Good Monday to you geex. Today I may be sick as a dog but I still have a few Minecraft morsels for you to snack on. A couple Mondays back I spoke of a mini-game called Survival Games. Since then I've also experienced a few more mini-games that took little to no actual modding to make them happen thanks to the advent of adventure mode. This game is truly powerful and what people can accomplish with it is just inspiring.

First let's revisit Survival Games, since its original inception there has been a major spin off that has gathered a lot of attention. You can find it for yourself on the Hypixel server. The game is called Blitz Survival Games and one of the major features it adds are classes. When you first start load into the mini game you are given a selection of classes to play. These range from Knight to Archer to even the odd Meat Master. Each class plays to it's own strengths using only in game Minecraft items. As you win rounds you attain currency which you can then use to upgrade your class of choice to attain more on your first load out. There is also the option to donate to the server to help keep it up and that will give you access to other more advanced classes and beta-classes.

While I did enjoy this mini-game I'm a bit torn. These days I grow tired of "load-out" based games, I miss the days of hunting and gathering. I guess that makes me a caveman. There is a bit more polish to this mode over the original Survival Games but at least then we knew everyone started out with nothing. It was about the mad dash to gear up and then survive. Still a lot of that game play is going on in this version of the game but higher powered players can easily dominate the initial starting phase.

Another mini-game you can find on the Hypixel server is Vampire, Fresh out of beta this game features a vampires vs survivors mode. Survivors start in a small village, your vision is limited due to it being midnight. They make smart use of the Minecraft effects to replicate that. As the survivor you defend yourself against other players as vampires and npc zombies that spawn. Each round you gain gold that you can use to better equip yourself. The longer you survive the better your chances are to make it to the end. If you die though you'll come back as a vampire, now it's your turn to hunt down the remaining survivors. It's a simple yet thrilling mini-game that would entertain survival fans.

The last two I haven't personally found the time to try out yet but they look to be extremely entertaining, first being Race for the Wool. This game has two teams working against each other on separate "lanes" competing to find the wool hidden on the map via puzzles and traps. The first team to grab all the wool wins the match. It takes a moderator to keep people honest, not a lot you could do with core Minecraft components to enforce certain rules. Each team can clearly see the other on the parallel lane which helps you also map out your course. There can be quite a bit of sniping going on as well, still looks to be a lot of fun to tackle.

Finally there is Skyblock Rumble or Survival Block or what ever version you happen to find. Building off the original Skyblock premise, teams compete from their small starting island to build out and eradicate each other till there is only one team left. Scattered among the map are other traps and resource islands to help aid them in their conflict. When you die in this game it's over and you are left spectating till the end of the match. This leaves you feeling very uneasy because one misstep on these tiny islands means a quick fall to game over.

All these mini-games use no client side mods which keeps it nice and easy to get into the game. If you find yourself with a small block of time to check them out I suggest trying out the Blitz Survival or Vampire as the others will require a larger investment of time. With all these amazing games within games happening here in Minecraft land you'd be hard pressed to not find something about the game that appeals to you, unless you can't get past the retro style graphics. I'm asking myself, what interesting mini-game will I'll stumble upon next.