Yes it is very similar. There's more to it though, its an adventure game that actually has an ending, you can beat it. There are enemies(mobs) that you can interact with, different worlds to go to (the nether, the end) and a whole bunch of stuff you can make, lots of mods to make more stuff (beer, strip mines, etc). It's a great way to burn time in a game that's as simple or complex as you want to make it.