It’s taken 13 years, but the Minecraft OG protagonist, Steve, has finally got his beard back. Originally, Steve’s beard was a feature that was as ingrained into the design of the intrepid explorer as his cyan shirt and blue pants. Steve wasn’t the only one that received a well-overdue update, though.
Alex, the female protagonist added in the Bountiful Update of September 2014, has also undergone a few changes. The biggest change to the Alex skin is the addition of more three-dimensional parts. These are most noticeable on her arms, as the character now looks to have her sleeves slightly rolled up. Other changes to the character are primarily various rearrangements of the pixels that make up her body and clothing. Her waist looks slightly less cinched, her shoes are more detailed, and her hair looks a little more voluminous.
While Steve’s beard is by far the biggest change to come to the character in 13 years, it’s not the only change that’s been implemented. Steve, too, has had his pixels slightly rearranged, although these are less noticeable than on the Alex skin. His shirt is still untucked, although slightly more defined and detailed, and his sleeves are also now rolled up. Even Reddit users are posting about the return of the beard.
With these new updates, the question of why Alex exists and the details of the potential relationship she shares with Steve are bound to come up again. To dispel any rumors, Alex is confirmed to have been added due to the lack of female representation within the game. If you think back far enough, you’ll remember that we didn’t have any female mobs until the addition of the villainous witch.
As for any relationship between the two characters, in a practical sense, neither of the characters are entities with personalities, unless you subscribe to the LEGO version of Minecraft lore. Steve was created as a blank slate with no predefined history so that the player may create a history and a legacy of their own. The same goes for Alex. It is also pertinent to mention that neither of these are separate entities, but merely skins of the same entity.
If you’re wondering why Steve was given a name when he isn’t actually a predefined character, no matter how iconic he is, let me blow your mind. Steve’s name is not Steve. In fact, Notch, also known as Markus Persson, the creator of Mojang, Minecraft, and the game that preceded it, Cave Game, has gone on record to state that Steve’s name is actually ‘Steve?’
This is to denote that the character was not meant to have a name. More evidence of this is that he is referred to as ‘The Player’ in the End Poem. Steve is you. You are Steve. Steve is not Steve. Yet again, LEGO is the entity that promotes Steve as being called Steve; not Mojang.
Now that your mind has been blown, let’s delve into the depths of the ocean with the emergence of the Minecraft Spongebob Squarepants DLC. Bikini Bottom has finally arrived.
