I have played Minecraft. I would have to say it is some of the best gaming dollars I ever laid out; up there with the likes of Doom and the Fallout games. It is ingenious in its concept and execution, and it is only in an alpha stage. I do have to wonder if it is the sort of game that will end up in perpetual alpha stage. It is after all, largely the work of one man, and while the depths of genius are more or less untenable, there are hard and fast limits on how much work one man can do.
All concerns aside, however, what we have on our hands is a sheerly brilliant game. It is one part Dwarf Fortress, one part Garry's Mod, and one part Lego. The graphics are a mix of rudimentary and refined, with true 3-D environments to explore, albeit simple ones made of uniform square blocks bearing the crudest of sprite art. That art, however, shares functional brilliance with other severely limited games, such as the early Super Mario games, where smart character design led to a recognizable, proportionate sprite that became a cultural icon.
Unlike Dwarf Fortress, which rivals Ashton-Tate's Dbase for command complexity, Input in Minecraft is streamlined to such an extent that it becomes a game one can quickly play with muscle memory; any task the player may need his avatar to perform are performed with either a right or a left click, and a simple inventory. For such limited means, the player has an extreme degree of control over his environment. With a few exceptions, everything in view can be demolished, and nearly all of it can be placed again, according to the player's whim and the few simple rules of physics the game imposes on it. For instance "solid" materials do not obey the laws of physics, and remain where they are placed indefinitely, unless destroyed, while fluids and loose materials such as sand will spill and fall.
A recent update to the game introduced some simple items that vastly expand upon what can be done, all without adding complexity to the interface. A new type of material allows simple electric circuits to be made, which can be as simple as turning on a light or detonating dynamite, to as complex as the creation of a full arithmetic unit -the basic building block of the modern, multi-purpose computer. What remains to be seen is how deep these simple materials will eventually be able to affect the core game-play of exploration and construction, for while the circuitry is ingenious, besides creating elaborate display pieces, the circuits do not immediately make easier the tasks the player undertakes, as do most of the other discoveries. For instance the first discoveries are the most meaningful -the shapes of tools, the first stones to make strong tools, uses for coal, smelting, and the higher metals. All these things greatly increase the ability of the player to explore more efficiently and gain more resources. The circuitry, however, as it stands, remains a fascinating, yet not immediately useful toy. That said, ingenious players have done impressive things with it, and new uses are being discovered. It doesn't detract from the game in any way, however, as the "Lego" element in the game encourages creation for its own sake, and the more materials available to do so with increase the enjoyment to be had in such creations.
Minecraft is hours of good fun, and, at press time, costs a scant ten Euro. The purchase of such a license is indefinite, and entitles the purchaser to full rights for the final release, which will cost more. So it is worth it to buy it now. I would even say with conviction, that, at present, even if the game never passes the beta stage, it is worth your money. The potential for fun that exists in the game as it is now is so high that the price of admission is agreeable, and the discount for the eventual retail product is simply icing on an excellent cake.
