Minecraft Legends for Windows

Minecraft Legends is an action-adventure game set in the popular Minecraft universe. Although visually it resembles the original, the gameplay itself is definitely different and is a mixture of strategy with several other genres.

Is this still Minecraft?

When you launch Minecraft Legends for the first time, you may be surprised by how visually similar it is to “classic” Minecraft, but how different it is in every other way. Gameplay involves fighting hordes of enemies known as “piglins”. This is a plague that has struck the world of Overworld, and only we (our hero and his army) can save it from destruction.

From a gameplay point of view, everything is really good. The system of moving around the map and combat is somewhat reminiscent of what the Mount&Blade series of games offers. The creators have provided us with a map from which we can view current targets, mark various important points, view the location of enemy bases and much more. We move around the world on horseback, but over time we gain access to fast travel, thanks to which you don’t need to run to the other end of the map every time, but you can conveniently teleport to a place.

The combat system in Minecraft Legends can hardly be called strategic; the term “tactical” is more appropriate here. During numerous skirmishes, the character commands a small army while sitting on the back of a horse. We recruit soldiers using special spawners (something like “wells”). Before the battle begins, you must build one or more spawners on the ground with the selected type of units and “produce” a certain number of them. Each such “soldier” has a corresponding price, and if the required materials run out, you will not be able to create more.

This is where you can segue into the fact that Minecraft Legends is actually… similar to classic Minecraft. Here, too, nothing can be done without the required amount of resources, because almost every action requires the use of certain materials. The construction of defensive structures in villages, the creation of spawners and even the recruitment of creatures – you have to “pay” for everything.

Unlike Minecraft, in Minecraft Legends we don’t get materials ourselves – they do it for us. We can order the extraction of a specific resource (you can collect several at the same time), and it will be transferred to the general pool visible at the bottom of the screen. If you actively defend villages from piglin raids, then you will also find many necessary materials in treasure chests.

Simple, but not quite

Classic Minecraft is a game with a very low barrier to entry – almost everyone can play it and enjoy it, even if they have never dealt with games before. Creative mode solves the issue of life points and allows you to play with virtual blocks at will.

However, Minecraft Legends is a completely different story – even on the lowest difficulty level you need to know “something” about video games. The gameplay is admittedly very accessible then, but throwing yourself into a horde of enemies can see you lose quite easily. However, attracting a small army of allies should be enough. However, from the second difficulty level there are stairs going up, and they are surprisingly steep.

On “normal” you have to react quite dynamically to events on the battlefield and regularly give new orders to the army – the enemies are more aggressive and it is relatively easy for them to lose. The two highest difficulty levels require constant concentration, good resource management and coordination. Contrary to appearances, Minecraft Legends is not a children’s game.

A little boxy in places, but fun

Minecraft Legends is primarily a story campaign, but why am I only mentioning it now? Because that’s what creators do. They push this aspect of the game into the background because it’s not that important.

The plot here makes the same sense as in the Super Mario games – it’s there, but it’s just an excuse to unlock more areas and retake new territory from the clutches of the piglins. The creators try to evoke emotions, outline a dramatic fight with piglins, but they will convince only the smallest or biggest fans of the world of Minecraft.

Pros of Minecraft Legends:

• interesting, fresh approach to the game;
• beautiful, stylized graphics;
• many tactical and strategic options;
• a wide variety of buildings and units.

Cons:

• controls may be somewhat unintuitive;
• after a while the game becomes repetitive;
• the story campaign is not at the highest level.

Recommended requirements for Minecraft Legends: Intel Core i5 3.4 GHz, 8 GB RAM, GeForce GTX 1060 graphics card, 24 GB hard drive, Windows 10/11 64-bit.