Hytale vs Minecraft: 5 Key Differences and Which One You Should Play

The long-awaited release of Hytale has set the internet on fire. Fans of Hytale since the announcement have been touting it as the big “Minecraft Killer.” On the other hand, Minecraft fans speculate that the game is simply too big to be taken down by Hytale. The community behind these two has been waiting 7 years for this showdown, in which the older reigns supreme. Here are 5 Key Differences between Hytale and Minecraft.

C# Engine vs Java

While both games appear similar, the biggest difference lies beneath their voxel graphics. Hytale uses the C# Engine, which works well with the Windows runtime environment; the engine is generally considered to be more modern than Java. This doesn't mean it's an immediate upgrade to Java; it simply performs some tasks better than Java.

Meanwhile, Minecraft uses Java as its game engine. While Java is easily configurable and scalable, it also has severe limitations as it was designed with cross-compatibility in mind. However, Java is available on nearly every platform, making it more accessible and portable than C#. It is considered by many to be dated but not irrelevant, as Java is widely used in server- and enterprise-backend systems.

Game Design

Both games share a similar gameplay feel and loop, collect blocks, build, and fight monsters. There is a difference in design, however. Minecraft was made to be as open-ended as possible. It has the overall goal of defeating the Ender Dragon, but it also has almost no RPG elements or a questing system. This makes progression a non-linear affair, which many will enjoy. However, there are just as many who don't enjoy Minecraft's freeform gameplay.

On the other hand, Hytale changes the formula for Minecraft-like games by introducing a dedicated Adventure Mode with guided story progression. This makes Hytale adopt more RPG elements, giving the gameplay greater structure and narrative depth. Whereas Minecraft players are free to create their own stories. Hytale also makes significant changes to Combat and Movement. Due to the RPG elements within Hytale, combat is an emphasis of gameplay, with combos and different animations present for each weapon. Movement also feels more fluid than its competitors, with dedicated animations for specific actions.

World Generation

Minecraft uses what many consider to be World Generation v1, essentially true procedural generation, while following a set of parameters. This causes Minecraft to have issues generating new chunks; structures can overlap and be incomplete, and biomes can be so large that most of the world is just a seemingly endless ocean.

When it comes to Hytale, the game uses World Generation v2, where terrain generation is much less procedurally generated. It follows modern survival RPG trends, with zones and world tiers populated by enemies and handmade prefabricated structures. This significantly reduces terrain-generation errors while also adding a linear progression system and structure to the game. It mostly avoids the pitfalls of World Generation v1, where a bad seed can make survival playthroughs significantly more challenging or too easy.

Modding and Support

Long-time Minecraft players have undoubtedly played with mods at least once. Others would say that modded Minecraft is inevitable; others would argue that Minecraft is perfect the way it is. But given the hundreds of thousands of mods available to Minecraft players, the community certainly seems to value the ability to mod the game. While the mods vary in quality, the quantity is truly astounding. It's not a perfect system, though. Modded Minecraft relies on third-party executables, and Minecraft itself does not have modding tools. Mod developers need to rely on third-party tools and model makers in order to create mods. The modding scene is heavily dependent on the community. This makes it difficult and confusing for modders and players due to mod conflicts.

Hytale takes modding as part of its development. The developers have provided all the tools needed to develop mods. The game has its own model maker and designer, script sequencer, and mod maker. This gives Hytale a significant edge over Minecraft by making modding much more accessible. It allows for greater creativity and higher-quality mods with far fewer issues and bugs than Minecraft. The downside is that modding will be limited to the server side. This means that Hytale players won't be able to mod their clients, unlike in Minecraft.

Feature Completeness and Pricing

Minecraft has been out for more than a decade; most would say the $30 price tag is worth it. Many state that the hours you can spend playing Minecraft are practically innumerable, and the number of servers and mods makes the purchase a no-brainer. The majority of the player base would say that the base game of Minecraft is barren but feature-complete, with decades of community support.

Hytale only very recently entered early access, with the standard version coming in at $15. Many are skeptical about purchasing the game due to the stigma around games stuck in development hell and early access games. To add to this, the Early Access version of Hytale doesn't include Adventure Mode, the story/campaign mode. Hytale is not feature-complete, as expected, since it's still in early access.

The biggest disparity is in both games' creative modes. Hytale offers a full suite of tools for players. World-building in Hytale’s creative mode is a genuine treat for builders. Just for context, players can “paint” in the game using blocks with an easy-to-use and extremely intuitive building tool. Players also have access to the Y-axis plane, which can be painted over with the use of the in-game building tool. Coupled with in-game documentation detailing the full extent and capabilities of the creative mode building tool, Hytale players can design massive builds in minutes without external modding. For Minecraft players, designing massive builds is extremely difficult and time-consuming without mods like World Edit, as the player would have to lay every block one at a time. However, in Hytale, World Edit is essentially built into the core game.

Bonus: Side Scrolling Minigames are playable in Hytale

Yes, Hytale can support side-scrolling minigames by using the engine's camera controls and movement restrictions. Even though the gameplay appears 2D, the world and physics are still fully 3D. The player is essentially playing a custom game mode inside Hytale rather than leaving the game itself. By locking the camera angle and limiting movement, servers can create unique minigames, giving the community more freedom to build creative experiences within Hytale.

Verdict

The best way to view Hytale is not as a “game killer” but as friendly competition. It doesn't need to steal the Minecraft player base to succeed. Minecraft won't fail or lose popularity with the release of Hytale either; fans essentially have another choice to play.