Hytale's early access Cursebreaker story arc promises "difficult choices that carry lasting consequences"

Minecraft has always been relatively light on its core 'story,' leaving players to fill in the blanks with lore theories and speculation. By comparison, spiritual successor turned rival Hytale is already shaping up to offer a little more definition out of the gate, even in its early access stage. But while Hypixel founder Simon Collins-Laflamme says the team is "not going deep on narrative for early access", he does tease that we'll be getting a series of story chapters that unfold a tale where you'll be forced to make "difficult choices" that can leave a lasting impression on the world and your character.

"As we keep weekly updates rolling in early access for Hytale, we're also working in parallel on larger content updates, delivered as chapters, that will slowly unfold the Cursebreaker story arc," Collins-Laflamme explains. "When it reaches the final chapter, Orbis will be within reach and the game will be fully released." Orbis is the name for Hytale's world, and we'll be getting a more defined and narrative-driven quest there when the sandbox game launches into 1.0, courtesy of the more RPG-inspired Adventure Mode.

Currently, you're probably playing Hytale in Exploration Mode, the main option for its early access launch (alongside the freeform sandbox of Creative Mode). It's more akin to Minecraft's standard 'Survival' option, with the ability to explore the world as you wish and enjoy all the mechanics and threats of the core game, albeit without the level of narrative direction we'll be getting in Adventure Mode down the line. However, Collins-Laflamme says these chapters will still create impactful choices.

"If you've been playing the Exploration Mode, you've probably noticed that the curse is quiet at the moment," he remarks. "That will change as the first chapter begins, and you'll need to make difficult choices that carry lasting consequences for the world around you, and yourself."

That sounds pretty significant to me, and I think it's what will keep me coming back as things progress throughout the year. While I've been pleasantly surprised by how robust Hytale already is in its early incarnation, especially given its rocky road to release, I'm a little reluctant to get too deep into things while it's still evolving rapidly. Defined 'chapter' updates that I can pursue are a great way to have a bit more direction while we wait for the finished product.

Collins-Laflamme does caution not to expect massive story beats. "Keep in mind, we're not going deep on narrative for early access," he explains. "However, the Cursebreaker arc is how you'll see the game progress, chapter by chapter. It's a journey we share with the community, and when it's done, it becomes a memory for those who were there."

There's little indication how these will actually play out, then, but my best guess is that the way the community interacts with the decisions through these early chapters will have some measure of impact on elements of the final Adventure Mode world and its story. Perhaps our choices could affect the makeup of a biome, or carve a unique chunk of land out of one section of the map that's then used for a key set piece.

"Hytale has a lot of potential, and that's a responsibility we don't take lightly," Collins-Laflamme concludes. "We're bringing in the right people and we can finally just focus on making a great game. No funding concerns, fully independent. All that's left is to work hard, have fun, and keep engaging with our amazing community."