At PAX Australia we had the chance go hands-on with Minecraft Dungeons and chat to Mojang about creating a brand-new action-RPG experience set in the same universe as one of the most popular games of all time.

We spoke to Nathan Rose, Senior Project Manager for Minecraft Dungeons at Mojang.

With the release of Minecraft Dungeons though, we now find the iconic pickaxe entering the world of dark and dingy caverns, shiny loot, and unspeakable monstrosities. The action-RPG.

Where Minecraft goes for a stroll, and bumps into Diablo.

“Of course, the team was looking at games like Diablo, but also classics like Gauntlet,” Nathan responds when the conversation brings up Blizzard’s iconic and genre-defining release. “Gauntlet was probably more of a reference for the team than Diablo [when it comes to combat]. What we looked at in some of those other games was the loot table, which in an action-RPG tends to get quite deep. What we have in Dungeons is what you would expect to find in Diablo but filled with recognisable aspects from Minecraft. You have your pick-axe, but you can enchant it with fire. And these enchantments come into play with all the gear you’ll find.”

“Available to play on all platforms and just about any device with a screen, the Minecraft universe has been enjoyed by an audience measured in the many tens of millions.”

But a Diablo-clone or by-the-numbers action-RPG this isn’t, with Minecraft Dungeons offering its own spin on the beloved genre. One that feels like a part of a larger, pixelated universe.

Click Here to Read Our Full Interview and Deep Dive into Minecraft Dungeons

This article is sponsored by ASUS.