After spending almost a year in quarantine it gets hard to find things to entertain yourself with all day. Minecraft, the hit video game that came out back in 2009, has been continuing to improve their game since its initial release. Because of the virus, many games, including this one, have been given major updates. Although the new version won’t be released until mid-2021, many people are already raving about the beta version that was released on November 4th, 2020. 

The 1.17 update, also called the Caves and Cliffs update, includes amazing cave rendering and generation, as well as new hostile and peaceful mobs (creatures found in the game). The update also includes new ores, such as amethyst and copper. To start, the main part of the update is the new lush and dripstone caves – which I find quite exciting because I’ve been hoping for a cave update since enchantment tables were first released in 2015 for Minecraft Pocket Edition.

To go into more detail, the update also includes mountain goats, axolotls–which you can keep as pets, and the new hostile mob–a warden, which can be found in caves. Not only that but Minecraft held a live stream in October where viewers and players got to vote on another mob that they wanted to introduce. The mob options were the Moobloom, the Glow Squid, and the Iceologer. Now, since this was a poll, the winning mob cannot be changed and the Glow Squid came out victorious. I would’ve preferred the Moobloom (being a cow covered in yellow flowers)  since they were very cute. Even though they didn’t win, I’m looking forward to being mesmerized by the Glow Squid when I decide to hop into the deep dark ocean. 

Back to the topic of the new ores – the copper ore rusts just like it would in real life. When copper gets wet, over time, it starts to age by turning green which is mimicked in the game. I appreciate that the creators implemented this because it adds a new level of detail and life to the game. The other new ore, amethyst, is found deeper in the caves and requires mining to be found. Throw old fashion “strip mining” out the window because now we’re excavating, which adds a new light to the game by making it more realistic. As much as these crystals will be sought after, they will be difficult to get because the new hostile mob, the Warden, will be guarding the crystals. The health of the mob hasn’t been confirmed, but I’m sure it will take some effort to beat since what it’s guarding seems to be important.

Moving on to the real stars of the show: Mountain Goats. When the first snapshot was released, many people were surprised by the goats. The pixelation of the goats is almost too real. The best part is how the fur looks–so lifelike that if I touch my phone screen, the pixels would feel soft. One can dream, can’t they? My one concern is that the goats might attack you if you hit them. The reason for this thought is because llamas, which are already in-game, spit on you when you hit them.

If this update drew you into the game, you can download Minecraft to give it a try; You might be pleasantly surprised when finding out you’ve wasted five hours in the blink of an eye. Not only that, but you might even find yourself impatiently waiting for the update, just as I have been.