Baby Yoda in ‘Minecraft’? Everything to know about the ‘Star Wars’ update
Star Wars video games are abundant. You’ve got your MMO (Star Wars: The Old Republic), old gems (Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic), and shiny new games like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. It goes without saying that gamers have a lot of options if they want to delve into the Star Wars galaxy beyond movies & TV.
But what if Star Wars came to you in a game you already know & love. Of course, we’re talking about Minecraft and it’s exciting new Star Wars DLC. The blocky world of Minecraft is now welcoming Star Wars content new & old for everyone to experience.
Minecraft lovers can play the game in a whole new way, indulging their space fantasies and nostalgic desires. (Don’t worry – this Star Wars pack looks way better than the Sims 4: Star Wars Journey to Batuu expansion pack. Our condolences Sims gamers – you deserve better.)
The hefty crossover marries the scifi Star Wars saga to the classic Minecraft sandbox style. The update introduces all you could imagine. (Yes, Baby Yoda is indeed in the game.) Here’s a look into the new Minecraft Star Wars DLC.
What comes with the DLC?
According to Minecraft’s blog post, Star Wars DLC includes “a map, a skin pack, a full bespoke texture set, mobs and items reskins, UI treatment, and even a licensed soundtrack.” The map is riddled with familiar avenues for adventure stemming from the classic trilogy (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi) as well as The Mandalorian.
The large map with twelve planets to explore is impressive (or as Darth Vader would say, most impressive.) Planets available for your perusal include Tatooine, Endor, and Hoth which are sprawling with familiar Star Wars characters, droids, and creatures. To hop between planets you must jump into “hyperspace” using starfighters. The Minecraft blog post details that “you’ll be able to fly out of there in an X-wing or TIE fighter.”
Looking closely at the promotional trailer, it seems as though the DLC allows you to recreate memorable scenes from the original Star Wars movies and The Mandalorian series. You can have an epic lightsaber battle with Darth Vader on the Death Star, barter with Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine, or encounter the adorable Baby Yoda as a voxel on a bounty hunting mission.
You’ll not only be able to encounter these characters – you’ll be able to become them. The DLC introduces many character skins including Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Darth Vader, Chewbacca, Han Solo, and the Mandalorian.
What will the gameplay be like?
At this point, you may be thinking that implementing the Minecraft Star Wars DLC will morph your game into an entirely new type of Minecraft game. To get a better idea of what to expect from the DLC, StarWars.com interviewed Minecraft Marketplace developer David Keningale and Lucas film Games producer Orion Kellogg.
“When we got all of the creators together to brainstorm ideas, we knew “exploration” was at the heart of both the Minecraft and Star Wars fantasies,” Orion Kellogg explained. “If you can think of a particular scene or location from this era of Star Wars, chances are we built it. You can take it further too, building and roleplaying your own scenes to build your own Star Wars adventure,” David Keningale added.
However, the Star Wars content won’t eclipse the Minecraft gameplay. “The Minecraft Star Wars DLC offers a whole galaxy to explore with every bit of functionality you’d expect from a full-featured Minecraft experience – all-new building blocks, flyable ships”, and more. The core sandbox capabilities are still operating as they do in Minecraft. As Kellogg detailed:
“You can choose to play in Survival mode where, naturally, the Empire will be out to stop intruders by night, or you can choose to play in Creative mode, where you’ll have the building blocks to create your own Star Wars adventures using a very large library of all-new assets.”
How to obtain this treasure?
Because this Star Wars-themed update is DLC, first you must already have Minecraft, of course. In order to play you must have Windows 10 on your desktop or consoles like the Xbox One or Nintendo Switch. It’s also available to play on a mobile device through IOS or Android – this is referred to as the “Pocket Edition” of Minecraft.
The Star Wars DLC is available on the Minecraft marketplace and costs 1300 Minecoins which is equivalent to about $5. If you love the idea of sprinkling some Star Wars into your Minecraft but you don’t want to spend the dough, there are some old costume packs available as well as endless player-made mods. Of course, Mincecraft’s previous Star Wars packs & custom mods will feign in comparison to this grand new expansion.
