Minecraft Legends heads to Xbox Game Pass as part of the April 2023 lineup early next week, and ahead of launch, reviews of Xbox's next Minecraft spin-off are starting to hit the web - including ours here at Pure Xbox.
Initial impressions seem quite mixed, yet generally pretty positive so far, and it definitely looks like there's fun to be had with Minecraft's take on the RTS genre. Here's what some critics are saying:
Pure Xbox (7/10)
"Minecraft Legends looks like Minecraft and somewhat feels like it, as you would probably expect, but it really does play like its own proper game with the action strategy elements - even if it doesn't quite match the depth of certain other titles within the strategy genre.
Overall, Mojang and Blackbird Interactive have done a good job adapting this mega video game IP to yet another category, and have definitely provided a fun multiplayer experience, despite some learning curves which might be a challenge for younger Minecraft fans and newcomers. This is a welcome introduction to the strategy genre and is worth a look if you're seeking more adventures in the Minecraft universe."
God is a Geek (9/10)
"Minecraft Legends is a fantastic strategy title that has more layers to it than I expected. When you begin to understand the systems at play, you’re free to be as creative as you want. The interface is easy to get to grips with, and the scale of some of the bigger battles is like nothing I’ve seen before. Mojang has managed to give players of all skills and ages a way to enjoy what many understand about the franchise, yet give a much different twist on the gameplay."
Windows Central (8/10)
"Strategy games are historically unapproachable for many players. Still, Mojang Studios and Blackbird Interactive worked hard to strip back the strategy portions of the game just enough to make it more approachable for casual players. It works, and the combination of an optional tutorial and plenty of helpful, dynamic tips throughout gameplay ensures that you have all the info you need to play Minecraft Legends."
NME (8/10)
"In truth, the single-player is fun but if you’ve played strategy games before, you’ve seen what it has to offer. It just now has a cute Minecraft twist. You’ll enjoy your time but it’s not exactly deep. After all, it can’t be given its target audience isn’t the traditional strategy gamer. The variety that’s likely to come from multiplayer, however, is where the fun will be had. It’s cute, charming, and just the thing for everyone to get to grips with quickly."
Game Informer (7/10)
"Minecraft Legends battles to blend its open-world adventuring with the intricacies of real-time strategy, a war that sometimes detracts from the overall fun you can have. Even so, its gorgeous environments and clever world-building inspire familiar creativity that makes up for its growing pains. Where other strategy games feature more profound complexity, Minecraft Legends has heart, and it’s hard to resist its charm. Mojang’s first expedition into this genre occasionally holds your hand too tight. But when its grip loosens, there’s a vibrant world of combat challenges to discover, ultimately making it an enticing endeavor."
IGN (7/10)
"Minecraft Legends is an engaging strategy game that does a great job streamlining a notoriously complex genre without sacrificing the ever-important element of choice and consequence. That said, some genre staples like assigning custom groups of units are casualties of this simplification, which is too bad because it does limit your strategic options a bit in the heat of battle. But Legends uses other recognizable elements like its worker unit Allays to great effect, and it nails the iconic Minecraft aesthetic with some of the best looking blocks around. The difficulty curve does have the potential to make the late game frustrating, but stellar cooperative and PVP play still make this RTS very worthwhile."
The Loadout (6/10)
"I was hoping Legends would fill in the gaps with heaps of Minecraft charm to sell the rest of the package, but it is mostly surface-level. The creatures are typically adorable, and the world is extremely pretty, but I was looking for more secrets and subterranean exploration. I wanted to develop my hero, find stronger weapons and armour, and maybe access some AOE spells that could change the tide of battle and give me more agency in combat."
GamesRadar (5/10)
"Minecraft Legends has good ideas, but it's ultimately held back by the decision to root its strategy action around a central hero. With a limited field of view, few command inputs, and uninteresting AI, Legends fails to generate compelling combat cycles or opportunities for creative thinking."
Overall then, Minecraft Legends pretty much nails its Minecraft aesthetic — bringing plenty of charm along with it — but the general feeling is that it lacks some of the depth the genre often delivers, which is about what we expected from the title. It's currently sitting at 74 on Metacritic at the time of writing - a respectable score all in all!
Will you be giving Minecraft Legends a go on Xbox Game Pass? Let us know what you think of these early impressions down below.
Comments 10
A solid 7/10 game can be very compelling still!
I don't like the way it looks, but I'm prepared to give it a go as a pretty straight forward RTS sounds appealing to me. It cost me nothing extra to look
Well, honestly, it looked a little shallow anyway, but I’ll give it a shot and see how I feel about it because Gamepass, you know? That’s the joy of Gamepass, isn’t it? You either save money on mediocre games or once in a while find something that’s surprisingly compelling that you might not have expected.
Its a new game in the Minecraft world and someone's hard work i shall play it with the kids and come back with my review.
Hope Redfall can turn around the game pass
Average ish game type game thing, with some big scores and must have results.
Another day one sub par reviewed game now available on Game Pass.
I think many people go in thinking it's a RTS so it'd be like AOE. But Minecraft as a genre is more popular amongst young generation specially kids. So if you make it a hard-core RTS it's going to miss it's targeted audience. I feel like reviewers fail to understand this simple things. It's a mixed bag for adults but kids are going to love this.
@Tonmoy 100% agree with you and it's honestly amazing how a lot of people don't seem to realise this is aimed towards the younger generation. If this was a complex RTS, the player count would drop significantly.
Seems worth a try for me, especially since it’s on Game Pass. I’ll give it a whirl later this month but it seems like it’s fun even if a bit basic or clunky in some ways.
@Total_Weirdo
"I assume we won't be able to play online together?"
Good news, you can!
I will definitely be playing this game and hopefully with it's simplicity my 5 year old daughter who loves Minecraft can enjoy it with me too.
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