A game of creativity and survival in your pocket

Minecraft is a sandbox video game that blew apart the gaming world. Sandbox games revolve around harnessing the player’s creativity toward achieving an in-built goal. This game does not merely stimulate, distract, or entertain. This game is a mine of exploration and infinite creations built with the simplest of building blocks.

As an adventure title, Minecraft has an overarching narrative and a storyline, complete with a so-called final boss, although the story and the gameplay never really end. With its child-friendly physics and use of the 3D voxel art style, it’s a game designed for all kinds of players.

Explore a 3D grid of biomes

The game was once a standalone version for portable devices, but now you can play Minecraft across Android, iOS and on the PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and now on PS4. It is only the Windows 10 edition of the game that works with this version, and not the Java edition, which has different features. To differentiate the two types of game, the mobile version is often called Bedrock.

With the enhanced crossplay, now even more players can enjoy Minecraft and interact with each other. This sandbox game doesn’t have specific goals or a particular narrative. After generating your new world, you are tasked to survive and unleash your creativity to build a virtual reality using blocks. Blocks represent the world’s materials, and players can mine them with bare hands or tools. At present, there are various materials that you can mine. But with the recent update called Caves and Cliffs, you can have over 90 new blocks. Among those is the copper block, which ages the longer you play the game.

In the gameplay, you explore an open world laid out on a 3D grid. This world is further separated into varying terrains, including mountains, oceans, snow, desert, plains, and forests, called biomes. In the Caves and Cliffs update, the mountains and cavernous areas of the map will have more height. With this, the caves you explore will be a lot more open. Don’t worry, though. Your current map will not be affected as the changes are more in the areas outside the ones you’ve explored.

As you explore and build, you will encounter other players and characters that aren’t other players, known as mobs. These could be villagers, hostile creatures, or animals. There are different ways to interact with them, which can help your survival, including taming a fox or a panda.

Minecraft modes

You’ll also encounter creatures unique to the game, like the creeper. This character can explode and sneaks up on players. There is also the enderman, which can pick up and place blocks, and has the ability to teleport. It is an inventive and imaginative world, so will appeal to anyone who likes fantasy or creativity.

You have a choice of the three main gameplay modes. Each one gives you a different experience when playing Minecraft. Creative mode is where you can experiment with unlimited resources, building anything you can think of. You can fly around the gameworld and focus on completing larger projects.

Survival mode brings in more time-sensitive or action-based gameplay, where what you do affects your character. You’ll need to gather natural materials to create shelters as protection from monsters, and you’ll need to find food to fight off hunger. Players use seeds to spawn new worlds; by entering a string of numbers, you can create and add unique biomes.

Minecraft also offers multiplayer mode. There are various ways to play with others, including a local split-screen or by connecting to servers. It is in this mode that players from different platforms can come together to compete or team up in the same Minecraft worlds. You can interact and communicate through the game.

How it works through touchscreen

Many of the same concepts of the Java edition can be found in the touchscreen bedrock game. You have an inventory, where you can store and choose materials, such as wood for building. The main parts of the game are moving around and picking up and placing blocks. The adaptation of these functions for the touchscreen has been done successfully.

Placing blocks can be achieved by tapping the screen in the desired location. Other actions, such as destroying blocks that required a mouse click have been changed to pressing and holding, which works very well. The options menu allows a player to adjust the controls and the camera view. There are also split touch controls, which are ideal for bigger screens.

The graphics and soundtrack are unique, but not anything to wow and impress you. Where the game really comes into its own is the creativity and potential of a virtual environment. It is supported by a fantastic online community that adds to the immersive experience.

What next for virtual world

If you just can’t get enough of exploring virtual worlds, then there is some good news. There are ways to add to and expand your Minecraft experience, and there are alternatives for you to try. It became the best-selling video game for a reason, so if you want to augment the experience or try something similar here are some options for you.

You can take your Minecraft gameplay to the next level with Mod-Master for Minecraft. It comes as a free or a premium version, and you can use it to add just about anything to your game. It allows you to install maps, seeds, mods, and servers. You can smoothly install add-ons without encountering glitches and issues with your game.

Each Minecraft player has their own favorite elements. As well as playing the game, there are different areas to get creative. For those who want to change the texture packs, UTK.io for Minecraft gives you the chance to edit to your heart’s content. Alternatively, for those who want to edit skins, you can try Skins Editor 3D.

Two fun alternatives to Minecraft are ROBLOX, with customizable avatars, and fun worlds to explore. It is aimed at kids and teenagers. Or you could try The Blockheads, which is filled with fun and adventure but isn’t quite 3D like Minecraft. You are tasked to keep your blockhead alive while exploring the wilderness around you.

Create a voxel world of Sonic

As a part of its continuing expansion, Minecraft Pocket Edition has struck up another deal with indie game studio Gamemode One, the creators of the official Sonic the Hedgehog DLC. This time, they return with another content pack featuring the blue speedster with the Sonic Texture Pack. Available on the Minecraft Marketplace, you can purchase this DLC pack to bring the Sonic world onto your next session.

With this Sonic-inspired content package, you can spawn into various Zones from the classic arcade game. Seed worlds like The Labyrinth or the more peaceful Green Hills. You can also start mining Master Emeralds, reimagined as a rare voxel-style treat. Players with this DLC also enjoy various skins, from Sonic himself to creepers evolving into some kind of badnik, robotic enemies from the SEGA property.

What’s new in the 1.20 version update?

Minecraft’s long-awaited 1.20 version update brings with it a ton of changes that will give a refreshing twist on how the players are playing the game so far. For those who think they have explored everything the creative sandbox game has to offer, well, this update is bound to shake things up. Up first is the brand-new biome, Cherry Grove. True to its name, it features a well-done region rife with cherry trees and pink petals.

There are also two new mobs available, which are Camels and Sniffers. The former will spawn in desert villages, while the eggs of the latter will be discovered inside random and suspicious sand blocks. You will also be acquainted with new block sets, like Calibrated Sculk Sensors as well as bamboo and cherry wood block sets. Lastly, players can now use armor trims to customize the designs of pieces of armor.

Summer celebration

Minecraft is currently in the midst of its summer celebration, bringing joy to players worldwide by offering an array of exciting freebies at no additional cost. This limited-time event rewards players with a variety of customization gifts that can be obtained simply by logging into the game on specific days. With a total of 14 gifts up for grabs, each corresponding to a particular day, players have a generous 14-day period to claim them. However, there’s no need to fret about missing out on any gifts, as long as players make sure to claim them before the event concludes.

An entertaining game that has become a classic

Minecraft is brilliant for expressing creativity, getting to grips with a world of survival, as well as getting technical. The game has appeal in keeping you engrossed for long periods of time and can be a nice way to destress. The multiplayer function across platforms makes the game a nice way to interact with friends. Playing the game on an Android device is easy and fun, even if the graphics aren’t as smooth and bright as other versions.

The latest version of the Bedrock edition of Minecraft has brought new mobs, which are bees. You can now find bees, beehives, bee nests and honey blocks in the game. This version has also brought crossplay to the PlayStation 4. Fixes were made for crashes that were occurring during gameplay and when signing in. An issue with chests becoming invisible was resolved.