You have to admit: there's something about Minecraft that screams "shooter," especially when zombies and whatnot are attacking, seemingly coming from out of nowhere and all you have is a stupid wooden sword. Start digging tunnels and throw up a few torches to get away from it all, and old-school gamers may be reminded of id Software's Quake FPS just in appearance alone. That said, it was only a matter of time before someone ran with the 1st-person block builder idea by throwing in traditional FPS elements and calling it Guncraft.
Here's the official description: "Guncraft is a first person shooter game utilizing the voxel style made popular by the highly acclaimed game, Minecraft. This game will take traditional FPS elements and combine them with construction to create a fast paced, diverse, and extremely unique level of gameplay. Combine that with a multiplayer editor and tons of modding capabilities, and you have yourself a very versatile game."
According to a press release distributed on Monday, the PC game, created by Exato Game Studios, is now in open beta. "With the availability of this open beta we welcome the feedback and participation of a much wider audience," said John Getty, Executive Producer in a press release. "For fans of both Minecraft and modern warfare games we offer a unique experience not found anywhere else."
The gameplay idea is an interesting one. In a video on the team's Kickstarter page, they describe a scenario in which the player is running the with the enemy's flag in Capture The Flag. This fleeing gamer is left open to sniper attacks to the head given that the enemy flag offers no protection. However in Guncraft, the player could build a bunker or a forest to prevent enemy players from attacking. While the scenario sounds better suited for defending the home flag, the construction element is interesting twist nonetheless.
"We were looking to make a game where the destruction of just about everything was fair game, where every wall, floor, and roof was capable of being blown away and create lines of sight and opportunities to take out your enemy," noted Alex Schlee, co-founder.
As of this writing, the Guncraft website doesn't reflect Monday's announcement, so check back later on to learn more about the open beta.
