Glide Mini Game on Consoles Tomorrow

“We wanted to create a track which was almost like a journey to finding the Cavern Battle map,” explains Michael. “The whole theme of the map is based on the architecture of that Battle map, so they linked together really nicely.”

“We actually thought, hey, this will save us some work!” says David. “But then we put Battle's Cavern map into the track as a test. It took less than three seconds to fly through! We quickly realised that Glide's maps would have to be huge.”

And so they are! The launch track is a giant descending spiral, that moves from open areas, to tight bore-holes, before opening up again, the path regularly split by columns and other highly face-plant-able hazards.

“You start off in the Overworld, in a great canyon,” says David. “From there we wanted to introduce familiar terrain with little elements from Cavern, just to sort of hint as to the region you’re in, and as you descend the architecture gets more elaborate and less ruined. It’s almost like an archaeologist’s journey. We started off the build by digging tunnels, and trying to get interesting flight paths, and then we looked at where we could open up the map more. There’s a large atrium with some really tall architecture that works really well from that aspect, creating a crossroads between lots of a little shortcuts and different routes.”

The use of thermals to give the player lift allows for an interesting variety in the terrain, rather than a continual angular plunge.

“The thermals basically give you that roller-coaster feeling, you know?” says David. “You’re flying down, and it’s getting frantic and tight and then all of a sudden you get this lift up and then you sort of pause and then you dive down again. It gives you both adrenaline boosts and little breaks in the downward trajectory, giving you a chance to look around a little and see what’s going on.”

Glide has pretty much taken over the Mojang office - if you’re anything like us, you’ll be quickly fixated on taking down your friends scores, eking out every precious second from the course. Look out for more tracks in the near future - some free, some as part of a Season Pass. You can get a glimpse of these at the end of the trailer.

“The first DLC pack going out will be themed around beasts,” says David. “We have a kraken-themed level which takes inspiration from Battle’s Cove map. You burst out into a huge open area with two battling ships and a giant, giant kraken that you fly right up and over. It’s a really great experience. Then we have an exciting glacial track that uses the Ice Spikes biome as inspiration. We have lots of yetis running through the map and giant fossils for you to avoid and to fly through. And the final one uses the Chinese Mythology pack - you’ll be flying alongside dragons and around the fantastic, epic terrain of China!”

Keep your eyes on the skies for free maps, too - like the forthcoming Temple-inspired track, which sweeps through jungle canyons, mines and archaeological dig-sites!

We hope you enjoy the new mode! Just don’t beat my score.