Arabesque Minecraft Texture Pack (16 x 16)
Most texture packs do one of two things, either they make the game look more 'realistic' or they make the games appearance more simple and minimalistic. Arabesque is a texture pack that does something entirely different. It makes your game look like something out of Arabian Nights, and that, my fine Minecrafting friends, is a great thing.
Arabesque is a Minecraft texture pack especially suited to people who like making buildings with a difference. If you're tired of both 'RPG' and 'Modern' style building, the Arabesque texture pack provides you with another option.
According to its creator, AbouBenAdhem, This texture pack sticks closely to the default color scheme, but uses the geometrical patterns of medieval Moorish, Persian and Arab architecture on many of the crafted blocks. Many natural blocks are also subtly based on the "Cairo pentagonal" tiling pattern
It is somewhat bold in many of its design choices, so don't expect your creations to have a neutral appearance. With the addition of actual motifs on block types, one is able to create buildings that have a definite sense of style. Sandstone, for instance, is marked with a loose stellar pattern that I found very pleasing to the eyes.
The glass has been replaced with lattice work, which is common in many texture packs, but what isn't so common is the fact that the lattices really work together when combined in number to create floral style designs that make you look as if you really knew what you were doing when you threw that wall of glass in there.
Doors are especially awesome. There have been a great many attempts to make various 'dungeon style' doors, but Arabesque is the first texture pack I've seen that has blended pointy bits into the wooden frame and made a door that is visually appealing, but warns one not to mess with it.
Outside of building types, the Minecraft world is very rich in the Arabesque texture pack. There is a lovely touch on the sides of grass with one longer piece of trailing green that really breaks the line up and creates a whimsical mood. The basics of the game have been left largely unchanged, so you'll still enjoy much of the original feel of default Minecraft when roaming the countryside, it is only when you come across buildings that you will be startled and amazed by their style.
The GUI is very pleasing, and conforms with the theme of the pack in general. There's a pleasant pale pastel mosaic patten on the inventory, crafting and furnace screens that I quite enjoyed, and though one might say that the red arch was a bit overkill, I say that one should never be afraid to be bold, especially in Minecraft.
