The release comes just in time for Minecraft’s 10th birthday and should let nostalgia-seeking fans get a glimpse of just how far the game has come over the course of a decade, especially for users with the Minecraft ray tracing mod. All 32 original bricks are featured, as well as the original bugs and “(inter)face only a mother could love”, according to Mojang. The best part is that the game is entirely free, so anyone can give it a try just by following the link. There’s a good chance some newer Minecraft fans have never seen the early versions of the game, so it may come as somewhat of a shock to them to see the earliest version.
While it’s awesome of Mojang to do this, it does come at a time that Microsoft is trying to distance Minecraft from Notch, the game’s creator that has a history of making controversial comments, to say the least. It’s interesting that Mojang would decide to release the version that is arguably the most associated with him, though that shouldn’t take away from the game being good fun.
The amount of content Mojang has been able to churn out in a decade is pretty mind-boggling, and while the core experience has largely remained the same (though its villagers have gone insane), there’s no denying that the addition of new construction materials, enemies, and animals have greatly enhanced the game. Journeying back in time will probably be interesting for a while, but most likely won’t replace more modern versions of the game for those that are still playing regularly. Still, it is cool of Mojang to do this, both for the community and from a game preservation standpoint.
Minecraft Classic is available now via web browsers.
