It's pretty incredible that Hytale launched into early access today. It's a miracle it even exists at all, really: games canceled by major studios typically vanish forever. Remember Blizzard's survival game Odyssey that was canceled after nearly eight years in development? Poof. Gone, tragically leaving behind nothing more than a handful of leaked screenshots.

So it's genuinely great news that Hytale, which was cancelled last summer by Riot, beat the odds and had what sounds like a massive launch today, with preorders securing enough funds to support several more years of development. No matter what, that's a remarkable achievement for a game that was all but dead and buried just a few months ago.

And after spending some time today in Hytale today, I can already see the years of work that went into it. I can also see, as the devs warned us before launch, that it's got a long way to go. Back in November, Hypixel Studios CEO Simon Collins-Laflamme said the adventure sandbox 'isn't good yet', but it already feels pretty good to me.

As you'd probably expect from a game that looks like Minecraft and acts like Minecraft and is made by former Minecraft modders—it sure is a lot like Minecraft in Hytale. You bash blocks and smash rocks and craft gear and build a base and fight fantasy monsters like skeletons and spiders. There's a big blocky procedurally generated world to explore and deep, dark caves to spelunk. If you've ever even dipped a toe into Minecraft you'll find most of this completely familiar.

And as we were warned, it's very early access. One of the first things I encountered was a vendor who can't vend anything because he's not finished yet, and the first location I reached, a village of friendly NPCs, had a whole bunch of WIP signs where a number of unfinished features will hopefully someday stand.

But what's here and working works well. In true Minecraft fashion, I started gathering sticks and rocks and crafting tools, then had a nice surprise when I chopped a tree down and it completely collapsed into a pile of blocks instead of just hovering there in space with a chunk missing. I had a few fights with some skeletons, killed a few innocent sheep for food and hides, and then hurriedly put down some crafting benches and built myself a box to live in because I assumed at nightfall, as in Minecraft, the monsters come out.

No monsters, though, at least no more than there are during the daytime, so that's at least one difference. Pretty soon I was happily smelting iron and copper in a furnace, building myself weapons and armor, and expanding my ugly little box into a roomier abode. There's no campaign in Hytale yet, so in true sandbox fashion, you have to find your own fun. Mine has been leaving my crummy little house behind and exploring the world, which is hiding all sorts of surprises.

You don't have to travel far in Hytale before you start encountering new biomes, and those biomes are home to some interesting creatures and cryptids. In a swamp I was attacked by something that looked like The Creature From the Black Lagoon (or Block Lagoon, I guess). Up in the mountains I definitely spotted a massive Yeti (and immediately fled).

I've fought poisonous snakes and ravenous bears and even battled a guy I found living in a little run-down cabin who looked like a ghoulified version of Robin Hood. I've stumbled onto troll villages and ruined forts filled with skellies. I've hopped my way up mountains and slid my way across a massive glacier. And that was all in a single excursion. I'm excited to see what else is hidden around that huge map.

One thing I'd really love to see in Hytale are more survival systems for things like heat, cold, thirst, and hunger, but it doesn't sound like the devs plan to add them, so I'll have to wait for a crack modder to step up to the plate. I suspect that'll happen sooner rather than later—someone's already modded Doom into Hytale, so survival mods can't be far behind.

Hytale may have a long road ahead, but it's off to a good start as far as I can tell. It's one of the rare games not on Steam, so if you're interested in checking it out for yourself, you'll need to visit the official site.