Bayou Blues for Minecraft

Review Bayou Blues

Bayou Blues

Would like to slightly diversify the biomes of the Minecraft game world? Then be sure to take a look at an add-on called Bayou Blues, which will add a new kind of swamp with new trees and other vegetation to the game. This mod is quite popular in its category, as it is made in the vanilla style but is still capable of bringing some diversity. It has been downloaded more than six million times from the official web page, which proves that it is highly popular among many users. Besides the swamp, the mod features another type of biome similar to the basic one but with some differences. Let us dwell upon all the additions you will see after installing this mod.

The Bayou Biome

It is a new biome inspired by the real terrains of Florida. It is mainly covered with water and has a lot of different vegetation. There are both vanilla plants in the form of water lilies and kelp, as well as new ones, which we will touch upon further. The structure of the biome is quite interesting, especially for playing in survival mode. So if you are a fan of walking through difficult paths, this biome will perfectly suit you. Only one tree type is generated there — the cypress. However, it can have various shapes. Thus, you can see a tree with a simple trunk or with a thicker one consisting of four blocks. Besides, they differ in height, but all of them are basically straight. Closer to the root, you can find a broader part, which contains more wood. However, this is peculiar only to the trees that grow in the water. Besides, almost all the trees are covered with the beard moss.

Using the Cypress Wood

The cypress wood can be used in the same way as the vanilla wood. That is, you can make planks of it and craft a standard set of blocks: the door, gate, fence, hatch, steps, slab, plate, and other blocks. All of them will have a beautiful swampy shade and look elegant on your structures.

Flora and Fauna of the Bayou Biome

Besides the standard vegetation, eight types of lily flowers are also generated there, which differ in size and color. However, all of them grow only on water lilies. So you will not be able to plant them on the ground or directly in water. Among the species, there are the blue, light blue, light gray, white, pink, magenta, purple, and blue-and-pink lily flower. These flowers can be used only as decoration but are a perfect element of a swamp biome. The mobs are a wholly different story. The fact is that only vanilla mobs spawn there, namely fish, chickens, as well as other neutral and hostile mobs. We can only hope that the developers will subsequently add creatures that will spawn exclusively in the bayou biome.

Other Vegetation

Besides the usual kelp under the water, you can also notice algae on its surface. These blocks are added by the mod. You might initially think that you can walk on these algae, as they almost completely cover the water, but, in fact, this is not the case, so you should be careful. The algae are quite useful, though, because you can even make a whole block of algae thatch from them. It is very beautiful and not as flat as the others because some algae particles will bulge out of it and give it a more voluminous look. The algae thatch can be used as a building block, and you can also craft steps and slabs of it according to the standard recipes.

You will also find the giant fern there, which is almost three blocks high. However, its third element is actually not a full-fledged block, which you can check by putting some block instead of it. Even so, this type of fern is higher than the vanilla one and perfectly fits with a swampy biome.

On the cypress trees, you can see the branches in the form of small blocks. Right-clicking on a branch, you can get gooseberries, and the branch itself will become berry-less. To get it, you should use the shears — otherwise, it will not drop. However, over time, you will see the gooseberries on the branch again, so be sure to take advantage of this feature. These branches can be found only on the cypress trees, and you can grow them only on this wood. This is similar to the cocoa beans growing exclusively on the tropical wood. The gooseberries have two growth stages. Small berries appear at first, but they are still not edible, and you cannot collect them. Then the berries ripen, and you will be able to freely pick them.

Using the Gooseberries

It is not particularly useful to just eat the gooseberries, as they satiate only one hunger point. So the developers have added a small set of foodstuff based on the gooseberries. The first thing you can make from them is juice. You will need the berries and three glass bottles for that. It replenishes only 0.5 hunger points, but it is still more effective, as you can get three bottles of juice from one gooseberry.

The gooseberry pie is quite a nourishing meal that replenishes three hunger points. Moreover, it is quite easily cooked — you will just need to combine gooseberries, an egg, and sugar. Besides, this pie is very rich and will make you less hungry.

But if you would like to get even more satiating food, you should cook the honey-glazed gooseberries. Even though it is very nourishing, its crafting is very simple: you need to connect a honey bottle and the gooseberries. This dish replenishes 3.5 hunger points — more than the pie does. However, its saturation value is slightly less than that of the pie, namely 2.5 points.

The gooseberry jam is not a particularly nourishing meal, as it replenishes only one hunger point. Moreover, it is not particularly worth making it. Indeed, you will need three glass bottles and the honey-glazed gooseberries, even given that the latter is more satiating by itself. But still, if you want to try the jam, you can make it. However, you can craft it another way: you will need three gooseberry juice and a honey bottle.

Another new sweetmeal is the cookies with gooseberry jam. They replenish just one hunger point, and their saturation value is also very low. However, you will get eight cookies at once, so it is worth it — especially given that their recipe is very simple: you only need two wheat and the gooseberry jam.

Images Bayou Blues