Minecraft Dungeons 2 Review – Zenloss

Ever since it exploded onto the scene and grew in popularity, totalling 425 million sales as of the latest Live, Minecraft has had its pretenders and aspirants. It inspired the survival-crafting genre as we know it, and even if it’s not pushing major content and updates as quickly as some fans would like, it’s still the most well-known, mainstream and consistently played game of its type. Naturally, an action RPG based on it would be a slam dunk. Look at all the other titles that have successfully ventured into that territory, whether it’s Terraria, Valheim or Enshrouded.

But that’s not what Minecraft Dungeons did. Instead, it adopted a Diablo-lite approach, so heavily streamlined that you couldn’t even explore the Overworld freely. Its loot and crafting systems were pedestrian at best. The biggest highlight of the combat, dungeon design, enemies, and bosses is that they were from Minecraft. The aesthetic is present and accounted for, as are the most identifying NPCs and tenets of the IP, but seeing an action RPG based on this massive IP, seemingly doing its damnedest to capture so little of the original’s gameplay magic, while also not being a very deep or compelling title in its own right, was downright baffling.

But hey, a new spin-off IP, plus released in 2020, plus “made for kids” (as the excuse typically goes), plus seeing familiar property activates neurons. So many players – to the tune of 25 million as of September 2023 – probably gave it a pass. And hey, credit where it’s due, Mojang and Double Eleven expanded it extensively post-launch with new biomes, enemies, missions, and end-game activities. Surely some of those learnings and content will carry over into Minecraft Dungeons 2, right?

Right?

"Oftentimes we talk about games lacking a soul, but Minecraft Dungeons 2 has a distinct lack of character."

We start with the story, which graduated from threadbare in the original to wafer-thick in the sequel. The Arch-Illager and Vengeful Heart of Ender have been vanquished, and in their place are…the Illager High Council. Three Illagers who somehow tap into and weaponize the mysterious Sift for their own nefarious means, which are…world-threatening, I would imagine. I don’t know because they don’t speak and pose no threat; their mannerisms mostly played for laughs in their boss fights.

Oftentimes we talk about games lacking a soul, but Minecraft Dungeons 2 has a distinct lack of character. No memorable individuals appear throughout this story. None of them really have dialogue – instead, it’s the narrator, telling you what they’re saying, conveying their thanks, random tasks, etc. Not only does this diminish any possible characterization but it makes you care less about the world you’re trying to save. It also doesn’t help that the main quest is full of the same rote objectives that we’ve seen dozens of times over. Go here, collect this, bring this back, find these keys – quid pro quo. Even if it leverages familiar places, items, materials and visuals, it feels more like traversing a Minecraft set than a fulfilling adventure in the same world, standing strong on its narrative legs.

Which wouldn’t be a problem if the environments were more exciting or compelling. The biggest difference between Minecraft Dungeons 1 and 2 is the interconnected world. Instead of selecting a biome and being sent off to complete a task, you can now explore the world freely. From grassy plains and dense forests to snowy landscapes and the ethereal Sift, there are some pretty dazzling sights.

It’s liberating at first, and the development team has done a good job with capturing the voxel aesthetic while imbuing it with extensive fidelity. The ambient occlusion especially stands out, whether you’re navigating a cave by lantern light or watching dusk set in and change to night. Even the weather, be it rain, snow or sunshine, looks pretty good, and seeing critters like foxes and sheep ambling around makes things feel all the more alive.

The problem is that, aside from the healthy density of enemies and animals, the Overworld and the Sift are bereft of things to do. You can assault barebones convoys and claim their chests, or fight against so-called “world bosses,” which may be a Witch, an Evoker, or an Enderman. There are also some barely hidden chests to open, but that’s pretty much it. No events or interesting challenges, barring the odd Soul Corrupted enemy here and there. It also doesn’t help that the side quests offer pretty much the same objectives as the main, though some rewards can be worthwhile when leveling.

"Call it the bare minimum, but even with its many pitfalls, combat is one of the few things that will keep you coming back, especially as the utter horror of the loot system begins to dawn."

But at least there are still dungeons. It’s in the game’s name, after all, so surely you would expect these to be the marquee experience, right? Wrong.

Dungeons have some very limited tilesets and bosses. Occasionally, you’ll stumble into one that’s short and emphasizes platforming and dodging traps, but these are few and far between. Otherwise, you’ll quickly recognize the same ambush points, the same winding paths, and the same Warden boss at the end. At least The Sift mixes things up with enemy types, like the Dartback and its multitude of projectiles. They’re somewhat similar to Rifts – which are basically like dungeons, but found in the Overworld instead – and while eventually becoming repetitive, they occasionally offer a cheeky little jumping puzzle.

At least there’s the combat, and contrary to expectations, it’s acceptable. Jump attacks feel more like a novelty than anything, but there are ways to build around them, especially as you leap and crash down with lightning strikes or frost waves on enemies. I can’t deny the appeal of running through dungeons, Rifts and other locales, blasting through hordes of enemies with ricocheting lightning arrows.

