Minicraft

The ultimate open world, open source Role Playing Game

Minecraft is the low graphic sensation that has swept the planet over and enthralled the minds of countless youth and adults alike. Being open source, the amount of mods created by players turns the vanilla Minecraft game into whatever experience that the user wants. Recently Microsoft purchased the rights to MineCraft from Markus Persson, but the game hasn't changed since the acquisition. Over 70 million copies have been sold as of June 2015 across multiple platforms and multiple countries certifying Minecraft as a monstrous success.

Game Play

The strong appeal of Minecraft is it's open world format. A player can build an amazing assortment of in game items by collecting base elements and combining them into more complex materials. In this way, a player can build complex buildings and items. The game supports a day / night cycle and during the night the game produces enemies in the form of zombies and other creatures that can and will attack the player character. Weapons can be forged to combat these enemies, but the best defense early in the game is to hide during the night and build during the day.

The game's simple interface with potential for complex planning has made it a hit with younger children as well as parents. The game is not violent and, while not strictly educational, the open world concept promotes creativity and problem solving.

Presentation

Minecraft's presentation is in large polygon blocks. Everything is made from blocks. So while the game runs well, and the play is very efficient, this is not a high detailed experience with life like presentation. That said, the presentation and look of Minecraft has become a part of its appeal; a stripped down visual experience that focuses on game play and open world building. There is no story to speak of.

Pros

• Amazing replay value and open world concept allows literally anything to be built
• Extensive community of players and developers providing extensive free content
• Free!

Cons

• Lack of story and character building
• The open world environment isn't for everyone