Minecraft Dungeons 2 arrives as a brief, forgettable action role-playing game that struggles to justify its existence beyond a single afternoon of play. The sequel to the 2020 original makes several welcome improvements, including the ability to jump and expanded armor slots, but its barebones story and shallow gameplay keep it from being anything more than a mindless diversion.
The game takes the pixelated items and goofy mobs from Minecraft and drops them into an extremely light version of Diablo. Players delve into dungeons, smack around swarms of monsters, and tackle oversized bosses while hoovering up loot. However, where most ARPGs lean into dizzying skill trees and complex stat systems, Minecraft Dungeons 2 strips away most of that depth in favor of a much simpler framework. That makes it more approachable, but also considerably less interesting.
The roughly seven-hour story tasks an unnamed hero with squaring off against an evil cabal of Illagers who gain access to a new dimension called the Sift. The cutscenes and conversations provide only a vague outline of a narrative, sending players to and fro to kill things and save the world. It is not a game that aims for emotional drama, but even by the standards of a Minecraft-meets-Diablo crossover, there is very little substance here.
The action is thankfully more developed than the story. The addition of a jump button, absent from the original, adds needed platforming and light puzzles, plus a new jump attack. Players also have more options for enchanting weapons and armor with special effects, unlocked by conquering dungeons and completing quests. New artifacts offer passive buffs, such as increased damage with ranged weapons. These are decent steps up, but the vast majority of moment-to-moment gameplay remains largely unchanged, and smacking samey zombies and Illagers runs thin quickly.
Buildcrafting is largely left up to whichever odd equipment players happen to stumble upon, rather than a class-based system. This means co-op teammates all play exactly the same way, and players rarely have control over how their build feels until near the endgame. For example, one reviewer wanted to play a rogue-type class but kept finding large swords and tank-like items, ending up as the de facto melee fighter. Every player has access to the same dodge skill, base speed, and weapon options, and there is no shield to add blocking. The handful of equipment slots offer a few perks each, like increased DPS or fireworks that explode and deal damage, but none of them shake up the hollow hacking and slashing.
The best part of Minecraft Dungeons 2 is the new area called the Sift, a magical, soul-powered realm filled with goat-like creatures, poisonous water, and teal landscapes. This new realm adds some fresh color and creatures to the Minecraft universe, providing a visual and thematic highlight. Unfortunately, it is not enough to elevate the overall experience.
For those looking to spend a mindless night or two swinging swords with friends, Minecraft Dungeons 2 could do worse. The minor improvements over the original are welcome, and the simple, easygoing action is the whole point. But while there is nothing actively offensive about this humdrum adventure, there is also very little worth getting excited about. It is a brief, forgettable ARPG that you can see almost all of in the span of an afternoon.