Minecraft Is a Worse Survival Game Than It Was Ten Years Ago

If you're anything like me, the version of Minecraft you remember most put a great deal of importance on surviving the first night. You spawned with nothing and knew nothing, but every system in the game pointed you toward the second sunrise: punch a tree, make some tools, and dig into a hillside before you learn what a creeper sounds like up close. And though very little about this loop has truly changed in today's Minecraft, it just feels like a radically different game—especially now that there's a storefront, spinoffs, and a menu full of other ways to play in this game's world.