Minecraft, the block building and breaking game from Mojang is so heavily reliant on user creativity, that it seems some sort of focused narrative spin on it would be wholly disparate, feeling out of place. Minecraft is, by design, devoid of storytelling. The best stories in Minecraft and its procedurally-generated worlds come from emergence; the stories you make while you’re playing the game.

MinecraftStory_2

Minecraft doesn’t really need a story, and that’s one of the reasons its works. It all makes Telltale’s latest endeavour, a Minecraft story spinoff, seem like a thoughtless, ill-considered cash-in.

Thankfully it’s not. Bearing all the hallmarks of Telltale’s games to date, Minecraft Story Mode is a whimsical, charming adventure set in Mojang’s world, traditionally steeped more in mythos than predefined narrative.

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It doesn’t really stray far from Telltale conventions, so if you hate how Telltale’s adventures work you’re very unlikely to be swayed, no matter how much you love Minecraft. It uses the same bag of tricks throughout; timed responses that characters will remember, actions that determine the outcomes not just later on, but in future episodes, a mix of adventuring, action sequences and quick time events.

You start off selecting a character from 6 predefined ones, all given the same androgynous name; Jesse. For reference, I chose a lady Jesse (the character is voices by either Patton Oswalt or Catherine Taber depending on your choice), and set off adventuring. Jesse and her friends aren’t the cool kids in town, but they’re off to take part in the annual Endercon, the local building championships and hopefully, finally win this time.

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Things go awry, and it all ends up in a giant wither sucking up everything. It sets Jesse and her friends – Axel, Olivia, Petra, and Lukas – on a quest to find the heroes that make up The Order of the Stone, vanquish evil and save the world. It’s typical adventure fare, reminding me a little in its tone of The Goonies, and the old Dungeons and Dragons cartoon.

It starts off a bit slowly, but the pace and excitement ramp up later, and I was left, much to my surprise, finding myself not only enjoying the experience, but eager for the next episode. I’m not the biggest Minecraft fan, so that’s saying something about the quality of writing and the delivery – but my kids, a pair of 11 year old Minecraft addicts were enraptured, following everything as I played, laughing at the silly in-jokes and cheering for the characters. It’s less gritty and dark than most of Telltale’s recent output, intended as it is for children – so many of its choices seem, at least for now, to be less ambiguous.

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It’s filled with in-game references to Minecraft lore, even employing a few mechanics from the world-building phenomenon. In your adventures, you’ll sometime have to craft items at a crafting table, using the same recipes you’d use in Minecraft. Made in conjunction with Mojang, it nails the aesthetic and the finer detail, with block characters that mirror their proper Minecraft ones, and other little bits of fan service, like the frustration in finding Lapis Lazuli instead of a diamond, or the cheer terror that chickens are capable of creating. There’s a bit more action here than other Telltale games, mirroring the sort you’d find in Minecraft, haphazardly swinging swords at zombies, and cursing when wooden ones break at the most inopportune moment.

Last Updated: October 23, 2015

Minecraft Story Mode Episode 1: The Order of the Stone
The story presented in this first chapter isn’t the most engaging, but the writing, coupled with the detail makes it all come together. As is usual though, I find it hard to recommend until all of its episodes are released and we can judge it as a whole - but this first episode is indeed promising, laying the groundwork for what should be a grand adventure.
7.0
Minecraft Story Mode Episode 1: The Order of the Stone was reviewed on Xbox One
77 / 100

18 Comments

  1. Alien Emperor Trevor

    October 23, 2015 at 14:48

    Chickens? Cheer terror is a mall Santa.

    Reply

    • Commander JJ of the Normandy

      October 23, 2015 at 14:52

      Yea, but try and kill a chicken in Skyrim.

      Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        October 23, 2015 at 14:53

        I kicked one so hard in Fable that I crashed the game.

        Reply

        • Commander JJ of the Normandy

          October 23, 2015 at 14:55

          That’s just showing off. 😉

          Reply

      • Allykhat

        October 23, 2015 at 14:55

        Oh please… all you have to do in Skyrimjob is shout a little bit and everyone hates you…

        Reply

        • Commander JJ of the Normandy

          October 23, 2015 at 14:56

          Damn sensitive folk, I tell you.

          Reply

          • Hammersteyn

            October 23, 2015 at 14:58

            I killed a dragon but the dragon fell on the chicken. Burn him!

          • Commander JJ of the Normandy

            October 23, 2015 at 14:59

            Haha.
            “Sorry that I injured the prized chicken when SAVING YOUR LIVES!”
            That’s like how a thief comes up to you, carrying only a three inch dagger RIGHT AFTER you slayed a dragon in front of him. Come at me bro.

  2. Commander JJ of the Normandy

    October 23, 2015 at 14:51

    I came here expecting to be disappointed. Seems actually quite interesting.
    Nice write up….uhm…*looks for journalist’s name*….person.

    Reply

    • Grand Admiral Chief

      October 23, 2015 at 15:01

      Geoff wrote.

      Y U NO SEE DIS?

      Reply

      • z1n

        October 23, 2015 at 15:03

        It’s hidden on the sidebar. Personally I prefer it in the flow of the article, either above or below.

        Reply

        • z1n

          October 23, 2015 at 15:05

          Actually, regardless of personal opinion having next to the adverts and search is a silly thing. Dammit JJ now I’m triggered when I could have at least gone then next week of LG articles thinking everyone forgot to put the author.

          Reply

        • Grand Admiral Chief

          October 23, 2015 at 15:05

          I know, wanted to post a nice screenshot for him

          Reply

          • z1n

            October 23, 2015 at 15:06

            As a web developer whatserface, I disapprove of the location. Just saying 😛

          • Grand Admiral Chief

            October 23, 2015 at 15:07

            Yeah, I’ve been pestering Geoff the whole day to fix this, but he seems content to torment me.

            Glad you feel the same dude

          • z1n

            October 23, 2015 at 15:14

            It’s Friday so I’m lazy now. Next week if it still bothers me I’ll cook some javascript to move it above the article, so I know who to judge while reading (you know, the important things in life). I’ll probably get rid of the rest of the sidebar while I’m at it.

          • Commander JJ of the Normandy

            October 23, 2015 at 15:19

            As a reader and someone who does not work in computers, software or anything regarding the internet….I agree with you 🙂

        • Commander JJ of the Normandy

          October 23, 2015 at 15:18

          Yea. Didn’t see it at all. I like it better at the bottom.

          Haha. 😀

          Reply

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