Video Games
New Dev Diary Explores Environments of ‘Minecraft Dungeons’
Microsoft have posted a new video for their upcoming Diablo-esque dungeon-crawler set in the Minecraft universe, Minecraft Dungeons. The developer diary focuses on the game’s environments, which are obviously reminiscent of the original Minecraft, but obviously taken towards a darker setting.
As detailed in the video, game designer Pontus Hammarberg talks about how the levels in Minecraft Dungeons are procedurally generated. “The way that we’ve married procedural generation with rewarding gameplay is to design sort of like puzzle pieces that we can then tell the engine to arrange for us, either in a way that we specifically tell us to do, or in a way that is more random.”
However, unlike Diablo (which has used procedurally-generated environments since the beginning), the randomness isn’t quite to that extent. “What procedural generation doesn’t take into account is pacing, what kind of encounters you will have, how the level plays in general, so you have to strike a good mix between procedural generation and crafted content,” says level designer Christian Berg.
Minecraft Dungeons is set for release on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC April 2020.
For those keen on following up on our mid-year best-of list for video games, iam8bit and Yacht Club Games are teaming up in a new collection for Mina the Hollower, which not only brings the game’s iconic soundtrack by Jake Kaufman and Yuzo Koshiro to vinyl, but also offers fans some cool merchandise.
Available for pre-order now at iam8bit, the Mina the Hollower Collection includes the soundtrack on 3xLP ($64.99), a notebook ($19.99) and a Keychain Blind Box ($14.99). Those fans looking to have it all can pick up the entire collection in a vinyl bundle with the Mina the Hollower: Bone Up Bundle Edition. All products are available for pre-order today through August 17, with plans to ship in Q4 2026.
The Mina the Hollower vinyl soundtrack is pressed on rich Velvet Purple Splatter Vinyl, and features retro-inspired zoetrope artwork designed by Nimit Malava. The soundtrack also comes with a pair of special 3D glasses that enhances the cover art, paying homage to the retro nostalgia of the old-school, chip-tastic tracks composed by Yacht Club Games’ Jake Kaufman and Yuzo Koshiro.
iam8bit also offers up a series of collectible keychains as part of a Blind Box set. Those who purchase will receive one of six randomized Mina designs rendered in high-quality, squishy PVC rubber, with a Secret Chase Rare in the mix for some lucky buyers. Keychains are available to purchase individually or bundled in a set of three, and purchasing the bundle guarantees three unique keychains.
Lastly, there’s the Mina the Hollower Notebook, a 240-page notebook that replicates Mina’s in-game journal and is brought to life in a forest green faux-leather, with beautiful gold embellishments on its cover.
As mentioned, for completionists, you can grab the entire collection in the Mina the Hollower: Bone Up Bundle Edition, ($89.99). The bundle comes with the soundtrack, one Keychain Blind Box and Notebook.
And if you haven’t jumped into Mina the Hollower, you can find the game on PC via Steam and GOG, PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch 2.
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