-gathering optimization to a fighting dog familiar. They can also level up and grow in power the longer you keep them equipped, flirting with a slight Oblivion use-based progression element that I've always appreciated. If anything, there can be an abundance of gear to play with, which can create a cluttered inventory screen fairly quickly. Thankfully, the game streamlines item salvaging and allows you to gather Emeralds quickly and easily when doing so.

 

Of course, one can't go into some depth on Dungeons II and do it justice without touching on co-op; a rare strength of the original and one that's further refined and built upon here. Players can join forces in groups of up to four, either locally or online, and across the many platforms on which Dungeons II has been released. Basically, there's an infrastructure for almost any combination of online factors. Want to play with three friends all on different consoles? You're good to go. Fancy a more exclusive session? The game offers room codes, too. Playing couch co-op with another and want to team up with two players online? You're covered. Of course, you can keep things simpler and swiftly jump into a random game or host your own, using naught but basic emotes and tells or commands as your sole means of communication — as the relative simplicity of this dungeon crawler doesn't really demand intricate comms.

  

 

Players can jump in and out at any time while tackling all available quests and pillaging dungeons while sharing the spoils. You'll clash with foes scaled to your current level and according to how many people are playing, and each player gets their own unique loot. Players can even teleport to any of their three companions and revive them in seconds if they get a bit too adventurous and fall in battle. This balance of a shared dungeon playground that's largely tailored to the individual rounds out a fun, rewarding multiplayer action romp that's hard to put down. It instantly injects more entertainment value, tactical nuance, and replayability into an experience that can feel a tad thin at times when playing solo. 

  

While there's much left to be desired regarding endgame content in particular, the sprawling open-world biomes and random loot generation produce a fairly deep, entertaining adventure with decent replayability for those looking to amp up their build, as well as play around with new weapons and powers. And this is further the case when joining blocky swords and spears with others online, as it can be fun showing off your decked-out killing machine of an avatar.

  

 

Much like its predecessor, the online and offline realms of Minecraft Dungeons II will inevitably grow and be further refined. It's recently received a late-October patch, and Mojang has already teased a couple of DLC packs to be released next year. At least one of them looks to further explore the enticing Sift realm and provide new foes, locations, and goodies to gather. So those who can't get enough of this blocky isometric world should have more content to chip away at in the coming months.

  

As it stands, Minecraft Dungeons II remains an enjoyable entry-level Diablo-like for just about all ages; one with more detail and gameplay meat than its lighter predecessor. It offers an appealing playthrough on Game Pass in particular, when seeking several hours of virtual fun with a friend or two. Fans of Minecraft and/or top-down dungeon crawling romps should get a kick out of it, so long as a revolutionary ARPG isn't expected. The hardcore dungeon-crawling crowd will likely find the overall experience falls a touch flat — especially if flying solo — even if the sequel's taken fairly big strides. Yet, if you're a gamer who no longer has unlimited time on your hands, as is the case with myself, while still yearning for a digestible serving of those more bingeable epics, Minecraft Dungeons II is a satisfying, easy-going dungeon crawler.