Minecraft Dungeons: Ultimate Edition
Where Heroes Become Ultimate
Perhaps the most humorous thing about the release of Minecraft Dungeons: Ultimate Edition is that this is a game that we previously looked at. In the past, that game was Minecraft Dungeons: Hero Edition, which was a "Deluxe" edition of sorts. A year later, Xbox Game Studios released yet another follow-up labeled Ultimate Edition. In our previous video, we looked at the Nintendo Switch version of the Hero Edition.
Coincidentally, that was the version I was going to play for Ultimate until I realized this. Instead, I decided to give the PS4 version a focus. The major difference between the Ultimate and Hero Editions is the inclusion of four extra DLCs. This bumps the total of the former to six DLCs, making Ultimate the "definitive" version.The original video for Minecraft Dungeons: Hero Edition can be seen below.
Once Again, We Enter The Minecraft Dungeons
To quickly recap, Minecraft Dungeons is a dungeon-crawling spinoff of the classic world-building Minecraft experience. Gone are the mining and gathering materials, providing an exclusive focus on combat instead. The story is almost as unimportant as Minecraft's story. Replace "defeating the Enderdragon" with "Archillager" and that's the point of the game. The gameplay is isometric, offering a birds-eye view reminiscent of Diablo 3.
There are many comparisons I can make to Diablo 3, including its simplicity in gameplay. Players have access to a melee attack and a ranged attack. Certain weapons will do more damage at the cost of a slower attack speed. At some point, I was able to find some dual crossbows and tap into my inner Demon Hunter. While players cannot "spin-to-win" like a Demon Hunter, players can use familiar Minecraft weapons as skills. These include firecrackers that deal AOE splash damage and a fishing rod that pulls enemies towards the player.
The New DLC Maps Are More Interesting Than The Base Game
Initially, I thought that the Ultimate Edition was broken on the PS4 as all of the DLC content was locked. I couldn't select any of the DLC skins or access any of the DLC maps. I was ready to chalk this one up as a scam until a lightbulb went off in my head. After I did the sensible thing of "closing and restarting the game," the DLC items were accessible. My theory was that the game needed to download the DLC as an update before it could be used. This is a heads-up for console players who wish to access their Ultimate Edition DLC.
One of the DLC maps I decided to try was one from the Howling Peaks after completing the first level of the main story and gaining access to the camp. The mountain peaks were a considerable change of scenery from the forests and villages Minecraft Dungeons introduces. The zombies in Howling Peaks throw snowballs that freeze the player, limiting movement. Occasionally a giant bull will attempt to gore the player, forcing a ranged fight. At the mountain's summit lies several wind traps with the intent to push the player off.
Minecraft Dungeons Ultimate Edition Is For The Die Hard Fans
Upon entering the caverns of the DLC level, the player is engaged in battle with an Evoker mini-boss. Past that, it's more of the same. There are traps meant to push the players off bridges. Battle arenas are scattered within as an attempt to trap the player into fights. Backtracking is required as dead-ends are abundant. It's almost a shame that such a level is reserved as DLC, as it breaks the monotony of the base game. The DLC levels are some of the most creative that Minecraft Dungeon can get and I almost missed out on them.
The game itself doesn't even rebrand itself as "Ultimate Edition" in any of its menus. Overall, this is a rather short First Take because there's not much to say. Minecraft Dungeons Ultimate Edition doesn't add anything new from its base or Hero versions. It is simply a "GOTY" edition of the dungeon crawler spinoff that is fun in short bursts. For the die-hard fans who are missing DLCs, the Ultimate Edition serves as a way to save the player money. However, at the end of my first take, it didn't do much to make me a fan.
Minecraft Dungeons Ultimate Edition is available on the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.