Minecraft Pocket Edition Smartphone App Review

About
Minecraft, originally a PC game developed by an independent Swedish developer named Markus Persson is a sandbox (style of game in which minimal character limitations are placed on the gamer) open world survival crafting game. Having been established in 2010 it was unique as it was one of the first of its kind. 

The success of this game saw the purchasing of the brand by the large Swedish video game developing company Mojang who then released a stand-alone edition in 2011 followed by the pocket smartphone edition in late 2011. Mojang have since then teamed up with both Microsoft and Sony to release console editions for Xbox and PlayStation.

Features
Upon entering a new game, the player is faced with a randomly generated world to explore. The world is made up of blocks of various different materials in which the player uses to craft items that will aid them in their quest for both survival and creation. The crafting and exploring features of Minecraft were pivotal in its success. Having no specific goals for the player to accomplish leaves the player freedom to create whatever they desire. From recreating
cities, towns or even simply a house to live in, to exploring the depths of caves and underwater caverns. 



The game follows a day and night system encountering various non-player creatures that range from hostile mobs of zombies and skeletons to non-hostile animals in which you can use for food to survive like chickens and cows.

The Pocket Edition of Minecraft for smartphones gives the player two different modes to play. Firstly, ‘survival mode’ in which the player must individually chip away at each block to further themselves through the game. The biggest pull though, for the pocket edition, is the ‘creative mode’ which gives the player an unlimited supply of Minecraft items enabling infinite options for creation.

Download Link
Minecraft Pocket Edition is available for download on iTunes store for Apple users and Google Play for Android.

The Verdict
Coming from playing originally on PC, my expectations were always going to be high with the pocket Minecraft instalment for smartphones. Unfortunately, I think that was the pitfall for me as it feels limiting in an exploring and building sense. For me it is an app that will satisfy my Minecraft fix for the time being but will never fully extend past that. If I was introducing someone to the franchise, I would most definitely recommend the PC version.

Review by Jackson
★★★☆☆