Minecraft Dungeons II review

The world of Minecraft is neverending, and it’s getting even bigger. Minecraft Dungeons II is a continuation of the Dungeons series, introducing new and returning threats, as well as several upgrades and so much to look forward to. It’s an ambitious leap for the franchise, and Minecraft Dungeons II wastes no time showing just how much bigger, brighter, and more adventurous this sequel wants to be.

After defeating the Arch-Illager, our hero and the villagers of the Overworld finally get to live in peace and harmony. That is until another group of illagers, because they’re never up to any good, head down into the Deep Dark and come across a large portal. They figure out how to open the portal, which takes them to a whole new dimension: the Sift. Powered by Souls and song, the Sift is a vibrant dimension that almost looks like the Nether in the negative; it’s bright and colorful with all kinds of new plantlife and creatures and, of course, secrets. The illagers take control of Souls and use their power to wreak havoc on both dimensions with an army of corrupted monstrosities, illagers, and the undead. You’ll often venture between these two dimensions during quests and also by coming across Sift portals found throughout the Overworld.

The Sift is the first new dimension in over 15 years. Minecraft Dungeons II gives us a glimpse into what this new area has in store for players with the eventual Java and Bedrock versions being added sometime next year for us to fully explore. The potential lore implications of the Sift are what I’m most excited to dive into as we get to see more of it. With the original Sift portal being found in the Deep Dark, a place I typically avoid because I’m undergeared, it will be interesting to see what new secrets are unveiled, Right now all we have is fan theories about what the Deep Dark is, where the Warden came from and its purpose, and who built the Ancient Cities. Maybe we’ll get to explore this more in future Minecraft Dungeons II DLCs.

Minecraft Dungeons II can be played solo or co-op. When you create your hero, you first select if you want to play online or offline, however they are not interchangeable; an offline hero can only be played offline and an online hero can only be played online. Offline lets you play couch co-op up to four players, whereas online allows for a mix of couch and online co-op. While the game is best played with a group, it can also be played entirely as a solo experience, which I appreciate since that is always my preference. After, you select from a roster of character skins and launch into the story, though someone did randomly join my game at one point during the review period.

The game improves greatly on several aspects of gameplay from the first game. First off, the weapons and armor have been broken down to where players piece it together; there are different helmets, chestplates, boots, and leggings, as well as ranged and melee weapons, each with different rarities and some with special perks, like regenerative healing properties and specific damage boosts. These can be further enhanced by visiting a Blacksmith to level them up and the Enchantsmith to enchant them using any of the enchanting books found when exploring. The enchanting books are able to be reused over and over again, and on multiple items at once.

There are also several talismans and artifacts that can be equipped. Talismans are earned by completing major milestones in the game, and they grant different passive abilities, such as increasing max health, summoning a furry companion to fight alongside you, and more. Artifacts are abilities that are activated after collecting enough Souls from defeated enemies. These allow you to unleash powerful attacks and buffs to give you an extra edge in the fight. Artifacts level up the same as armor and weapons, by visiting a Blacksmith, while talismans level up by being used.

The level of customization with your kit makes it easier to experiment with different playstyles to see what fits best for you. I enchanted my melee weapons with Fire Aspect and enchanted my bows to pierce multiple enemies. I also equipped an artifact that would increase fire damage dealt to enemies and another that boosted how much health I received from eating dropped food items and consuming potions. And then I went on a fire-imbued, hack-and-slash, pew-pew rampage across the Overworld and the Sift. The combination of my armor, weapons, enchantments, artifacts, and talismans made it easy for me to cut through hordes of enemies. I say “easy”, but enemies actually scale with your level, still presenting a challenge and not becoming monotonous.

Navigating the world also received tweaks, including the simple addition of jumping, which makes it easier to get around when you can simply hop over that 2-block-tall bump in the ground. It also lets you execute a jump attack, dealing increased melee damage when you land the hit. The world itself is fully interconnected. You can run freely from one end to the other with no loading screens (except between the Overworld and the Sift), or you can stop at one of the minecart stations for a quick ride. There is so much to explore, including dungeons, rifts that take you to different parts of the Sift, various side quests to help villagers and other allies, and a ton of loot to pick up.

Aside from the quests and the loot, the world is full of beautiful landscapes and structures across a few biomes. The updated visuals and world design, all built on Unreal Engine 5, had me getting lost as I just kept running to see what was around every corner. There are also false walls and other hidden passageways where chests can be found, which usually come stocked with a couple weapons, food, and emeralds to use at the Blacksmith and Town Merchant.

The villagers felt like a bit of a missed opportunity. While we were encouraged to revisit the village often for upgrades, the only three villagers you bring back are the Blacksmith, Enchantsmith, and Town Merchant. Adding other villager options, like a Librarian or Cleric, to the pool could have made for a deeper and more interesting upgrade system. Maybe the Librarian could have sold special enchantment books to take to the Enchantsmith, or the Cleric could have provided other potions, like Swiftness or a Splash Potion of Poison to hurl at enemies. However, the game also appears to be much more geared toward a younger audience, so maybe it was kept simplified for their sake, although my younger brother was teaching all the Minecraft tech when he was a kid, so maybe we’re underestimating the youth.

Minecraft Dungeons II is likely to receive the same endgame treatment as the first game, which received six DLC updates. DLC’s 1 and 2 are already confirmed by the description of the Deluxe Edition, but hopefully they’ll dish out even more. As of this writing, there isn’t a ton of endgame content. You are free to explore the world, wrapping up any loose ends, side quests, dungeons, and rifts you find. Soul Storms will also randomly appear around the world, bringing with it powerful enemies. Generators pop up in a region of the map that have to be destroyed, upon which you’ll be rewarded with even better gear.