Minecraft's New Mob Is Pure Nightmare Fuel

"Minecraft" just keeps evolving, and Mojang just announced an update that will add not only a new biome to the game, but also a terrifying new creature. Premiering in the upcoming "Bundles of Bravery" update, The Pale Garden looks a bit like a forest that had some of the color drained out of it, but strange-looking trees aren't the only things that players will find when they explore the area. The Garden is also home to a new mob called the Creaking. If you aren't careful, these creatures will pop out and get you when you least expect it. 

Horror elements have been a part of "Minecraft" since the very beginning. Who among us can't remember the first time a Creeper snuck up on us from behind or a mob came at us out of nowhere in a dark cave? The Pale Garden just continues that trend and puts the horror more front-and-center than players might be used to. The biome's whole vibe is off-putting, but the scariest part about it and the new enemy is that you can't easily kill the Creaking. It chases you whenever you aren't looking at it, and the only way to stop it is to destroy the Creaking Heart that's hidden somewhere in the trees.

"A Minecraft Movie" has been getting all the attention in recent weeks, and almost everything we've heard about it makes us worried. This update is a great reminder that no matter what happens with the movie adaptation, the game will keep trucking along. "Minecraft" fans are excited about the Creaking (and its possible inspirations), but not everyone is overjoyed by the new biome.

Mojang clearly focused on atmosphere while designing the Pale Garden, and from what the developers have shown of the area, it looks like they nailed it. The washed-out, moss-covered trees are visually unsettling, but the sounds inside the Pale Garden are what really sell the horror movie aesthetic. While showing off the latest update, audio designer Sandra Karlsson explained, "We add ambient sounds for this biome that only play during the night that come from the blocks that surround you."  The Pale Garden is a relatively normal forest by day, but the trees begin playing a creepy symphony at night, and a terrifying creature starts roaming through the woods. The Creaking lives deep within the Pale Garden, and it moves through the trees in a very particular way. When you're in the Garden at night, you'll probably get jump-scared once or twice, because the Creaking only moves toward you when you aren't looking at it.

Fans spotted the similarities between the new "Minecraft" enemy and the famous Weeping Angels from "Doctor Who" right away. Just like the Angels, the Creaking only moves when you aren't looking. Unlike the Weeping Angels, the Creaking don't transport you through time when they touch you. They do, however, release glowing embers when you attack them, and those specks of light will lead you to the Creaking Heart buried inside one of the Pale Garden's trees. Destroying that will kill the Creaking, and you take the heart back with you to your base. 

By day, the Pale Garden is a place where you can go to collect a new kind of moss and pale wood, which you can use to decorate your latest building projects. By night, the Garden is the set of a horror movie. Even though most fans seem excited by the concept, some are pointing out a flaw in the new biome's design.

cool, but why should players go to the pale garden in the first place?

— Sunburntsalami (@Sunburntsalami) September 28, 2024

Aside from some cosmetic-focused items, some gamers feel that Mojang hasn't revealed any truly compelling reason for fans to hike their way into the dangerous Pale Garden in the first place. There needs to be something to encourage players to explore the Garden at night, otherwise the excellent design of the Creaking will have all been for nothing. Other fans have preemptively ruled out the Creaking as a creature worth fearing, arguing that it didn't appear especially deadly in the preview. Even if the release version of the Creaking isn't all that lethal, we imagine it'll still be good for a jump scare or two.

Cool and fun idea, but when can that mob actually kill someone?
Didn't look like it did much damage at all.
I like the look, and I hope there will be more functionality and utility to it.
Also, outback biome when?!??

— ❄️IcyTheDrongo❄️ 🍸🥃🍹🇦🇺 (@Ice_Vulf) September 28, 2024

In general, however, most fans seem pretty excited about this new update. It's always cool to see "Minecraft" gets a large chunk of new content. As with everything in the game, the Pale Garden is going to become a new jumping-off point for player creativity. "Bundles of Bravery" is still without a release date, but with any luck, this new spooky area will arrive just in time for Halloween.