Relax to lo-fi Minecraft melodies

I am by a lake, fishing, when I hit play. The soothing synths wash over me and the rest of the Overworld just as the sun disappears. The shift is instant. Are these otherworldly beats making the night feel... exciting? You know what? Forget about the safety of my softly lit Japandi-inspired house - I’m destined for mystery! A sci-fi life in technicolor! And I know just the place for it. With a stocked-up inventory, I wave goodbye to my pet rabbits and set off. The rhythm intensifies as I sprint past spiders and creepers toward the ravine.  

The cave is dark and the sound of rattling of bones bounces across its andesite blocks. Time to increase the volume of the lo-fi track! I climb further inside and there they are. In a deep pool of gleaming water, a group of glow squid pulsate to the lo-fi beats. The tunes transition into a calm ambiance. It’s my sign to get digging! 

 Forty-five minutes later I stand in front of my masterpiece towering behind the house; a giant aquarium carved from the mountainside and held in place by glass blocks. The glow squids dance across the panes and into the waterfall cascading down from the cliff to form a river. I whip out my fishing rod again and soak up the view. Some soul lanterns and a Potion of Glowing would top this off well. I think me and my new soundtrack will like it here. 

Linn Viberg

Eager to experience the laidback lutes in my hero form, I launched Minecraft Legends and created a custom world to match the vibe. My secret to serenity? An invulnerable hero, low gravity, high build speed, low piglin health, and increased knockback. Okay, that last one is mostly for hilarity. But with this custom world recipe, I set out to relax completely in an Overworld that was overrun by piglins. 

I started out by zooming around through speed wheat for a bit, just to immerse myself in the world and potentially find a picturesque spot. Of course, I had to stop and pet a pig. I also reassured the piggy that it’s much cuter than the piglins and that their actions don’t reflect badly on it. 

I reluctantly moved on when Foresight told me that the piglins were planning an attack on a nearby village. This would be my chance to test the increased knockback! And just as the music’s tempo intensified, the piglins charged the village. It was almost like I went back to the video and picked that section myself! Which I definitely did not do. Needless to say, launching groups of piglins into the air and watching them land several chunks away was pure joy. 

Once the attack was repelled, it was time to head to the jungle and bounce around. Thanks to the reduced gravity and some bouncecaps, jumping from tree to tree was one of the most soothing things I’ve ever experienced, rivaled only by that one time I tried a head massager. Finally, watching the sunrise from a treetop while listening to the laidback lutes reminded me why the Overworld was worth fighting for. 

Cristina Anderca

The Tower in Minecraft Dungeons’ is a challenge not meant for the weak-minded or faint-hearted. One false move and you can kiss your stair-climbing run goodbye. These facts are based on a recent – and may I say very legitimate – study of my 2759 attempts at conquering the tall structure. The study reveals some interesting results about m... er, the general player behavior. Each of these attempts ended in either loud screams, bad excuses, or a few cases of the participant crying hysterically in a corner. However, what these empirical studies didn’t reveal was that the lack of success wasn’t a matter of skill – but a matter of vibe. 

Armed with a good mood, a thirst for revenge, and a pair of closed-back headphones, I enter the Tower for the 2760th time, certain that this run will be different than all my previous failures. By playing the all-new Minecraft Dungeons lo-fi track during my playthrough, I’m convinced that my heart rate will remain at reasonable levels and I’ll not let stress get the better of me. After all, how could this intriguing one-hour arrangement make me anything but relaxed?   

I couldn’t ask for a better start. The track kicks off with a calming yet tactful re-arrangement of Dalarna – the soothing song normally played in the camp. Floors fly past me as fast as a player with Boots of Swiftness, and I slowly build up my avatar. I opt for a build with lots of sword enchantments and the Corrupted Seeds artifact, slashing my way through waves of mobs. It’s going quite well! 

Around the seven-minute mark, it starts to get sweaty as the music takes on a mysterious, almost ominous style. Weird, alien sounds take turns with the scratching of vintage vinyl, but it’s still a catchy beat. It grows on me to the point that I’m completely in tune with the music. I’m unstoppable! Invincible! A god among mobs! NOTHING CAN DEFEAT ME!!! 

At floor 20, I’m defeated by a grumpy Endersent with a couple of brutal hits to the face. My terrible track record continues, but at least I ended in a good mood thanks to a different kind of track. I wasn’t able to topple the Tower, but I gained a new focus track to study to!