One of the best aspects of Minecraft and a big element of its continued success is the amount of consistent changes that the game receives via its content updates, which do well to keep the offered experience of the sandbox title fresh. Not only are these new waves of content usually quite comprehensive and engaging, but a lot of the content is actually directly chosen and influenced by the game's longstanding and expansive community.
A fantastic example of the community influence over new Minecraft content is present in the annual and exciting Mob Votes that Mojang holds. It can be argued that the primary downside to these Mob Votes is that there can only be one winning mob which is added to Minecraft, with the rest being discarded and leaving many fans disappointed. It would be remiss for these losing mobs to be completely forgotten, and the most dynamic and unique ones should be reconsidered by Mojang for future updates.
Minecraft: The Hovering Inferno Mob
One of the most compelling losing Minecraft Mob Vote choices is the Hovering Inferno mob, which came from the very first Mob Vote in 2017. Alongside a range of other potential mobs, the Hovering Inferno mob endeared itself to players for its imposing size and commendable threat.
The Hovering Inferno would have essentially worked as a boss-type creature building off of the Blaze mob, which is indigenous to Minecraft's ominous Nether realm. A massive creature, the Hovering Inferno would have stalked around the Nether with a pack of Blaze underlings, attacking the player with devastating flaming shock-waves while defending itself with a series of floating shields. Many liked the prospect of the difficulty and presence behind the Hovering Inferno, yet sadly the mob would lose out to the Phantom, which has become a staple of Minecraft by attacking players who have not slept for several days in-game.
Why Minecraft Needs the Hovering Inferno
Minecraft is known for its smart level of innovation and layered gameplay, but it can be said that the game is lacking in terms of the variety of boss-type mobs that it possesses. For now what seems like an eternity, Minecraft's hardest offered gameplay has been present in facing off against the likes of the Ender Dragon and the Wither, with there being very little change to this since these bosses were added in 2011 and 2012 respectively.
Many entries to the Mob Votes of Minecraft are passive or commonplace mobs, lacking the ritual, tense combat, and reward behind boss-type enemies. While these passive mobs - such as the recent Sniffer victor of the 2022 Mob Vote - are positive and fun new implements, there is a clearly a need for more complex and challenging boss-type enemies within Minecraft.
In this line of thought, many fans have been vocal in their desire for a kind of all-star Mob Vote for Minecraft, being made up of the best losing mobs from past events. This, in conjunction with the fact that the Hovering Inferno was considered for inclusion as a boss in 2020's Minecraft Dungeons, shows that there is a clear desire for this kind of mob to be realized within the wider franchise.
It is high time for the offered bosses of Minecraft to reach the same level of depth and complexity as the many other game mechanics that the game boasts, and there is clearly a commendable pre-existing pool of past Mob Vote losers to take inspiration from. The Hovering Inferno in particular is one of the most intriguing of these potential mobs, and would crucially give realms like the Nether an added level of challenge and reward.
Minecraft is available now for Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.