The 2020 release ofMinecraft Dungeonshas seemingly marked a turning point in the longstanding and successful franchise, with Mojang now being willing to truly expand the IP into a wide variety of different genres and core gameplay experiences. This is only reinforced by the upcoming release ofMinecraft Legends, which aims to take the franchise to the genre of real-time strategy while facilitating huge forwards in the lore of the IP.
With this in mind, a sequel toMinecraft Dungeonsfollowing the release ofMinecraft Legendscould be a fantastic move on Mojang’s part. IfLegendsis to provide fans with a new barometer for the level of depth and detail thatMinecraftspin-off titles can possess, then a sequel toDungeonswould be able to expand upon the gameplay beats of the original in a constructive and much more holistic manner.
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The Gameplay Depth and Narrative of Minecraft Legends
WithMinecraft Legendsbeing a real-time strategy title, fans can reasonably infer what the release’s gameplay will consist of. This particular genre is inherently complex, and will likely offer a depth of gameplay thatMinecraftspin-offs up until this pointhave not seen.
Of course, strategy will be of the utmost importance to progress throughMinecraft Legends, with the player having a plethora of different attack and defense units to utilize in combat. These particular gameplay mechanics work symbiotically with the narrative ofLegends, which will see the familiar Overworld realm ofMinecraftbe invaded by armies ofPiglin forces from the sinister Nether realm, with the player character then having to unite and lead the Overworld mobs to combat the threat.
Legendswill seemingly also foster huge leaps in the lore of the franchise, for example by including thefirst voice-acted mobs inMinecraftcalled Hosts. These mobs will likely add to the lore around the recently added Allays, and appear to open up an entire new aspect of the overarching narrative for the IP.
What Minecraft Dungeons 2 Could Look Like
While the firstMinecraft Dungeonswas received well by fans, it is regarded by many as Mojang’s tentative first steps into truly expanding theMinecraftIP into broader avenues of gameplay. The title was admittedly ambitious in its application of the franchise motifs to a dungeon crawler RPG title, but the mechanics and lore ofMinecraft Dungeonscan be characterized as quite surface-level.
With the release ofMinecraft Legends, it appears that Mojang is becoming more comfortable using spin-off titles for the franchise as a meansto push forwardMinecraft’slorein a much more meaningful way while offering genuinely engaging and layered gameplay experiences to boot. This newfound philosophy could be extended to a sequel forMinecraft Dungeons, which offered a short experience that left many fans wanting more.
Depending on the reception ofLegends, aDungeonssequel could even expand upon the narrative of the former, while offering a much more detailed dungeon crawler experience befit with things like dedicated classes and more expansive environments. The already popular reception of the firstDungeonstitle leaves Mojang in good stead for a potential sequel, with the high replayability of dungeon crawlers doing well to foster a consistently engaged community that is always looking for more comprehensive content. While the extent to whichLegendsfocuses on storytelling and gameplay depth remains to be seen, it is clear that a more ambitious ethos is being employed by Mojang that could easily translate over to a sequel forMinecraft Dungeons.
Minecraft Dungeonsis available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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