Kidnapped, or KIDNAPPED, as the map screams its own name, is a minecraft adventure map whose maker claims it has had 18,000 downloads in the two days since its launch. I suspect that this is a significant stretching of the truth, but I’m willing to suspend my disbelief, as this is minecraft and people without imagination simply curl up, whimpering in a corner ‘it’s all just blocks, it’s all just blocks’. This map is one of many made for the Planet Minecraft ‘Caved In’ Custom Map contest, which involved giving map creators a ‘blank slate’ of a map and letting them go to it. (Keeping that in mind, perhaps this truly does have downloads numbering in the five digits.)
KIDNAPPED certainly deserves 18,000 downloads for the dramatic cinematic trailer alone. It’s been 109 hours in development, which is an impressive feat (but 9.891 hours short of the amount of time it takes to master a skill). With a gripping story and forty five minutes of action packed gameplay, this is a must download for minecraft adventure buffs. The environments are beautiful, the story is tight and this map goes out of its way to ensure that it is not a waste of your precious minecrafting time.
If I had to make a criticism, it would be that it is far too easy to get off course early on and not be able to make your way back to the map’s intended path. There’s also a lot of lava, although lots of lava has never traditionally been considered a drawback. In my humble opinion, a minecraft adventure map should either be open enough to play any old how, or linear enough to make sure you stumble across the things you’re supposed to stumble across. At times the map’s pace drags to a halt because it’s not entirely obvious what you’re supposed to do next. I suspect that people who enjoy cryptic crosswords will enjoy the experience very much.
Oh, and there’s also a lot of lava. I know I mentioned that, but there’s a lot, and you will have to get uncomfortably close to it on order to get even a small way into the map, so I hope you enjoy crispy Steve.
And then there’s the drowning to worry about later…
I’m whining of course, but the truth of the matter is that this is a rather well tuned minecraft adventure map. It shows in the little things too, like the pickaxe with just enough use left to break through four sets of iron bars, or the strenuous insistence on using Adventure Mode so I can’t just build a bridge of cobblestone across all the nefarious traps. This is a map that makes you work for your fun, but it’s worth it in the end. You’ll see.