Minecraft is a title that prides itself on the near-limitless amount of potential content that it fosters. With the base experience of the game receiving consistent updates, the modding scene for the release is a perhaps even more fruitful element of its offered experience.
There is often huge waiting periods between official Minecraft content updates, with fans usually growing impatient during them. With this in mind, it may be time for Mojang to revisit an officially scrapped mechanic of Minecraft that is still a prevalent element of the game's modding scene.
An Official Realistic Mode for Minecraft
One of the most consistent talking points that has echoed across Minecraft for years is the concept of an official realistic mode for the title. Of course, Minecraft is known for its iconic blocky art style, but this has not stopped fans from imagining what a more realistic version of the game would look like. Mojang has sharpened and stylized the art style of Minecraft significantly in recent years, although there is no kind of support for an official realistic mode of the game. While there have long been rumors of such a mode appearing with official support over the years, it seems to be a concept that has since been scrapped by Mojang.
The closest thing that players can currently get to a Minecraft realistic mode comes from mods, usually on PC versions of the title. Using the likes of modded shader packs and ray tracing, many players have completely transformed Minecraft's aesthetic into a much more stunning and realistic one. With the demand and appeal of such a mode being more than apparent, it seems time for Mojang to revive its efforts into making realistic mode an official element of Minecraft.
How Minecraft's Realistic Mode Could Be Implemented
A historic part of Minecraft's appeal is its small file-size, with the basic graphics of the game making it much more accessible across platforms. Of course, a realistic mode for the game would do away with this, and has not been a feasible prospect for some time.
However, with newer generations of consoles and PC hardware becoming increasingly powerful, a dedicated realistic mode for Minecraft may now be possible. It is true that a basic ray tracing mode is in preview for Minecraft on Xbox, although it will likely be some time before it becomes an official feature. This does prove that Mojang is receptive to pushing Minecraft's graphical fidelity, and these previews could foster a dedicated realistic mode in the near future.
This realistic mode would be optional for players, perhaps even coming as a part of its own dedicated content update. While things like new biomes and mobs in Minecraft add a small amount of variety, an entirely new graphical mode would provide a huge replayability bonus to the sandbox title. In this way, an official realistic mode could be revolutionary for Minecraft, although it could run the risk of fracturing the player base between users of the new mode and those maintaining the classic feel.
While mods have already achieved a form of realistic mode for Minecraft on PC, an official Mojang-supported mode would crucially involve the huge console player base of the game. It may be some time before a mode like this becomes a reality, yet the demand and appeal of Minecraft realism remains palpable. Ultimately, with how Minecraft has evolved over the years, an official realistic mode seems like the next logical step for the title.
Minecraft is available on Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and legacy platforms.