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Set Review: 21106 The Nether


Ektris

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(Note: This is a repost of a lost review, so some content is out-of-date.)

 

Presentation

From the design of the box to the instruction manual, these are the first things you see before building the set.

 

minecraft_nether_thumb_1.jpg

So The Nether box is a lava block. It's awfully fitting and looks pretty cool lined up with the others. Just like The Village, there is no reference to Cuusoo anywhere.

 

Inside the box we've got the standard two instruction booklets and brick separator, as well as five bags of parts. (I accidentally deleted the picture of the bag sandwich soooo whoops.)

 

Building

Half the fun is had building the set. How fun is it to build and how easy or challenging is it?

 

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So after just two sets, there's already a standard build to be expected in the Minecraft line, what with that same build being repeated four times in each set. Build a cave segment on a larger plate, build a bit of aboveground scenery on another plate, and cap the cave with it.

 

Then we get to The Nether.

 

This set breaks the mold and I love it. Yes, everything's still built on a large plate, but you need a base, and of course most everything's still tiles and plates. The similarities stop there. The segments of The Nether are not tiered, so already it's a fun build at the start. After the third segment, though, you realize that yet again these four are pretty much identical to each other, and that's somewhat disappointing. Being different from the other two sets still helps a lot.

 

Also, how they pulled off the Ghasts was genius. They're built upside down to get the slanted pieces to act as tentacles and it is pretty cool.

 

Set Design

Now that the set is complete, we can critique how it looks from every angle. New or interesting pieces can also be examined here

 

minecraft_nether_thumb_2.jpgminecraft_nether_thumb_10.jpg

Unique to The Nether we have the three printed blocks for the mobs. Because they're all larger bricks, that does mean we don't get extras to make more of our own mobs, like we could with the ones made with tiles. That's a big shame, but really just for the Pigman. Having two Ghasts is already an improvement compared to any other mob, but I'd probably have dropped one for a Blaze to get some more diversity.

 

minecraft_nether_thumb_3.jpg

And that portal… It's beautiful. I love this transparent purple so much.

 

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As for The Nether itself… More properly, this set should have been called Nether Fortress. That's not a bad thing, that's just what it is: a fortress. It does fairly accurately recreate how fortresses in the Nether usually are encased in the side of Netherrack mountains and I like it.

 

Playability

The other half of the fun is in playing with the set. How well does the set function and is it enjoyable to play with?

 

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Playing with this set is… annoying. While I really like the design choices of the Ghasts, it does make it nearly impossible to get them to stand as they just want to fall forward. If you can find a wall to lean them into or nestle into a hole, they work out, but otherwise good luck. There's also the fact that Ghasts are supposed to fly, but I think we can look past that here. Otherwise it’s just the standard fare of plopping down your mobs wherever you want, even bathing them lovingly in lava.

 

Probably the best part of this whole set is the Nether portal and how you can just do whatever you want with it. Like throw the portal up in The Village and have the Pigman invade, with only Steve and his trusty pig to defend the realm. Because why not?

 

minecraft_nether_thumb_11.jpg

Final Thoughts

Once it's all said and done, how does the set stack up? Should I get it?

 

Pros

What's to like?

  • Unique build
  • Awesome mobs
  • Beautiful trans purple
Cons

What's not to like?

  • Only one Nether portal
  • Hard to make the Ghasts stand
So… We're growing our mob army quite nicely.

 

minecraft_mobs_thumb_2.jpg

If you're a Minecraft fan, you need this set. I'd say you need all of them, but really The Nether is a more essential piece than its sister set The Village. It's a unique build and a more iconic location in Minecraft. I'd also say it's more worth the price to me, which is still a little high, I'll admit. But it's at least still around, unlike the immediate sellout of the initial Cuusoo set, so hopefully it'll stay affordable for a little while.

 

The Nether is also a very interesting inclusion in the line. I can only hope that next up we'll have The End, complete with Enderman and Ender Dragon (and ideally be half The End, since really that's kind of boring, and half fortress – now that would be a unique set). Really, any continuation of this new line will be welcomed here.

E-T... Phone home.

 

"He walks among us, but he is not one of us."

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