Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 1: The Order Of The Stone Review

Whilst by no means a bad game, Minecraft Story mode is clearly aimed at young children, doesn’t meet Telltale’s own high standards , and fails to delight adults in the same way a Pixar film can.

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Telltale have been really nailing both humorous (Borderlands) and grim (Walking Dead, Game of Thrones) adventure games recently. Where does Minecraft: Story Mode fit in?

Story:

Minecraft is one of those games where you normally make your own story; where the shared experience with friends or the things you find are worth telling. Telltale have therefore been presented with a tough ask, and decided to appeal to the (mainly) younger audience who love the fact that Minecraft is basically virtual Lego.

Meet our cast of outcasts and geeks, Minecraft fans in their own right, who never win at anything, thrust into the limelight when a wither beast is summoned by the clearly creepy evil dude (thanks for the giveaway lanky hair and whiny voice!). This starts (slowly) your quest for lead character Jesse and his posse to find the remaining members of the ‘Order of the Stone’.

The characterisation is mostly fairly clichéd, and the episode itself plays out more like an extended prologue, only getting going for a much improved final half-hour. There is plenty of potential here though, so hopefully it’s just a slow burn.

Gameplay:

Telltale unsurprisingly doesn’t choose to mess with their winning formula in Minecraft: Story Mode. It’s the usual mix of dialogue choices, light puzzling and quick-time-events. Whilst you can build, it’s not a major part of the game and is limited to a few speeded-up pieces where you just mash on a button. The one real nod to the source material is the fact that you have the opportunity to craft a few items, which require you to have the right ingredients and access to a crafting bench. It’s all a little dumbed-down, but still a nice touch. And talking of dumbed-down, so is much of the gameplay.

minecraft_story_mode_ep1__2

This type of modern adventure game has never been tough anyway, but you generally get much more time for just about everything; and the penalty for failure is normally much less harsh than in the other series. Clearly, it’s a game aimed at kids, but given the number of adults that also play Minecraft I was surprised at just how breezy the game was, or how there was no ‘hard’ mode (although not unexpected, given this has never been previously offered in a Telltale game).

Presentation:

Telltale have really proved the flexibility of their engine with this release; it manages to both look just like actual Minecraft, right down to the Pixel Art darling’s impressive lighting effects, whilst also looking more cinematic in the process. The main characters have about as much charm instilled into them as big blocks can do, and there’s plenty of variation to the scenery.

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The voice acting though, normally such a strong suit for Telltale, is a little bit of a disappointment. It just doesn’t feel quite up to usual standards. It’s well acted, just lacking in a little bit of personality I’ve come to expect from every one of their releases.

 

Conclusion:

I couldn’t help but feel disappointed by the first episode of Minecraft: Story mode. It didn’t have the wit or charm of Tales from the Borderlands, nor any of the agonising moral choices of Walking Dead or Game of Thrones. The plot was light and throwaway, and whilst there’s clearly a romp imminent as you search for the lost heroes, it didn’t grab me in the way I was expecting. Whilst it’s clearly aimed more at younger children, it doesn’t hit the same notes as the best kids films, which manage to entertain adults just as much as youngsters. And it’s in that respect that Minecraft: Story Mode falls short of its peers.

Good

  • Great recreation of Minecraft universe
  • Suitable for children
  • The pig

Bad

  • Pretty short
  • Mostly unmemorable cast
  • Should be funnier
7.6

Good

Story - 7
Graphics - 8.5
Sound - 8
Gameplay - 7.5
Value - 7

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