Brave New World

After building a base camp, I set out to explore the bold new landscape. It's amazing how much bigger the biomes are this time around, and they're far more varied as well -- so much that Minecraft feels like a new game at times. I trudged deep into swamplands with flooded trees, punched through thick forests, crossed snaking rivers with sloped banks, and pushed onward into other enticing areas. The world comes together much more dynamically, instilling a stronger sense of place and adventure.

I was also impressed by the updated lighting effects. Above ground, sunsets are more dramatic as they bathe the landscape in bright amber hues. Below ground, dim torchlight casts a warmer glow on the subterranean caverns. It makes a surprisingly big difference in each setting's overall vibe. Beyond aesthetics, the terrain offers a broader range of nooks and crannies, ripe for exploration. Randomly generated ravines seem to pop out of nowhere as you run around; these crevices can run along lengthy stretches of the world map. Smaller caves are equally common too, and they often lead to sprawling underground caverns that are much bigger than what we've seen before. I wandered into one massive cave and spent the better part of an hour spelunking through its depths -- I went so far down into its snaking tunnels that I couldn't find my way back up again. That was when I stumbled upon one of 1.8's hard-to-find marvels: an abandoned mining stronghold.