Minecraft Dungeons 2 Review (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch 2, Switch, & PC)

Minecraft Dungeons branched off from the larger Minecraft universe to offer something different to fans. Rather than build and craft, as has always been the focus of the mega franchise, Mojang Studios wanted you to experience a shoot-and-loot gameplay loop for a change. And the first game to try out this concept did so well. It amassed a strong fanbase in the millions, who enjoy hours of teaming up with friends and wreaking havoc across the Overworld. After the success of the first game, Mojang Studios is ready to take you to the next level. And I’m particularly excited about the sequel because it’s an opportunity to develop the original formula. It’s a chance to add more depth and strategy to what most gamers felt was an overly simplified gameplay system. 

Yet, the joy of Minecraft Dungeons is that it isn’t too demanding of your skill and concentration. Its systems are approachable to anyone, whether you’re a full-grown adult with years of experience in dungeon-crawling games like Diablo IV or merely starting out. It’s so accessible, in fact, that kids can comfortably play it. And Mojang Studios even claims that they are developing these games for kids. 

With these two things in mind, you can already tell whether the game is right for you. If you’re looking for a Minecraft experience of expansive exploration, mining, crafting, and building, then you might as well stick to the base game. If you’re looking for complex gameplay systems that take a beat to learn and master, as well as challenging enemies and bosses who test your spirit and will to live, then perhaps your time will be better spent elsewhere. Right, let’s get right to more specific takes in my review of Minecraft Dungeons II.

Illagers Are At It Again

You aren’t just causing chaos on the Overworld without a reason, even if that reason is the most simplistic one you can imagine. Just like the first game, the sequel doesn’t waste its creativity in writing a story that will blow your mind. And those who enjoy playing Minecraft Dungeons understand that the goal is never to be intrigued by the characters. It may even be beneficial to have a simplistic story when you’re teaming up with friends and don’t want any distractions that will take your mind off the towering boss you need to defeat. 

For Minecraft Dungeons II,  the reason they give you is that the illagers (evil villagers), with the Illager High Council ruling them, are the antagonists who wish to use the magical powers of the Sift to destroy the world. The Sift is a new dimension with ethereal qualities that you will be exploring for the first time in the Minecraft universe. It adds so many new environments, enemies you’ve never seen before, loot, and more. 

Rather than the first game’s five-or-so-hour playthrough, the sequel goes on for longer, at about 10 hours. While some of it is fun to follow, other plot points are predictable, and you might even find yourself focusing on the combat and loot instead. I will commend the cutscenes, though, which blew my mind from the trailer to the game itself. They are beautifully rendered animations that I can see playing on the big screen, in dashing, vibrant colors, and flamboyant movement. Otherwise, only the narrator reveals the story details. The characters themselves are silent. And frankly, they lack memorable personalities. But again, the story isn’t at all the focus of Minecraft Dungeons II.

Slam Dunk

The focus is on the combat and loot. Let’s start with the combat, which is pretty fun. It’s much like the first game, using your hacks and slashes against enemies. However, a couple of things make it a lot deeper and more enjoyable. The jumping ability is probably the biggest addition and change you’ll notice from the first game. It’s so cool that it pinches to imagine it wasn’t available before. Given the platforming challenges you can encounter while exploring, jumping adds flair to your movement. It makes the most significant difference in combat, though. You can jump to evade projectiles and attacks. More fun is the ability to jump on enemies and deliver a satisfying AoE slam dunk attack. 

As you continue to explore the jumping mechanic, you’ll discover the ability to follow it up after an attack and increase the damage output, among other fun ways you can integrate jumps into your playstyle. Your playstyle, mind you, leans heavily on the base melee and ranged types. Plus, the dodge rolling out of the way of danger. You won’t have to worry about reloads, as ammo recharges automatically. However, the loot section is another primary focus and joy of playing Minecraft Dungeons II.

Spoilt for Choice

While the first game was keen to make its loot systems simple and accessible, the sequel is taking a step toward adding more depth. Yet, remaining simple enough to still allow for kids and adults to understand. Your gear slots now have head, chest, and legs options. These can all be further enhanced using artifacts, talismans, and enchantments. Artifacts provide passive buffs and special attacks to your build. Talismans, on the other hand, are a new feature that gives you additional passive buffs. Meanwhile, enchantments are an exciting loot that you can explore the world and locate in hidden spots. 

You may be familiar with dungeon-crawling games that need you to choose a class and customize your build around it. Minecraft Dungeons II takes a different route, where your build relies on how you mix and match your gear slots with your artifacts, talismans, and enchantments. This makes the loot system far simpler than most games. It’s straightforward, even from the UI, which is easy to peruse. It clearly shows specific items in a clean design and what they can do for you without any complex terms. 

A quick note about the enchantments. They are magical infusions you can use to enhance your weapons and gear. And I personally enjoyed these so much because of the immense variations. And more generally, how diverse your builds can be between individual members. It also matters how you optimize your build. Your build gets stronger the more you use it. But also, certain enemies and bosses are only susceptible to certain builds, which encourages you to experiment.

Mysterious Rifts

Co-op mode, I imagine, will be the go-to for many players. It’s where the fun is, teaming up with friends and bringing those enemies and bosses down. And they sure will put up a challenge, sometimes too tough a challenge to defeat them on your own. So, having friends by your side is a plus, in addition to gaining more loot. You’ll coordinate attacks and revive one another across the Overworld and the Sift. Speaking of, I think Mojang Studios did a pretty good job in designing the world.

First of all, it’s an open world, this time. Rather than loading in and out of modular regions, you can now freely explore an interconnected world. And while you explore, you’ll stumble across caves that lead you into the dungeons, that sort of framework. The thing is that the environments are beautiful and diverse. I especially love the Sift and all of the possibilities it could add to the larger Minecraft universe. This is a dimension that lives and breathes by its own rules. And it’ll be added to the Java and Bedrock base games, which I imagine will feature even more distinct mobs and details. 

Verdict 

In any case, Minecraft Dungeons II is totally worth it. It knows the features to focus on and those to leave to other dungeon-crawlers. The story, for example, isn’t at all what the series strives to elevate. Yet, it still gives you a basic rundown of the current events and their impact on the state of the Overworld. And that’s more than enough when you’ll, after all, have more fun fighting enemies and looting to your heart’s content. 

The combat is more like the first game, except with several quality-of-life changes and improvements that make it deeper and more satisfying. You’ll enjoy integrating the new jumping ability into your traversal and combat moves. It’s a pretty diverse ability that you can find clever ways of outsmarting your way through platforming challenges and boss encounters. 

Meanwhile, the loot system is deeper and offers more customization options. You have more slots to mix and match your artifacts, talismans, and enchantments. How you enhance your weapons and gear matters in whether you survive the onslaught of hostile mobs and bosses across the Overworld and the new dimension called the Sift. Here’s where you’ll encounter new environments and enemies, which freshen up your dungeon-crawling activities.

So, yes, Minecraft Dungeons II is far from a hardcore dungeon-crawler. It’s not at all the kind of game that you spend hours mastering. Instead, you approach it from a casual perspective. One where you’re likely to squeeze out more hours of fun if you’re to bring friends along for the ride.