The console versions of Minecraft continue to get some love this Summer. Officially supported mini-games are being added to Minecraft: Console Edition. The first is a player versus player mode called Battle, coming in June.
“With our new mini-games, we’ll be helping you quickly and easily jump into competitions with tailor-made rulesets,” said Jaime Limon, Senior Product Marketing Manager for Minecraft. “Battle allows you to set up a competitive multiplayer fight for survival where speed, strategy, and sometimes just pure luck will make you the winner.”
Mini-games and PVP have already been available through player-made mods on PC. This is the first time officially supported mini-games will be available on consoles.
Battle uses old-school deathmatch rules. Matches are single-elimination as players spawn in and loot weapons and items from chests before hunting each other. There’s no crafting or custom-built arenas at all – just pure mayhem. “You can have fun straight away without having to fuss around with manual count-downs, laboriously prep loot chests or keep score.”
Single-elimination can pose a problem if you’re defeated early and left with nothing to do. In Battle, defeated players can spectate the rest of the match as a free-flying bat. Up to eight players can battle online, or up to four players via split-screen.
Combat isn’t Minecraft’s strong suit, but giving players more options to play the game they love is always a welcome addition.
Battle will launch with three free maps on Playstation 4, Playstation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Wii U this June. Additional map packs will be added in the future for $2.99.
