Nintendo’s secret Switch Playtest game will be a must play for Minecraft fans

Nintendo’s mysterious Switch Online playtest has leaked online, giving players an early glimpse of the Minecraft-style game that is in development. 

Despite Nintendo asking players to refrain from sharing details about the Switch Online playtest, streamers have already begun to share footage of the upcoming title. According to leaked images from the official playtest site, the game is described as a social title where players must work together to develop a massive planet. 

Sounds rather familiar, right? Well, just like Minecraft the leaked game will enable adventurers to use their “creativity and farmed resources” to expand the planet. However, just like the enemy mobs in Mojang’s popular game, Nintendo’s online game will also feature its own deadly enemies. 

While no details have been revealed on what these creatures will be, the leaks did reveal more about the gameplay. According to the document, players will get access to special tools called Beacons, which help heal and restore the land.

Essentially, every player is tasked with fleshing out their area and joining the environment to form one gigantic planet. However, everything within the player’s Beacon zone is theirs and can’t be edited by other players. 

There are communal zones though, where you can pick up blocks and edit the foundations with fellow explorers. This removes a lot of annoyances from multiplayer sandbox games like Minecraft, where in-game griefing can lead to hours of wasted playtime. 

Making progress within your Beacon area will also reward you with Dev Points – XP that you can use to level up. Upon leveling up, you’ll get access to more items that make developing the planet more efficient. 

The leaks haven’t shown off exactly what these items are, but this progression system will help keep things feeling fresh. Nintendo’s sandbox game doesn’t seem as in-depth as Minecraft, but the emphasis on collaboration and unique Beacon mechanics does put an interesting spin on what’s come before.