However, there are a few occasional issues, like elevation, as shots can sometimes miss enemies. This is all the worse if they’re behind the environment because while you can see their shadows, you won’t know if they’re a block higher or lower. As responsive as the aiming can feel at times, it’s finicky at others. Arrows would fire straight into the floor at times, though the places where it makes more sense – enemies being on a lower level – don’t make it any better. Sometimes, rolling doesn’t work. It’s just unresponsive, and I don’t know why.

There’s also no way to move while shooting, which has become way more common since Path of Exile 2 and Diablo 4, and would have definitely made running and gunning as a ranged player that much smoother. Some Artifacts feel like they’re just…there, like throwing down honey to snare enemies and attract bees to damage them or the Witch’s Brew that seems to fling itself to the least useful place. At the very least, Mojang and Double Eleven ensured each weapon feels different, specifically in their movesets. Call it the bare minimum, but even with its many pitfalls, combat is one of the few things that will keep you coming back, especially as the utter horror of the loot system begins to dawn.

Ah, loot. The core reason we play these games in the first place. Kill monsters and get better loot to kill stronger monsters, and so on. In Minecraft Dungeons, there are four rarities – Common, Uncommon, Special aka it’s blue, so it’s Rare, and I’m not calling it anything else, and Unique. If you’ve played any looter in your lifetime, the question inevitably arises: Where is the Legendary loot? Well, Minecraft Dungeons 2 doesn’t have any. As you level up and complete “Milestones,” enemies are tougher, and Uniques have an increased drop chance. The problem is that for probably 10 out of my 25 hours played – which is how long it took to beat the story – I saw a handful of Uniques drop.

"As already established, all gear can have, at most, two attributes. However, when you’re in the “endgame,” some start dropping with three attributes. From what I’ve discovered, these are very, very sparse…"

So you’re mostly stuck with Uncommon and Rare gear for the majority of the experience. At best, there are gradual increments in damage, and where slightly higher Unique drop chances – like the game keeps telling you is happening in exchange for making enemies tankier and deal more damage – could offer the dopamine hit of a substantial power spike, that simply doesn’t happen.

But it gets better. All gear – weapons, armor and Artifacts – drops with, at most, two attributes throughout the majority of the story. That includes Uniques. The top-tier loot with occasionally exclusive benefits which should form the cornerstone of a build, if not one of the building blocks, is relegated to the same number of attributes as Rare loot. And because Item Level matters most of all by virtue of being tied to your base stats like Attack, Defense, etc., Uniques feel about as rewarding to receive as Uncommon gear. Except the latter is a consistent reward, is likely to be a higher Item Level, and isn’t trying to constantly gaslight me regarding drop chances.

But we’re only just getting started. When the word “Unique” pops up in a looter, your first impulse is to see what kind of outstanding attribute or property it has. You know, the very thing that gives the tier its name. Instead, several Uniques drop with enhanced versions of existing attributes. Enjoying your 20 percent increased Lightning damage? Boom, here’s 25 percent. Keep the change. And no, you can’t reroll these enhanced attributes. Don’t get me wrong – a 60 percent chance to create additional projectiles can be pretty good depending on the build.

There are also some Uniques, like the gauntlets that deal both fire and ice damage, which feel inherently different from the rest. But they all come across as so underwhelming and unimaginative – like the development team was worried about making them too good, especially if players obtained any early (and then nerfed the drop chances for good measure). Turning Uniques into proper chase items while Legendaries served as the next step up in power could have solved this issue. You could even keep the former at two attributes, one being the enhanced version of an existing attribute and the other serving as its core perk and identity.

If you thought I was done skewering this loot system, well, there’s sadly more. As already established, all gear can have, at most, two attributes. However, when you’re in the “endgame,” some start dropping with three attributes. From what I’ve discovered, these are very, very sparse…until you’re participating in the Soul Storm, a Destiny 2 Public Event-style activity. They only drop from chests after destroying the Storm Generators, so you get about four to six chances at a desired three-attribute piece of loot from the pool of item types and two rarities (Rare and Unique).

"What is the point of rematching bosses unless they happen to award Talismans as a one-time reward?… Why venture into dungeons – the literal premise of the game – after you’ve collected all the Enchantment books?"

Will it be your Artifact of choice? Maybe an upgrade to Unique that you’re already using? Have fun finding out, because the Soul Storm is also on an invisible timer – you have 20 minutes to finish it, but once it’s over, you have to wait for it to return. Yes, it’s a FOMO mechanic, but this isn’t a limited-time seasonal activity or battle pass. It’s a sparse activity in a world that’s completely bereft of any other end-game substance.

What is the point of rematching bosses unless they happen to award Talismans as a one-time reward? Some offer guaranteed Uniques, but they’re worth less than nothing, whether you decide to earn them early for a theoretical boost or later to ensure they drop near your Item Level. Furthermore, boss kills drop a single item. Why venture into dungeons – the literal premise of the game – after you’ve collected all the Enchantment books?

