Recently opened gig venue, bar and restaurant Corner Corner hosts the immersive pop-up at Surrey Quays Shopping Centre in Canada Water
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Is it really any wonder that a movie tied to the best-selling video game of all time has already more than doubled its $150million budget, even though many critics have branded it cash-in dross?
That A Minecraft Movie appears to be a creative mess is largely irrelevant given the passions its source material stirs in its youthful fan base and their eager-to-please parents. Commercially it’s as close to a sure bet as you can make in the arts.
How hard would it be to take a kid-friendly brand, established on a foundation of more than 300million games sold – plus all its associated merch and tie-ins (Lego, I’m looking at you) – pump it full of film stars and still come out with a proposition that wasn’t at least mildly appealing to guardians’ wallets?
It doesn’t have to be particularly good for companies to collect that sweet, easy cash.
The same logic applies to Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue, recently installed at Corner Corner in Surrey Quays Shopping Centre.
Here, in a space once occupied by The Range homeware store, we walk down a dimly lit corridor to a desk where bright smiling folk supply us with glowing cubes – securely fastened to our wrists, presumably to prevent them flying off and hitting a llama in its digital eye.
stepping into the space
Initially it feels pretty cool.
The game’s pixelated aesthetic is well reproduced as we’re introduced to two avatars on a big screen who, it’s explained, will lead us on some sort of quest, or something.
If you find vagueness of plot troublesome, this isn’t the experience for you. Initially we’re corralled in a sort of holding room.
It’s not immediately clear what we’re supposed to be doing other than taking selfies with a couple of giant game characters.
The lit cubes allow us to interact a bit with a Minecraft forest which coats one wall but it’s a clunky experience and there doesn’t seem to be an obvious pay-off for chopping down the trees.
No matter though. The kids in our group are already fully immersed.
For them it’s a first taste of climbing inside the game and it keeps them occupied for a spell.
Eventually our cubes go green and the steward indicates it’s time to move to the next room. Here things are better.
making stuff at Minecraft Experience
We use our orbs to transport materials to make things to crafting recipe specifications.
There’s probably some kind of story we’re following, but it gets lost to the background noise and instead another steward jollies us into picking up sticks, wood and stone.
Pleasingly the cube changes colour once loaded with items and there are rewarding chimes when we get the mix right.
But overall, as we move through further rooms, it’s patchy.
There’s no obvious tally of what we’re collecting and making (let alone, why we’re bothering).
It feels very much as though we’re mindlessly completing a series of scheduled operations to little clear benefit.
We wave our orbs about to defeat an unnecessarily relentless stream of enemies, we combine water and lava to make a portal (albeit one with disappointingly low production values).
But, unlike the actual game, there’s no jeopardy, no suspense and – worst of all – no building.
At least 60% of Minecraft is about creative construction. It’s like digital Lego, a tool for minds to make whatever a person can imagination.
At one point the floor is digital lava and we’re encouraged to hop from safe block to safe block as they appear. Or not.
Walking across the room works just as well.
No materials must be harvested and no bridge built to cross successfully.
What a wasted opportunity.
That said, for younger kids this is a delight.
It looks like their favourite game and delivers just enough to make it seem as though they’ve stepped into the screen.
Its creators though, could have dug more deeply and made a better world.
*** (3/5)
key details: Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue
Minecraft Experience: Villager Rescue is located at Corner Corner in Surrey Quays Shopping Centre, a short walk from Canada Water station until June 25, 2025.
The experience is suitable for all ages. Under 2s go free and there are discounts for kids aged 3-15.
Tickets start at £27 for adults and £22 for children including booking fees. Family tickets for four people (max two adults) start at £92.
The per person price on group tickets for 7-14 people drop as low as £21.50 per head.
Find out more and book tickets here
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