A lot of games get released every year, but none has had as large an impact as Minecraft. With its characters and environment looking like Lego blocks, it’s easy to dismiss it as childish. However, Minecraft offers literally an entire world filled with freedom and possibilities. It’s no surprise that a lot of games have tried to follow in its footsteps. Mini World: Block Art is one of those games. Does it have what it takes to be a solid sandbox game alternative or competition to Minecraft, or does it even have enough of an identity to stand on its own and not be consumed by Minecraft’s shadow?

Chinese Minecraft

There is just no way to describe Mini World: Block Art without calling attention to its similarities to Minecraft. In both games, characters and environments are rendered as blocks. There is no linear story in this game. Instead, the goal of the game is to unleash your creativity by allowing you to create amazing structures with the resources you gather within the game’s expansive sandbox world.

Like Minecraft, your objective is to gather resources to craft materials with increasing levels of difficulty. Below your screen, you’ll find slots to place the tools and materials that you’ve created. Only your creativity is the limit when it comes to what you can build in this game.

Mini World: Block Art’s main difference from Minecraft is in its aesthetic. The game has a cuter style than Minecraft. Instead of Minecraft’s nondescript character models where unique features can be limited and difficult to distinguish, Mini World: Block Art’s character designs are rendered in a cute chibi-style with very easy to understand features. Additionally, instead of typical flora and fauna such as cows, pigs, and wildflowers, Mini World: Block Art has pandas, bamboos, and even cherry blossoms.

Modes and Multiplayer

Having a multiplayer mode is expected in games like these because a huge part of the enjoyment stems from sharing your creations with friends and playing mini-games that you created together, but it is still worth mentioning as positive for Mini World: Block Art. Still, if multiplayer is not your thing, the game’s perfectly playable as a singleplayer with a huge sandbox to explore and great new structures to build.

Aside from multiplayer mode, Mini World: Block Art also has Survival mode and Creation mode that changes the difficulty of the game in order to allow you to focus on combat or creation depending on your preference.

Acceptable As a Minecraft Alternative

If you’re looking for a Minecraft alternative, Mini World: Block Art is a good option. It’s similar enough to Minecraft that it will definitely satisfy a player’s Minecraft craving. However, it does have enough of a personality of its own that it’s enjoyable to play or at least look at, even without the influence of Minecraft. As a final word, people who want a cuter version of Minecraft will no doubt appreciate Mini World: Block Art. It may not be the most unique game out there, but it surely has its merits.