Ahoy there, matey! Welcome to Skull Island! Here, all your dreams and desires can come true, but you’ll have to part with your gold, your soul, and your medicine.
Well, I’m not the best pirate around. Seasickness, soft hands, and a burning hatred for seagulls make me that way. It turns out the only good thing that could happen in this foreign display of sailors is my tour of Skull Island, a lobby for multiplayer servers of Minecraft Pocket Edition. It’s beautiful, mystical, and I feel my soul slowly oozing out of my body every time I foolishly gaze into the empty eye sockets of the skull.
This is essentially all you’ll find for relaxation on the island in MCPE.
You might look at this island and think it was crafted by dark forces: a ghost captain still searching the seas for his sunken ship or a tormented kraken from the depths, but you’d be mistaken! It was created by the talented ByMrCraft, a long-time developer of Minecraft PE, who first encountered Minecraft through a school project.
“It was a project where we had to recreate a Roman city,” says ByMrCraft. “We needed to include all the most famous buildings of Rome. I loved building in the game because it was a way to express how I felt. It’s a chance to do what you want, and no one but yourself can tell you where to place the next block.”
Naturally, ByMrCraft continued to build in Minecraft PE. This freeform building style allowed him to explore new ideas and various aspects of his imagination. “I had the idea to create a large structure primarily made of stone, creating a dark atmosphere,” explains ByMrCraft. “It just emerged from my mind, a dark and heavy place.”
While the construction may remind you of ancient pirate myths and ominous sea tales, ByMrCraft‘s inspirations were visual—drawing ideas from illustrations and observing natural landscapes. These elements were as crucial as the structures themselves; without rocks, birds, and trees, the architecture in Minecraft PE would lack meaning, he states.
The skull was a late addition, an attempt to further differentiate the build and add an immediately striking feature. “The same goes for the birds,” says ByMrCraft, “which were added to the final structure to provide color and create a more mysterious environment.”
Of course, being a multiplayer hub, many people can enjoy the madness of the island simultaneously—a key consideration for ByMrCraft. “Most of my builds are designed for multiplayer mode so others can enjoy them,” says ByMrCraft. “I believe the aesthetics of the server in MCPE are one of the most important things for players.”
When it comes to constructing these places, he mentions, “I just need time and imagination. Neither I nor anyone else has any limitations when building in Minecraft Pocket Edition. It’s particularly special because you can create anything you want, however you like.” He also shares his advice for new builders: “Never try to copy something that’s already been done. Be yourself. Every builder has their own building style and their unique way of doing things.”
If you wish to see more creations from ByMrCraft, you can check out his website or follow him on Twitter to stay updated on his future projects!
