Minicraft
is a Video Game made in 48 hours for Ludum Dare by the Minecraft creator Notch with the theme Isolation.
Minicraft has some features from Minecraft (mining, crafting, a boss in the sky, zombies, slimes, etc.) but is in a distinctly different genre. Rather than being in a 3D first-person perspective, you are playing in a 2D overhead perspective similar to The Legend Of Zelda. The game world is still randomly generated and still has a sandbox feel, however you do not build a home (although you can place a few blocks on the ground used for crafting). You can still break many things in the game.
The game's progress basically involves first finding a place to set up and make some tools, and then descending into the earth. There are three different levels underneath the surface, the Mines, the Deep Mines and the Nether. Each one has its own unique ore. Upon getting the best materials from the Nether, you can ascend to the Sky and defeat the Air Wizard. Once killing the Sky Wizard, you become the only sentient organism in the world. Congratulations!
You cannot save during the game (the unmodded game, anyway) meaning the entire game must be completed in one sitting. This takes about 1-2 hours. Dying will make you start from the very beginning.
The game's source code was openly released, leading to several mods. Notch does plan on making an extended edition with much more gameplay features known as MiniTale, but not much information has been released on it lately.
Tropes involved in Minicraft
- Blackout Basement: Going anywhere into the caves pretty much requires you to take lanterns along.
- Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Color indicates strength, with the order going (from weakest to strongest) green, red, white, and black.
- Damage-Sponge Boss: The Air Wizard has a whopping 2000 health. The strongest sword in the game, the Gem Sword, does around 30 to 50 damage, so it's gonna take some time to bring him down.
- Elite Mook: The Zombies and Slimes get increasingly stronger the deeper you go (and later, higher). This is indicated with a Palette Swap.
- Everything's Deader with Zombies: Besides Slimes, there also zombies, and they too are color-coded by strength. They also drop cloth, which isn't used for anything.
- Final Boss: The game ends when you defeat the Air Wizard, a powerful magician who roams the sky level and looks vaguely like Venom.
- Glass Cannon: The player character in this game has less health than most other enemies but can dish out much more damage.
- The Goomba: Green Slimes are the weakest enemy in the game. They have only 5 health, so they can be dispatched with relative ease, even early on.
- Hyperactive Metabolism: Bread and apples directly fill your HP.
- Item Crafting: Unlike the original Minecraft, it involves browsing through the menus and choosing items you want to craft rather than putting ingredients on the grid.
- Oxygen Meter: Swimming through water rapidly depletes your stamina bar and, once it runs out, your Hit Points.
