An epic crafting and mining game!
Minecraft for Android, also called Pocket Edition, is one of the most promising names among crafting and mining games. With the Android version, you get the ability to collect, build, mine, and seek an adventure on the go. While this version feels a bit restricted with limited features, you still get a lot to explore. Overall, it’s a great choice.
A gaming adventure on-the-go!
A brilliant version of Minecraft for Android phones.
For people who’ve played Minecraft on a laptop, the Pocket Edition will look surprisingly familiar. The graphics are inspired by retro style, and every visual has a blocky feel. The game comes with an on-screen directional pad, also having an easy-to-access jump button. You won’t miss actual physical controls too much!
Crafting, mining, and building are fun
It’s quite easy to understand the gaming environment. Once you start, place blocks by tapping anywhere on the screen. If you hold a block close to you, it will build a circle. When you’ve filled the circle, the entire block will be destroyed. On the app version, there aren’t any tools of destruction. In their absence, you need to use your bare hands.
Minecraft: Pocket Edition doesn’t allow you to harvest destroyed items. But there’s no need to be gloomy. You have an infinite amount of supplies to use for crafting, mining, and building.
On your item bar, you’ll notice three circles that bring up a defined list of blocks. You can pick three in one go. It’s a bit disappointing that TNT isn’t included in the default list.
Satisfying and engaging gameplay
While the gameplay is similar to competitors like Block Story and Kiloblocks, Minecraft feels more engaging. You can easily select blocks to interact with the world. When you’re mining, a halo appears on the screen. It fills with mineral until a strong jolt breaks the visual while using the phone’s vibrator. Intensely satisfying!
If you’re an experienced player, you’ll quickly notice that blocks can be placed farther away in the app than on the laptop version. Overall, it makes for much easier mobile gameplay.
It’s easy to split controls from the options menu, which gives you mouse-like functionality by restoring the reticle. However, most players prefer the default touch controls, which feel much better than an emulation of a laptop game.
In the ‘Creative’ mode, you get a different interface. It gives complete access to a palette with every block in Minecraft. You can even fly! While it was weird-looking in the previous app versions, this one has been greatly improved.
As compared to other apps like Block Story, Minecraft has certain restrictions. One of the biggest is that the Pocket Edition doesn’t generate infinite worlds. Although the worlds are large, it doesn’t take much to fully explore them. In a limited world, you get limited resources.
The Pocket Edition doesn’t have several key minerals. Most importantly, there’s no red stone, which helps you create electrical circuits. Similarly, enchantments, books, and potions are missing from the app version. Last but not the least, it doesn’t have elements of nature, such as caves or the Sun.
While these limitations might seem annoying, Minecraft’s greatest strength is the easy-to-use multiplayer capabilities. There’s just one small requirement. Each player needs to be on the same Wi-Fi network.
Since players can easily come in and out of other players’ worlds, it’s very easy to start playing with friends. However, you won’t find any ban commands. As such, if you’re concerned about privacy, keep your world hidden.
It keeps getting better
The laptop version of the game introduced a different kind of distribution model. The game was launched in the market in beta version. Over a period, the developers kept pushing new features to entice more players. Minecraft: Pocket Edition has a similar approach. The first version was released with just a few features.
While you may consider it a flawed approach to release an ‘incomplete’ game, the response has been phenomenal. Like the PC version, the Pocket Edition has been receiving several updates frequently, making major improvements to the game.
Where can you run this program?
Minecraft: Pocket Edition is available for multiple platforms, including Android, Amazon Fire Tablets, Windows Phone, and iOS. It’s recommended to use Android version 4.2 and above.
Is there a better alternative?
Minecraft has a pretty strong fan following. Still, you might be looking for other options. You could check out Block Story, which is the perfect blend of Minecraft with an RPG. You’re on a quest to level up the character while using Minecraft-like resources for crafting. However, it’s still a few bug fixes from being as good as the Pocket Edition.
Crashlands is another good choice! In the game, you’re an intergalactic trucker stranded in a strange world. If you’re looking for more adventure than Minecraft, you won’t be disappointed. Kiloblocks lets you build pixel blocks creatively. It’s terrain is easily customizable, and allows you to build all kinds of structures. Unfortunately, the worlds are quite small, and you get bored pretty quickly.
Our take
The Pocket Edition isn’t exactly like Minecraft’s PC version. In fact, the developers have tried to use the core experiences from the laptop version to put on a phone. According to most players, Minecraft: Pocket Edition does come close to providing the same fun.
Should you download it?
Yes, you should! Minecraft’s android app is an excellent port of the gaming experience on smartphones. In fact, it’s one of the most popular games on Android, and with each update, it has been getting better. If you’re looking for a creative and interesting game to pass your time, Minecraft: Pocket Edition will be an excellent choice.
