As a casual Minecraft enjoyer, I’ve always been spoiled with choices. There’s always some new project to discover and adventure to be had. Though, in a way, this can also be detrimental. In the beginning, we had Tekkit. Then there was FTB. There were a few dozen mods and fewer modpacks. But over time, as our community grew, so did the vastness of mods and modpacks to try. There’s never enough time to try them all, and it can be hard to find the hidden gems tucked out of the way.
Modded Minecraft Reviews is a project spearheaded by one of Akliz’ long-standing partners: CalaMariGold. Mari has created many projects, big and small. Like many of us who find joy in creation, she has noticed that it can be quite difficult for your project to find an audience of like-minded people. To explain MMCR and the purpose it tries to fulfill, we asked Mari some questions to try to understand the project.
How would you like to introduce yourself?
Hi! My name is Mari, also known as CalaMariGold online. I'm the site admin and creator of MMC Reviews. I've been doing web development both professionally and as a hobby for the last eight years. I'm also the creator of the modpacks TREPIDATION and Rebirth of the Night (now as community manager). As a staff member of the 1.12 Modded Coalition, I'm quite involved in the 1.12 community but have recently been expanding to newer versions. I’m also a Twitch streamer, car enthusiast, and game developer in my free time.
Can you give a basic rundown of what MMCR is?
Sure! MMC Reviews, or Modded Minecraft Reviews, is a website dedicated to providing honest and comprehensive reviews of Minecraft mods and modpacks for Java Edition players. Our mission is to help players discover new and interesting projects while giving valuable feedback to developers. We focus on highlighting less popular and niche mods to bring attention to hidden gems in the modded Minecraft community.
A look at the MMCR website.
Why did you start this project?
As a developer, I know how challenging it can be to get your hard work noticed, and as a player, I know that most modpack recommendations come from word of mouth. I created MMC Reviews to shine a light on lesser-known projects that showcase high effort and quality, rather than those already boasting millions of downloads. There's currently no good way to discover these hidden gems. Platforms like Reddit offer some visibility, but it's hit or miss, and CurseForge's "Featured Modpack" system is broken, rarely updated, and only promotes popular packs. MMC Reviews tries to focus on projects with fewer than a million downloads, providing a much-needed platform for new and smaller creators.
How does this benefit the modded Minecraft community?
By prioritizing quality over popularity, MMC Reviews helps players discover their favorite mods and modpacks more quickly and easily, while providing developers with an additional avenue to gather feedback and attract new players. One of our main goals is improving discoverability. Finding new projects that fit specific criteria on platforms like CurseForge or Modrinth can be tough. MMC Reviews’ categorization system, with over 170 tags, themes, and genres, allows players to fine-tune their searches to find exactly what they're looking for. Not to mention, our new “Similar Mods/Modpacks'' section allows players to find their next favorite mod or modpack. With these combined features, I'm confident that MMC Reviews offers a level of discoverability and searchability that no other platform currently provides.
How does this benefit individual modpacks and creators?
Mod and modpack developers benefit from receiving honest reviews of their projects, as we provide a centralized place for feedback from the modded Minecraft community. Developers can also respond to reviews to inform players about updates, correct misconceptions, offer support, or simply thank them for their review. I believe this sort of interaction fosters a more engaged and informed community around their projects.
Rebirth of the Night - also created by CalaMariGold.
Do you take any measures to reduce or prevent toxicity, review bombing, and misinformation?
Absolutely. MMC Reviews takes moderation very seriously. We have a team of moderators, back-end systems, and a robust set of guidelines outlined in our FAQ to prevent toxicity, review bombing, misinformation, impersonation, alt accounts, compensation for positive reviews, and more. We also ban reviews that criticize projects based on the Minecraft version, mod loader, or hardware they were designed for, addressing a common issue seen in CurseForge comments (No "Please port to X version" seen here!). We're always accepting feedback on our guidelines, and we provide a quick and easy way to submit a report or privately communicate your ideas and concerns to our entire team via our Discord.
What plans do you have for further development of the project?
We have many exciting features planned! One major addition will be “reviewer profiles”, which will provide a way to see all of someone’s reviews, as well as public or private lists like "Currently Playing", "Finished", and "Plan to Play." Users will also be able to create custom lists (similar to Interest Stacks from MyAnimeList). Other possible features include following users, creating groups, user posts, and more. We regularly share our ideas and planned features on our Discord, so feel free to join and offer more ideas!
How do you plan on increasing engagement with users going forward?
We have a few ideas to boost user engagement. We plan to introduce a badge/achievement system to reward users for their reviews, allowing them to showcase how many reviews they've written and the likes they've received. We also want to introduce events and bring back "Modpack of the Month" to keep the community active and engaged.
What is your favorite part of working on this project?
Since starting this site, I’ve discovered so many amazing mods and modpacks I would not have otherwise (my plan to play list just keeps growing!). I also love programming and design! It gives me a lot of satisfaction making this site the best it can possibly be. Working with the modded Minecraft community to make the site we’ve always wanted has been a blast, and it's so rewarding to give back to a community that has given me so much joy and been so accepting over the years. Thank you to everyone who has supported and interacted with MMC Reviews ❤️.
What are your thoughts?
Personally, as both a mod and modpack developer, I’m always happy to receive constructive feedback and praise for my work. And as a gamer, it’s great to get useful reviews about something before I plunge into my next adventure. While MMCR is still in its early days, I hope that we see great things from it that can help creators and players alike.
That’s it for this interview, but I’d like to leave you with some useful links: