genre "are approachable to some degree, but they're typically games with very deep, interconnected systems", and that they wanted to make getting into Minecraft Dungeons "super easy" yet "instantly familiar". The decision to not allow building or crafting, a staple of the original Minecraft, was also made in order to focus on the core dungeon-crawling experience. To give more experienced players a challenge, the team added options to change the game's difficulty, which would reward players with better equipment and new secret content for playing on harder difficulties. Minecraft Dungeons was first announced on September 28, 2018, during the Minecon live streaming event. A video showcasing gameplay was released during E3 2019. Release Minecraft Dungeons was released on May 26, 2020, after being delayed from its original April release date due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The closed beta for the game ran for a month from March 25 to April 24, 2020. After the initial release, the game was supported with several downloadable content (DLC) expansions packs that each added new dungeons, weapons, items and artifacts. The first expansion, titled Jungle Awakens, was released on July 1, 2020. It was followed by Creeping Winter on September 8, 2020, Howling Peaks on December 9, 2020, Flames of the Nether on February 24, 2021, Hidden Depths on May 26, 2021, and Echoing Void on July 28, 2021. An Xbox Series X/S-optimized version was released alongside the Flames of the Nether update. On July 28, 2021, the same day that Minecraft Dungeons: Echoing Void was released, Minecraft Dungeons, Ultimate Edition was released with all 6 DLCs and access to all Hero Pass Cosmetics. In March 2021, Mojang announced an arcade version of the game associated with collectible cards. Officially licensed from Mojang and Microsoft, it was created by developer Play Mechanix and entertainment company Raw Thrills. The gameplay was changed into a beat-em-up format, similar to games such as Golden Axe. It debuted at Dave & Buster's restaurants sometime in May 2022. Reception Minecraft Dungeons received mixed to positive reviews from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Critics generally found the game fun and charming, complimenting its visuals and music. Some were divided on Dungeons simplicity and the procedural generation system used to generate loot and dungeon layouts. Most reviewers were critical of the game's short story mode and perceived lack of depth. Shacknews called it "a fun, laid back dungeon crawler for