Minecraft Dungeons is tentatively set to launch next month, but players won’t have have to wait to see the dungeon crawler in action.
The first 45 minutes of gameplay from the PC beta is now available thanks to a video from Windows Central. It’s a great look at the Diablo-inspired spin-off and shows exactly what gamers can expect once it releases on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC on April 30. The release date isn’t set in stone, though, as developer Mojang recently noted that the game might wind up being delayed due to COVID-19 forcing the developer to work from home.
“As we’re working from home to do our part in protecting our community, our workflows will, unfortunately, be impacted,” Mojang announced via the Minecraft Dungeons Twitter account last week. “We’re working hard to deliver Minecraft Dungeons in April, but we’re also re-evaluating our timeline to make sure we bring you the best game possible. Stay tuned!”
Sign-ups for the PC beta are currently available on the game’s official site, and players are able to start the title from the very beginning. Early quests in the creeper forest feature the player using their sword and bow to defeat skeletons and creepers before trying to escape the dangerous area.
Successfully completing these tasks will result in unlocking chests full of loot and players can then accept new missions via a world map. Leveling up gear via salvaging items and equipping stat-enhancing enchantments are also key parts of the gameplay loop that’ll be familiar to any fans of the genre.
One boss encounter is shown off in the video as the player takes on a spell-casting evoker in the Pumpkin Pastures map. True to the enemy’s behavior in Minecraft, the evoker is able to attack in two ways: Having fangs rise out of the ground and summoning flying vexes at the player.
Both of these abilities require players to be quick on their toes as keeping your distance and using your bow and arrows is important in efficiently battling the foe. On the highest available difficulty, the battle looks to be quite tough and requires planning and cooperation if you’re playing with others.
Acer’s Predator Atlas 8 finally has a US release date and price, several months after the company first showed off the handheld in May. The highlight is the Intel Arc G3 Extreme chip inside, which has been adopted by only a couple of other consoles besides the Atlas 8. This version will go on sale exclusively at Best Buy on November 1 for $1,299.99.
Acer originally said the Atlas 8 would arrive in North America in October, but left pricing open at the time. The launch came amid the ongoing DRAM crunch, which has made memory more expensive across the PC industry and complicated pricing for hardware makers.
Gaming laptops and I have a complicated relationship. One of my first gaming rigs was an Acer Predator that was already outdated when I bought it. I was a broke college kid, and that was the best I could afford. So trying out high-end gaming laptops is always fun. But ASUS' ROG Zephyrus G14 is a lot more than a laptop that can run AAA games. It is portable, so you're not lugging around a 2.5kg machine everywhere you go. It is built well, none of that plastic chassis, and can even function as a normal laptop outside of just gaming.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.