Minecraft Legends: Reviews are mixed, but multiplayer is a hit

Reviews for the upcoming Minecraft from Mojang Studios are lower than what some might expect from one of the world’s most popular video game franchises. IGN gave the upcoming release a 7, and KOTAKU held nothing back, saying

“Awful controls and half-baked AI are unlikely to hold back this inevitable juggernaut.”

When does it launch in North America?

Minecraft Legends will be available at 9 AM Pacific Time on 4-18-2023 for $39.99. You will be able to purchase it on several platforms, including Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Steam, and PlayStation 4.

Piglins invasion

The single-player campaign of the game is most simply summarized as an evolving castle defense-style game. You control bases and an army where you win by not only defending against the invading Piglins but by attacking their evolving basis.

Controls are difficult

In particular, pathfinding is difficult, and while the controls in Minecraft Legends are simpler – every review we read complained that they involved a significant learning curve. Pathfinding created problems for many reviewers as they had trouble getting their armies in place to attack Piglin bases.

Tutorial seems incomplete

The harshest reviewers complained that the tutorial was completely inadequate, only showing you the basic mechanics of the game and not explaining additions as they came into the game. The more gentle critics thought the tutorial could have done a better job explaining the overall goals of the game and even the controls.

Mutliplayer is great

All the reviews agreed that multiplayer was a lot of fun and showed potential. Mojang Studios plans to release expansions to Minecraft Legends, and they likely will involve a single and multiplayer component in each release. One downside that was noted is the presence of microtransactions, and the functionality to charge for incremental content within the game is already built in.

Here is IGNs video review of Minecraft Legends: