Minecraft Legends developer Blackbird Interactive confirmed PvP is coming to the game in a recent video. Players can build their own fortifications with upgrades, lead armies into battle, and take over other player-made fortresses within procedurally generated worlds, making every playthrough a unique experience.
The developer makes it apparent throughout this video that it wishes to create a game as close to the original Minecraft as possible, while still remaining its own unique adventure. Obvious connections to the original game include the aforementioned procedurally generated worlds, something Minecraft boasts as one of its most expansive features. One way the game could pay tribute to the original is through its handling of PvP gameplay.
The Best of Minecraft's PvP Elements Should Appear in Legends
www.youtube.com/watch?v=veGnyMg1q9s
Minecraft's PvP gameplay elements fall under the "easy to learn, but hard to master" category. For less experienced players, it mostly consists of hitting left click until the opponent is defeated. For veteran players, complex strategies have been used throughout the years. Before the 1.9 combat update, players would use a combination of a fishing rod and sword to keep the enemy player at bay while delivering quick hits in between fishing rod weaves. Afterward, players started making use of obsidian and end crystals to deliver devastating explosions that could decimate players in full diamond armor.
Minecraft Legends should pay tribute to these mechanics, as well as the more basic, iconic aspects of Minecraft. Hitting an enemy and seeing them quickly flash red is so distinctly Minecraft in nature that even Minecraft Dungeons employs this graphical look. Allowing for a little bit of knock back to be applied after each hit would serve as a fitting tribute to Minecraft and add a functional mechanic to Legends' combat. While they may not be game-changing, small features like these can enhance a spin-off's design.
Tributes to Minecraft's PvP using iconic items could work to enrich the overall gameplay elements. Fishing rods could serve the same function as they once did in older versions of Minecraft, for example. Weaving between swift attacks and the fishing rod would add an element of skill, giving players something to master. Legends would also benefit from combat using end crystals, adding an element of chaos that Blackbird Interactive said it is working to foster.
Allowing for Minecraft's more hardcore gameplay elements to exist within Minecraft Legends would serve as more than just references to the original. For a large portion of its existence, Minecraft has thrived off of community interaction like players sharing builds, mob farm structures, and redstone contraptions, building up the game in a way few others can. Some complex PvP mechanics exists only because Minecraft's community came together and thought of them. PvP in the sandbox building game is interesting because of the fruit of these players' efforts, going in a way Mojang could not have foreseen.
Minecraft Legends wants to have its own identity while also retaining what makes Minecraft so iconic. Few other games carry the legacy that Minecraft does, and fewer still can claim to be the top-selling video game of all time. Being able to pay tribute to the original game would also be a testament to how far one individual's passion project can go.
Minecraft Legends releases in 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
