(ThyBlackMan.com) Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard of Minecraft Earth. The internet is already obsessed with augmented reality games, and with the Minecraft Earth trailer, we got a chance to see how the Minecraft universe looks like in both real and virtual worlds. Now you’re probably wondering how Minecraft Earth works — not in terms of the platform, but what you can expect from the gameplay. So, here all the details you should know about.
What is Minecraft Earth?
For those who have never played an AR game or have not tried playing Minecraft, Minecraft Earth is an augmented reality-based mobile game. It will be a free-to-play AR game which you can download on your Android and iOS devices. The game is set to receive a closed beta and will eventually hit the mobile platform sometime in summer.
Created by a Swedish video game developer Mojang, Minecraft Earth lets players explore the world, build virtual structures, and collect objects along the way. Minecraft Earth features mobs, living entities which you can use to populate the neighborhood. The game also lets you breed unique variants of these mobs.
You can play Minecraft Earth with friends
In this new augmented reality game, players will build structures with friends and can place them in the real world. The game’s description suggests that players will be able to interact with their friends and others in the game to craft things together. Players can collaborate to work on projects which can later be placed in the real world setting. It is similar to how you see AR objects in the real world locations in AR apps. According to Mojang, there will be “mini-adventures” for players to team up and explore the Minecraft world.
Mob battles
You’ll be able to battle mobs in Minecraft Earth. Those who have played Minecraft probably know how the battle system works in the game. Mobs appear by spawning and most of them spawn naturally. Just like Pokemon Go characters, the mobs in Minecraft also have their own nature and behavior which depends on the biome, light level, and their surroundings. By breeding, they spawn a baby version of themselves. In Minecraft, there are different types of mobs such as neutral mobs, hostile mobs, and boss mobs who are destructive and are designed for large-scale battles. We expect to see a similar kind of battle system in Minecraft Earth.
Minecraft Earth Closed Beta
Mojang is planning to host a closed beta session for the upcoming game in summer. The beta will be available on Android and iOS platforms, but remember that the game will only be available to those who are using Android 7 and iOS 10 or a newer version. The company will likely host more than one beta session for interested players.
Registrations are open for the closed beta and Mojang has confirmed that “hundreds of thousands of players” will be able to join the game. And like always, be informed that registering for Minecraft Earth beta doesn’t necessarily guarantee your participation. It means registered users will have to wait for the official confirmation about their participation.
iOS-only features
Apple has spent a considerable amount of time in making augmented reality a priority for its new range of iPhones and mobile operating system. With the ARKit, Apple lets game developers and mobile application developers work on augmented reality-based solutions for Apple devices.
Recently, Apple confirmed that it has added a feature called People Occlusion to the ARKit 3.0. According to Apple, AR content will realistically pass behind and in front of the users in the real world. It will make the AR experience better. Mojang has confirmed that Minecraft Earth uses this feature to show people inside the structures they build in AR.
There are no loot boxes
Despite the fact that the idea of loot boxes in video games has always been a controversial element, many successful games are filled with such monetization methods. Fortunately, you won’t see loot boxes in Minecraft Earth as the developer has clearly mentioned that the game won’t have them.
It’s worth waiting for Minecraft Earth as the Minecraft game itself is still popular. It would be interesting to see what kind of memories people will create with this upcoming mobile AR game.
Staff Writer; Corey Shaw
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