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DATE: Wed 07 Jul 2021 21:01 By: HexDSL@Posteo.net
I played through Minecraft Dungeons when it first game out but I played it on the ?Ninendo switch. Now I'm playing it again but this time multiplayer with a friend on my PC, from Linux. But I'm using Microsoft Xcloud (part of Gamepass) to do it. I know its a stretch to call that 'on Linux' but I thought I would write a few thoughts about the game.
This post isn't about XCloud. I will say that Gamepass (including XCloud) is £11 a month and the streaming works perfectly on Linux. You do have to use a controller as there is no keyboard and mouse support. Other than that its bloody brilliant. Rock solid service with basically no problems at all! It is the best streaming service by a long way; you know, if you want to use a controller.
Minecraft Dungeons was a fun play through the first time. There is the implication that you should play it over and over at higher and higher difficulty levels to eventually master the game on crazy levels of mayhem. The first time I played it I was happy to move on after finishing it the once.
Recently cross platform multiplayer was added to the game and because of that it resurfaced on my radar. My buddy Hangman (not his real name) and I played it with him on a windows PC and me on my Nintendo Switch but once frame rates became an issue I recalled it was on XCloud and played he Xbox version, in a browser with a controller on Debian Linux... ah what a world we live in!
The game is a very basic action RPG. It has no classes and weapon type defines play style in a very direct way. There are no skills or other powers to unlock and all progression is item based. You can melee attack, range attack, use items (three equippable at one time, with varying abilities) leveling give you access to enchantment points that you can use on items. Salvage the item to get The points back.
You choose a mission from a map and then choose the difficulty you want to face it at. You know what types of gear may drop before you enter and raising the difficulty (power level) effects the quality of the gear.
Then, you and your buddy slog through a block built world and kill all the enemies. Get to the end and you get a reward chest containing... equipment! (big shock that one)
The game is very basic by design but frantic enough to remain entertaining. With a friend it went from 'okay fun' to 'pretty good fun' and I have no doubt that my buddy and I will finish it on the harder end of reasonable soon enough.
Its a shame my switch version is a little problematic but it was also a great reason to break the seal on that XCloud trial!
If you do have XCloud i recommend that you give the game a go or if you see it on sale on other platforms you may enjoy it, at full price its a hard sell to me. Especially since its not at all Linux friendly without streaming.
As always, Comments welcome via E-mail HexDSL@Posteo.net