Though Mojang's new approach to Minecraft updates could help add and improve new content to the game, its latest addition of resin clumps still risks becoming like other undervalued blocks such as copper. Introduced in Minecraft's newest Pale Garden biome alongside other new block types like pale oak wood, resin clumps are an unusual addition to Minecraft due to how they are obtained and used. But despite the novelty of resin and its ties to the Pale Garden's new Creaking mob, the lengths needed to farm resin and its currently limited functionality could deter Minecraft players from building and crafting with resin.
While Mojang's last major Tricky Trials update expands how players can use and build with copper, the changes haven't addressed Minecraft's copper problem and have left the commonly found metal in the same position as before. Given how resin is being implemented into Minecraft by Mojang, the new resource could wind up as another copper parallel with a variety of decorative uses but little else. Combined with the difficulty of first finding and then obtaining resin clumps, Mojang may need to quickly revisit resin in a future update and add more useful crafting recipes, blocks, and more.
Minecraft's Pale Garden Feels Like Another Step Toward an Inevitable Mode
With the recent addition of the creepy Pale Garden biome and Creaking mob to Minecraft, Mojang should consider adding a new horror gamemode.
Minecraft's New Resin Clumps Fall Short Like Copper Ore
A few key things to know about Minecraft's resin is that clumps alone are only used when crafting resin bricks, blocks, and new armor trims, but resin bricks are arguably the most useful. They can be used to create slabs, stairs, walls, and even chiseled blocks. However, resin clumps don't spawn naturally and require players to actively attack creakings, causing their creaking hearts to generate resin on nearby pale oak blocks. While creaking hearts can only be mined with the Silk Touch enchantment, players can craft their own creaking hearts using two pale oak logs and a block of resin.
Similar to Copper, Resin Only Has Decorative Uses in Minecraft
Though it becomes easier for players to farm resin once they have found a Pale Garden biome in Minecraft's expanding Overworld and located a creaking heart, the lengths players have to go through for half a dozen decorative blocks could be discouraging. Since several of these resin blocks and crafting recipes are intended for decorative purposes, such as resin bricks for building and clumps for armor trims, there is ultimately not much to gain for players who go out of their way for resin. This is arguably similar to copper ore as its blocks were also predominantly decorative when first introduced with copper's unique oxidization mechanic.
Minecraft's Resin Clumps Might Even Be Worse Off than Copper
Copper has at least been included in a wider range of recipes since it was released, such as crafting brushes, lightning rods, and spyglasses, and it has received new blocks in later updates. Moreover, copper ore is among the most common and easiest-to-find resources in the game, meaning resin has made its Minecraft debut with a significant disadvantage by comparison. Should Mojang want to avoid resin clumps sharing the same fate as other underappreciated resources like Minecraft's copper or tuff, future updates should consider giving resin new recipes and uses that add to the player experience.
How Minecraft Could Improve Resin Clumps
Even though resin clumps aren't exactly like their real-world counterparts due to their ties to the Creaking and creaking hearts, real resin's applications could be carried over into Minecraft to add or replace various gameplay features. For example, several types of resin are used for arts and crafts or DIY hobbies, and natural tree sap has survivalist applications, such as starting fires, healing wounds, or imitating glue. By capitalizing on resin's potential as part of Minecraft redstone components and mechanics, like those in the following list, Mojang could prevent resin from becoming as obscure as copper:
- An alternative to slime balls when crafting sticky pistons.
- A new light color for torches, lanterns, and campfires similar to Soul Sand.
- A clear resin block can encase items instead of using glass and sticky pistons.
- Resin clumps can "treat" wood blocks and make them fireproof.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 90 /100 Critics Rec: 84%
WHERE TO PLAY
Minecraft is a game made up of blocks, creatures, and community. You can survive the night or build a work of art – the choice is all yours. But if the thought of exploring a vast new world all on your own feels overwhelming, then fear not!
Minecraft has no set goal and can be played however you’d like! This is why it’s sometimes called a “sandbox game” – there are lots of things for you to do, and lots of ways that you can play. If you like being creative, then you can use the blocks to build things from your imagination. If you’re feeling brave, you can explore the world and face daring challenges. Blocks can be broken, crafted, placed to reshape the landscape, or used to build fantastical creations.
Creatures can be battled or befriended, depending on how you play. The world of Minecraft allows for epic adventures, quiet meditations, and everything in between. You can even share your creations with other players, or play in community worlds!
- Engine
- LWJGL, PROPRIETARY ENGINE
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Online Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Minecraft
- Number of Players
- 1-4
- Split Screen Orientation
- Vertical or Horizontal
- Platform(s)
- 3DS, Android, iOS, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Wii U, PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PS Vita, Xbox One, Xbox 360
- Genre(s)
- Sandbox, Survival
- How Long To Beat
- 129 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- No
- File Size Xbox Series
- 1.42 GB (August 2024)
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
