Picture this. You’re standing atop your beautiful castle and you see a shimmer in the distance. Is it zombies? Is it undead hounds? Is it a gigantic, terrifying plushie with nails in its arm? In Grave Danger by Shapescape for Minecraft: Bedrock Edition*, the answer is: it’s all of them. And they’re coming for you.
New Year’s Celebration: Grave Danger
Defend your castle against the undead!
In this action-packed adventure, the fate of your castle rests in your hands! Build your defenses, protect your tower, and defeat waves of fantastical creatures with your trusty dragon at your side! I could tell you more, but I’m going to let the awesome people at Shapescape take this one, seeing as they’re the masterminds (and master builders) behind this awesome map:
Grave Danger is a tower defense type game with a unique twist! The player will jump into a world where they get to defend the castle from various kinds of fantastic monsters. The inspiration came from various tower defense games, but tower defenses can feel a little bland outside of the building phase. There is a certain tension while you wait for the waves of enemies to clash with your defenses but if you made a mistake, you cannot fix it.
We wanted to add a twist, so Grave Danger uses traps instead of turrets. We also gave the player agency during the spawn phase in which they can fight the zombies directly in the role of a young knight together with their tiny dragon companion.
Believe me, being able to run screaming into a hoard of shuffling zombies with your dragon at your side and give them a big thwack with your sword definitely feels courageous and knight-worthy. As does donning your magical weapons, unlocking over 20 traps, and blowing your enemies away (sometimes literally) with your imaginative defenses.
My experience of tower defense games usually involves me watching hordes of enemies overrun my base. But not this time! Now I am a knight. I have a dragon. And I have a plan. (Okay, the last part was a lie, but I plan to have a plan by the end of this article). If, like me, the thought of testing your wiles against the undead makes your hearts flash before your eyes, then fear not. For your benefit and your benefit alone (ahem) I asked Shapescape for a plan some tips:
Players should think outside the box when approaching this map. Positioning the traps in various combinations can make them more powerful than just a standalone trap. This and unlocking the achievements for more powerful traps will make for an absolutely unique experience.
You can say that again, Shapescape. I’ve never been so terrified of dogs in my life (possibly because these dogs are undead. And they have glowing eyes.)
Finally, if creating a map as awesome and adventure packed as Shapescape’s Grave Dangers gives you the same thrill as fleeing fighting a pack of bees (don’t say I didn’t warn you) then they also have some advice just for you:
Aspiring map-makers should go ahead and get their feet wet. Start with a small project, something simple, and expand on the next one. Have a look at bedrock.dev. There they can find lots of documentation on Minecraft map-making. There are also Discord communities that are based around Minecraft map-making. The people you meet and the things you learn are amazing things that come with map making and it is a lot of fun!
What are you waiting for? Download Grave Danger by Shapescape, grab your sword, your dragon, and your imagination and get ready to put your defenses to the test! I’ll see you on the other side of the hordes, brave warriors.
*Requires Minecraft: Bedrock Edition with the latest updates (sold separately). Limit 1 per person/account.
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