Heck, it’s pointless to even kill enemies because of how the “crafting” system works. Simply put, there is no crafting. You can upgrade loot to a higher Item level by spending Emeralds or reroll attributes with Echo Shards at the Blacksmith. Of course, you also have the Enchantsmith who can add Enchantments to items if you’ve discovered the corresponding book. These can then be enhanced further, so arrows ricochet three times at Tier 3 instead of once at Tier 1, for example.

Besides the obvious nuisance of constantly removing Enchantments from existing gear and placing them on new drops because of the higher Item Levels, there’s the increasing cost of upgrading and rerolling. At first, this isn’t too bad, but Emeralds and Echo Shards have a cap, and it doesn’t feel nearly high enough.

You’ll go from upgrading all your equipment in one go to match the highest possible Item Level to half of that. Then eventually, half of that. Better keep enough junk in your inventory to salvage for more Emeralds. Salvaging them when capped will cause the total to go beyond 9,999 and then “normalize” – as if the game is outright wagging a finger in my face, going “No, no, no.”

"I could go on with the other problems, like the lack of an overlay map, which is especially frustrating in dungeons and Rifts when trying to find your way on the first few go-arounds."

And when you’ve reached the max Item Level possible through upgrading, Emeralds become completely useless. Why not add a system where I can spend some to upgrade a Common Artifact – like, say, a Lightning Quiver – to higher tiers, which then add random modifiers to it? I’ve been stuck with two-attribute Quivers for all this time, so this could offer some way to make an item type worthwhile, especially with what passes for target-farming in this game.

The Echo Shard cap is worse because rerolling can easily balloon into the double digits. Didn’t get that added Lightning damage or chance to inflict Chained on enemies? Better go and farm those Rifts, dungeons and Soul Storms again. And by that I mean, waste time in a Rift until a Soul Storm emerges, then leave immediately to farm it.

To top it all off – I promise this is it for the loot system – you can’t even upgrade your items beyond Item Level 149. Loot often drops at Item Level 150+ in the endgame, and while this could provide some chase, I’m left wondering to what end.

There are no pinnacle bosses or Ubers to pit your build against. No high-difficulty dungeons with rewards worth pursuing (or at least none that I’ve found). No Ancient Hunts or 30-floor towers, no Trials. The world bosses count for absolutely nothing after a point – especially the Soul Corrupted Enderman. Vendors are also completely useless, offering three Rare items when fully upgraded, and requiring you to spend Echo Shards to refresh their inventory, hopefully to get that specific two-attribute Artifact for your build (but only one, because they demand a King’s Ransom of Emeralds in the endgame).

Oh, and you can only have six Enchantments in total, compared to the previous game’s nine. And there are no powerful Enchantments this time around. In fact, many options like Weakening, Potion Barrier (replaced by the less exciting Barrier Brew, which requires standing in a spot for damage resistance after drinking) and so on are straight up missing. At least there’s one that increases the number of Potion uses, even if it’s relatively late game, addressing one of the more annoying complaints from the original. So there is that.

I could go on with the other problems, like the lack of an overlay map, which is especially frustrating in dungeons and Rifts when trying to find your way on the first few go-arounds. Or no stash, so that even if you completely upgrade a build and want to try something else, those previous items will have to sit in your inventory, taking up space. At least it all ran very well on my system at 1440p with most settings on Ultra and DLSS set to Quality.

"In a way, Minecraft Dungeons 2 feels like a redo of the first game – a clean slate of sorts. Except the same criticisms are stronger than ever."

Of course, I can’t forget the areas blocked off in the Overworld and Sift, which I couldn’t reach, no matter what. These are likely for the upcoming paid DLC, and even if that’s not exactly a new practice for the genre, there’s something inherently sad about seeing entire regions clouded over, like they’ve been cut out of the game to be sold piecemeal, especially when the base game is already so lacking.

I didn’t think it was possible to be even more baffled by Minecraft Dungeons 2 than its predecessor, but here we are. That’s probably because even after experiencing all its content and understanding this reference and that, I don’t know who it’s for. It’s not for any action RPG fan, unless you’re looking for the absolute most streamlined, turn-your-brain-off experience out there with the most barebones progression and endgame. It’s not really for fans of the original because so many features have been removed and there’s nothing to replace them. I can’t even argue that it’s for the co-op-minded player because there are so many options on the market, looters and otherwise, that provide a far more fulfilling experience.

In a way, Minecraft Dungeons 2 feels like a redo of the first game – a clean slate of sorts. Except the same criticisms are stronger than ever. As much as you’d be willing to forgive a spin-off like this from a studio that isn’t known for the genre in 2020, it’s now six years later. Even if your expectations were low, Minecraft Dungeons 2 isn’t in a hurry to meet them or overstay its welcome. It’s just there, middling along, hoping the colorful scenery distracts you enough to disguise its utter barrenness. And quite frankly, this franchise deserves better.

This game was reviewed on PC.