Minecraft

The Abandoned Village

A moody little zombie siege with more personality in its figures than in its build.

Brick Rated Score

3.6/5

Set 21190 · 2022

Pieces422

Minifigs4

Year2022

Set number21190

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The verdict

I like this set more for what it hands you than for how it goes together.

You get two zombies, a zombie hunter, and a genuinely great little black cat, plus a village that's been left to rot with pumpkins, cobwebs, and a broken-down crafting table telling the story before you even start playing. The actual build is quick and a little flat, four small vignette-style sections that snap together rather than one flowing structure, so if you want an absorbing evening of building, this isn't it. It's a solid pick if you're after Minecraft figures and atmosphere on a budget, and an easy skip if you want your forty five dollars to buy you more time at the table.

Best for: Minecraft fans who want the zombie village figures and mood more than a meaty build

The full review

What it is

The Abandoned Village is one of those Minecraft sets that leans entirely on story and mood rather than build complexity. You're rebuilding a village the zombies took over, and LEGO leans into that hard: pumpkins growing wild where crops should be, a stone cutter left mid-job, cobwebs draped over a bed nobody's slept in for a while. It's a nice little scene, and the moment I put the black cat down next to the broken crafting table, the whole thing clicked into place as a story rather than just a pile of bricks.

The catch

Where it comes up short is the building itself. It splits into four small sections, a zombie hunter's home, a zombie villager's workplace, a farmer's pumpkin patch, and an abandoned house, and each one goes together fast without much in the way of technique or surprise. Reviewers and forum regulars have called it a bit uninspired for its price point, and I get where that's coming from. At 422 pieces for around forty five dollars, you're paying a fair amount for the story and the figures, not for hours of building satisfaction.

Who it's for

If you or your kid are collecting the Minecraft minifigure lineup, or you want a quick weeknight build that still feels atmospheric on a shelf, this earns its spot. If you're shopping for a set that will keep hands busy for a long stretch or reward you with genuinely clever construction, look elsewhere in the Minecraft line first.

The parts story

What the build is actually like, and the pieces worth knowing about.

Building this one goes fast, which is honestly both the appeal and the letdown. Each of the four sections takes maybe twenty minutes, and none of them lean on each other structurally, so there's no big satisfying moment where separate builds suddenly become one large scene. It's closer to assembling four little dioramas that happen to share a color palette.

The standout here is the minifigure lineup rather than any clever brick technique. The zombie villager got a fresh torso redesign for this set, the zombie hunter carries a steel sword and comes dressed for the fight, and the black cat is a genuinely charming little addition that's tougher to find in other Minecraft sets. Add in the pile of pumpkins, cobweb pieces, torches, and a composter, and the parts here are doing scenery and storytelling work more than engineering work, which is fine if that's what you came for.

Fun facts

01The set introduced a redesigned zombie villager minifigure with a different torso piece than earlier Minecraft releases.
02It released on August 1, 2022 with an RRP of $44.99 and was officially retired by LEGO in December 2023.
03The four sections model a zombie hunter's home, a zombie villager's workplace, a farmer's pumpkin patch, and an abandoned house, each usable on its own or combined.
04Brickset forum members praised the new zombie villager and black cat but called the overall build a little plain for the asking price.