Minecraft Dungeons 2, Mojang's entry-level dungeon crawler, delivers a worthwhile upgrade despite mostly being more of the same, according to a new review. The sequel introduces a new interconnected world that is seamless to move through, helping to maintain momentum.
Much like its 2020 predecessor, Minecraft Dungeons 2 is all about one thing: loot. Dual-wielding crossbows, honey bombs that attract bees that'll then swarm enemies, and a toxic arrow pouch that drains the life of foes one poisonous slither at a time are among the creative options. This Minecraft-meets-Diablo mashup sequel is great fun, more so than it has any right to be.
Refined Systems and New Freedom
Even if it doesn't do much to evolve on the systems or mechanics that came before, it capitalises on opportunities to finesse them, resulting in a more refined co-op dungeon crawling adventure that's family-friendly. In other words, Minecraft Dungeons 2 won't do much for you if you weren't a fan of the first. For the reviewer, Mojang's latest is another voxel-powered spin-off worth playing, either alone or with friends.
The biggest difference is the switch from dedicated levels that are segmented from one another to a completely interconnected world. It's in this sense that Minecraft Dungeons has copied Diablo's homework yet again, no longer ripping you out of missions at completion and instead giving you a pretty extensive open-world map to explore that's never short on additional side missions, treasure chests to seek out, and dungeons to plunder. This works brilliantly to keep the momentum going and brings an additional sense of freedom into the fold.
Armour Slots and Customisation
Also bringing an extra degree of freedom is the addition of a jump. Now being able to hop and flip up to high tiers of this voxelated overworld does wonders to prevent you from feeling locked or boxed into following a particular route. So many times in the original Minecraft Dungeons would the reviewer bump into a pointless dead end when venturing off the obvious level route. Here, these instances occur far less since it's much easier to jump your way either up to or around another path.
Mojang has also completely revamped the way armour works, increasing the number of slots from one to four. Being able to change your specific headpiece, chest plate, bottoms, and arm cuffs makes for a greater level of customisation for your character, and it also provides a bit more systemic depth that impacts gameplay due to the way each of these individual pieces can now be enchanted with various types of elemental perks. This works in tandem alongside your ideal selection of magic-deploying artefacts and trinkets you can equip to apply different passive buffs, rendering Minecraft Dungeons 2 a lot more in-depth and fulfilling than all the 'baby's first dungeon crawler' claims would have you believe.
Story and Drawbacks
Story-wise, Minecraft Dungeons 2 doesn't have a lot going on. There's an ongoing tale about a high council of evil arch illagers using a new power to open dangerous rifts across the overworld, but it's more just an excuse to have you visit lands such as the Honeycomb Fields and Frozen Highlands one by one after saving the local community of villagers who reside there. The addition of pre-rendered cut scenes is nice, though, making for an extra degree of drama to this otherwise relatively low stakes narrative affair.
If there is one main drawback to this sequel, it's that the challenge really isn't all that there, regardless of whether you're playing alone or in co-op. Thanks to the regular availability of the Blacksmith and Enchantsmith back at your starting village of Brave Haven, it's easy to upgrade your preferred gear and weapons so that they're perfectly in line with the dangers that lie ahead. This is particularly a shame when you face bosses that despite their behemoth size are all too easy to cheese by simply peppering them with arrows or bolts from afar and dodge-rolling their attacks accordingly. Soul Storms, which serve as endgame events pitting you against mobs of stronger enemies, do go some way to remedy this, but you'll likely blow through the main campaign in just 10 or so hours.
It might be more evolution than revolution, then, yet overall the reviewer found Minecraft Dungeons 2 to be an equally charming foray into the ravaged voxel lands that makes it all too easy to explore and fight in the pursuit of finding newer, stronger loot. Changes such as the inclusion of a jump and an interconnected map might be slight, but they go a decent way into making this dungeon crawling Minecraft spin-off live up to its full potential. Throw in the fact that there's plenty more secrets, rifts, dungeons, and upgrades to find than the 2020 original ever had, and this is a family-friendly jaunt that's easy to recommend to both kids and kids at heart, whether you're an established Minecraft fan or not.
Rating: 4/5. Minecraft Dungeons 2 is set to release on PS5, Xbox, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2 on Tuesday, September 29.
