Released in early access as of Jan. 13, hytale is an open world survival game and has many similarities to the popular video game Minecraft, which was released in 2009. However, those who say it is just another Minecraft are wrong due to various differences.
Hytale was released by the same developers as Hypixel, an extremely popular Minecraft server, which is best known for minigames, particularly combat-based games. This may be the leading reason why the gaming community finds the two games similar. Minecraft has a more laid-back feel. There is still the story of going to The End to defeat the dragon and beat the game. However, I’ve found it often more enjoyable to avoid beating the game, simply living and building a house.
Conversely, Hytale offers a more continuously advancing experience. There are multiple crafting benches, or tables that enable you to create items, that require different materials to upgrade in order to craft more items. The game forces the player to progress, which can have both a positive and negative effect. Because it is nearly impossible to run out of things to do, it keeps the game from becoming stale, one of the largest problems with Minecraft. Yet, the downside is that some aspects can feel limiting, as if certain goals or tasks are impossible because it is too difficult to find a specific or rare resource.
My favorite difference is the graphics in the unmodified game. Minecraft leans fully into the blocky look and, without visual modifications changing the graphics, ends up looking a little pixelated or choppy. Hytale, on the other hand, seems far more freeform and connected. It keeps the same block concepts while merging how the real world looks, causing the blocks to flow together and seem much more connected.
The combat is another large difference between the two games. Minecraft’s combat feels slower and more limited. Each weapon has highly similar mechanics, and the enemies have simple attacks. However, Hytale has far more varied combat, with each different weapon having its own attack pattern and style. The player is naturally encouraged to find a weapon that fits their playstyle and learn to master it. The enemies have their own combat style as well, forcing the player to alter and perfect their strategies in order to survive.
Another important feature in both Minecraft and Hytale is the mobs or other entities, alive or not, in the game. Minecraft has a large array of mobs, varying from friendly cattle and villagers to zombies that chase players around at night. They are all rather simple and can lack personality and become repetitive. Hytale also has an extremely wide array of hostile mobs, with multiple variants for each separate biome. This leads to the mobs feeling more alive, they change their tactics to combat the player and require focus to defeat, especially when they come in numbers.
Hytale operates in a different but slightly overlapping niche from Minecraft, playing less like a survival game and more like a free-roaming combat game. When looking for a more relaxing experience filled with nostalgia and calm building, I still prefer Minecraft. However, when it’s time to fight monsters and accomplish feats of combat, Hytale is superior. The textures are beautiful, and the combat is clean. Overall, Hytale is an excellent experience, even being only in the first stages of beta. I would give it a 9/10.
