Minecraft has launched its new Universal Studios Experience DLC.
The idea with this DLC is it is themed around the Universal Studios theme park, as opposed to the movie studio. So, as much fun as it might sound, don’t expect to get to recreate scenes from To Kill a Mockingbird, The Deer Hunter, or Fast Times at Ridgemont High, with a bunch of Creepers.
As reported by Insider Gaming, the DLC description names biggest blockbusters, like Shrek, Dracula, King Kong, Back To The Future, Jurassic World, and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
The idea with this DLC is that players have to go through each classic Universal Studios theme park ride, to find and reassemble the giant Universal Studios logo. The game actually features a voxelized simulacrum of the Universal Studios theme park.
The trailer makes it clear that this isn’t exactly about their original theme park attractions per se, but new and original attractions based on those blockbuster movies. For example, instead of the classic King Kong theme park attractions, from the 1980s and 1990s, what Minecraft players get is Skull Island: Reign of Kong, which is based on the 2005 Peter Jackson King Kong film. (The Monsterverse franchise, which includes the Skull Island film, licensed King Kong from Universal, alongside other monsters from Toho, and is made by Legendary Pictures, under Warner Brothers.)
Another interesting element of this DLC is the seeming appearance of recognizable characters from the movies. We can definitely confirm Doc Emmett Brown appearing in Hill Valley, and it looks like Sam Quint is steering the boat for us in the Jaws theme park ride. There is also a Return of the Mummy ride that may or may not be holding a simulacrum of Arnold Vosloo’s Imhotep.
We don’t actually know if Universal got the original actors to work on this game where they were available (Arnold Vosloo and Christopher Lloyd are very much still alive and working, Robert Shaw passed away in 1978), but it would have been an interesting bonus if they did.
In any case, it’s a perfectly conceived of crossover of past and present. Not only is it a celebration of Universal’s classic movies, but it’s also a celebration of their theme park legacy as well. I would not hold my breath on the Hall of Presidents or the It’s A Small World Disneyland attractions making it to Minecraft in the near future, but who knows?
You can watch the Minecraft Universal Studios Experience DLC trailer below. The DLC is available now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and Windows on Steam.
