London's Burning!... In Minecraft

By Londonist Staff Last edited 92 months ago

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London's Burning!... In Minecraft

Walk through the streets of 17th century London; watch it all burn; then rebuild it as you like. That's the latest offering from Museum of London, whose new Great Fire 1666 game recreates the conflagration through the blocky medium of Minecraft.

The game will launch in three stages. The first stage uses Wenceslaus Hollar's map of burnt London to form a treasure hunt across the city. Explore the streets in search of audio clips that give the background to the fire.

The second phase, released in September around the 350th anniversary of the disaster, will show how the fire spread via a series of mini-games to help evacuate residents, get stuck into fire-fighting, make crucial decisions and engage with famous figures from the time.

The final stage of the game, released in February 2017, is when Minecraft really comes into its own. Players will be able to concoct their own vision of London, using examples of the architectural plans drawn up by the likes of Christopher Wren and John Evelyn.

The first map will be downloadable from 29 July 2016, in support of the museum's Fire! Fire! exhibition.

Last Updated 19 July 2016