it reminds me of LOGO. Not sure if people are still learning it, but I learned it in school in 2000's and it got me hooked on programming
Even the “updated” logos I found sucked because they throw you into a notebook not a repl. For young kids, a repl is way less overwhelming and confusing, because you’re “talking to the turtle.” Even the error messages are better: “I don’t know how to X.” The kid loved seeing the turtle talk back. These notebook oriented ones kind of lost the original thesis of logo form Paepert.
I guess the main difference between MakeCode and most other kids learning environments is that it starts with a real language (TypeScript) and then exposes a subset of it through graphical blockly interface (while allowing usage of both). Having a real language makes it easier for more advanced users to create libraries, which can be exposed (as blocks which map 1:1 to functions) to less advanced ones. It also doesn't place an artificial ceiling on user's abilities.
The library approach in micro:bit is mostly used for interfacing external hardware, but in https://arcade.makecode.com/ it allows for the entire 8-bit game engine to be implemented in-system.