Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition

A close friend has been trying to get me into Minecraft since it debuted (in beta form) on the PC back in 2009. Sadly, I am cursed with the dexterity of a drunken walnut and so the mouse and keyboard interface meant I gave up relatively early on, unable to immerse myself in the cubed loveliness because of my navigation frustrations. A series of dreadful phones saw me similarly unable to take advantage of the mobile releases but finally, thanks to a splendid conversion job by Dundee-based 4J Studios, the XBLA version has arrived and I am getting my blocks off.

Given Minecraft went from downloadable work-in-progress to indie hit to internationally renowned gaming juggernaut in a very short space of time, you’ll probably be familiar with the basic concept ‒ a fascinating sandbox world populated with resource cubes, adorably blocky animals and hostile night time monsters wherein you create and explore to your heart’s content.

At the beginning of your Minecraft adventure, you are dropped into an unfamiliar landscape – water, sand, dirt, wood and stone are the things that are going to help you survive your first monster-infested night. But where the PC version just dumped you into the wilderness and did the in-game equivalent of saying “Well, must dash – try not to die!”, XBLA offers more substantial guidance.

There’s a tutorial mode which teaches you the basics for survival and exploration as well as containing a pre-made section packed with more advanced resources – a kind of teaser for your own future creations. There has also been an overhaul of the crafting system with the menus listing all possible craftable items and letting you know which resources are required to build them. No more placing sticks and planks into a nine by nine grid and hoping like hell it creates a usable tool. An info box also appears onscreen when you encounter a new resource giving you helpful information. Minecraft purists might argue that this level of assistance removes an element of exploration but I would say that without it a lot of gamers would simply be reaching for the exhaustive Minecraft Wiki instead.

The XBLA version is several updates behind the PC version at the moment so you won’t have access to the full range of resources and locations listed on the aforementioned Minecraft Wiki but, to give you an idea of how little this matters, take a trip to YouTube. Cathedrals, castles and even a rudimentary computer have been built using far earlier versions than the XBLA one.

In terms of atmosphere, the cube world comes with a dreamy soundtrack composed by C418 which plays near constantly. While the music itself is remarkably will suited to the game, gaps between tracks feel jarring making you peculiarly aware of both silence and soundtrack. Different resources are assigned different noises which help round out the world and add character, while the hiss of a creeper (one of the most destructive of the common monsters) as it sneaks up behind you is still one of the most disconcerting things Minecraft has to offer ‒ especially when you know that when it explodes it will take the front half of your glass-walled lair with it.

Well, it took half of my glass-walled lair with it but the results of your own exploration and construction will be as individual as you are. Where I wrote my name in 20-block-high letters hovering on top of a hill, you might decide to build a Swiss-style chalet. Where I made an underground chess board from obsidian and cobblestones, you might have a working rail network. And where I made a ridiculously ornate portal covered with torches and flowers which leads to The Nether (a world of monsters and glowstone), you might have a tranquil bamboo greenhouse.

But while it may feel like the sky is the limit for your creations, the truth is the world maps are incredibly small compared with the vastness of the original version – doubtless a result of the Xbox’s limited memory. PC Minecrafters will feel the diminished scale far more than newcomers to the game but both will become aware (gradually in the case of the latter group) of the effect this will have on rare resources – namely that there will be fewer available. That’s not going to be a massive problem until you’re quite far into the game but by then you’ll likely have invested many hours in your little world so discovering you’re all out of something could be a far more upsetting experience.

Overall, despite a few minor annoyances and the smaller scale of the play space, 4J Studios have managed to recreate Minecraft for XBLA without sacrificing the wonderful creativity or spirit of the original. It remains one of the most intriguing, interesting and important games of recent years and the improvements in terms of acclimatising newcomers to their chunky surrounding are welcome indeed.