Minecraft Dungeons 2 PS5 review – family friendly Diablo

Minecraft Dungeons 2 – a very lazy sequel (Mojang) Mojang’s co-op dungeon crawler gets a sequel with more in-depth customisation and the first chance to explore the Sift, as Minecraft continues to expand. It was the Minecraft Live event at the weekend, after which Microsoft took the opportunity to celebrate the fact that Minecraft has now sold over 425 million copies, making it easily the best-selling video game of all time. Many will dismiss it as not being a ‘proper’ game but while its audience, and varied uses, take it well outside the realm of most other video games that is still what it is. It’s such a success that it seems almost superfluous to do anything else that isn’t directly related to the original release, despite the success of things like the Minecraft movie. Microsoft long ago gave up releasing sales figures for anything they make but the original Minecraft Dungeons, from 2020, has apparently had 25 million ‘players’. That includes Game Pass, so how many people actually bought it remains a mystery. However, it does seem to have been popular, even if nowhere near on the same scale as its parent game. It’s certainly been successful enough for a sequel, although it’s a shame that the colossal userbase hasn’t emboldened Mojang to be just a little more ambitious. We should say now that we reviewed the physical edition of the game for PlayStation 5, which was provided by U&I Entertainment. Microsoft was only offering the digital version on Xbox or PC, but we wouldn’t read too much into that, other than Microsoft and Sony still feel icky about having Xbox games on PlayStation and don’t like dealing with each other directly. Although why the Switch version wasn’t offered by anyone, given that’s the most popular console format for Minecraft, we don’t know. Inter-company politics aside, Minecraft Dungeons 2 is a very simply game to explain and while it’s technically a dungeon crawler, in the style of Diablo, it would be extremely generous to call it an action role-player. It has just as much in common with 80s coin-op Gauntlet, and fulfils much of the same role, in that its simplistic gameplay is made more palatable by playing in co-op with other people. Expert, exclusive gaming analysis Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. The combat is surprisingly decent and while there’s naturally no explicit depiction of violence, the many different weapons are entertaining to use and don’t feel nearly as hollow as you might expect. What is surprising though, is that, apart from being able to jump now, the core combat has changed very little compared to the original. There are changes elsewhere, but almost everything that is new is focused on crafting and loadouts. Although some of the new additions, like armour being made up of multiple different pieces, including helmets and boots, just highlights how odd it was that the original didn’t have them, considering that’s how the original Minecraft already works. But now you can also use talismans and other artefacts to add various buffs and perks to weapons and equipment. Upgrading your gear with elemental abilities is much more involved in the sequel, with the ability to improve equipment’s durability and craft rarer items, but you are very much at the mercy of what loot you find when out fighting. You might want to upgrade your bow to become a dedicated ranged fighter but unless you get lucky with your loot your hands are tied, as there’s no proper class system. The story is barely any more engaging (and still very short) than the original game but there is more to do outside of it, including plenty of side quests and time-limited events called a Soul Storm. Cloudy with a chance of souls (Mojang) As a family friendly version of Diablo – in terms of both the lack of gore and an absence of complicated skill trees – Minecraft Dungeons 2 is just about adequate but since the main appeal is the co-op camaraderie, you’d be far better off playing one of the Lego games, which manage to seem like Civilization in comparison to Dungeons’ shallow adventure. The lack of substantial change (or indeed substance of any kind) is disappointing but it’s clear there’s another reason this sequel exists and it’s in order to promote the new Sift dimension, that is being added to the main game next year. If you’re a Minecraft fan that’s no doubt terribly exciting, although the corporate promotion aspect of it all is slightly distasteful. On the positive side, it does mean a new environment to increase the variety, with new enemies, materials, and friendly creatures being introduced. The pastel colour scheme, with lots of pinks and purples, is a strange place to stage a battle but that actually works in its favour. And that’s it. If you’re waiting for the reveal of the game’s big new idea, it hasn’t really got one. Crafting and loadout management is a lot more involved than before, and the experience is generally less linear, but otherwise it’s practically the same game as before, just with a different hat on. Why this took six years to make is a mystery, given the lack of significant change, but the chances of Minecraft Dungeons ever turning into an interesting spin-off now seems remote. Minecraft Dungeons 2 PS5 review summary In Short: A purposefully shallow co-op dungeon crawler that would be discounted immediately if not for the Minecraft connection, which remains superficial and uninspired. Pros: The combat is fine and the visuals look nice, especially the new realm of Sift. There is more depth to character building and customisation now, even if it’s still quite limited. Cons: No big new ideas and even with added complexity in terms of equipment the action and loot system remains needlessly simplistic. Very basic use of the Minecraft licence. Score: 6/10 Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PCPrice: £24.99Publisher: MojangDeveloper: Mojang Studios and Double ElevenRelease Date: 29th September 2026Age Rating: 7 The blocky graphics are great (Mojang) Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. 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