‘Minecraft: Story Mode’ Episode 1 Review
Let me preface this review. This is my first Telltale Games experience. I went into this knowing only the popularity of their titles, nothing more. Needless to say, comparisons to their other entries will be minimal. Now, to the meat.
Minecraft: Story Mode Episode 1 is one of the more pleasant surprises I’ve had the pleasure of playing. This graphic adventure utilizes Minecraft‘s well established name in a way that seems quite genuine as it refuses to simply rehash concepts from the original IP. The very nature of the game is fresh with its gameplay mechanics, storytelling, and presentation as a whole.
Players start out as Jesse. The game presents players with six character templates to choose from, allowing a small sense of customization before the episode even begins. Whether male or female, customization is limited here. Color palettes are static — if you like the outfit of one but the hair color of another, players will have to compromise. This doesn’t affect the game too negatively, but it would have been nice to have more options available since Jesse is a reflection of the choices you make in-game.
Other characters are introduced quickly, and each of their personalities exceeded what I thought the pixelated graphics could convey. Olivia is an assertive intellectual, but worries about how people view her. Axel is a jokester who’s loyal beyond his years, yet a little closed-minded. Even Reuben, Jesse’s pet pig, communicates emotion via facial expressions. You can tell how Reuben feels towards Jesse’s decisions and actions just by looking at his face.
The pixelated nature of the Minecraft inspiration can only go so far visually; however, quality voice acting from veterans such as Patton Oswalt and Ashley Johnson picks up where it leaves off. Characters are convincingly human despite their appearance. This mixture carries the story along at an extremely palatable pace, and I continued to find myself more and more interested in the well-being of Jesse and his friends. Especially Reuben.
Episode 1 is naturally used as a set-up for future episodes, using simple story arcs as building blocks for bigger and better things. Minecraft: Story Mode is very self-referential in this regard. Utilizing Minecraft‘s core concept of building, the adventure begins with Jesse and friends making their way to the Endercon Building Convention to take part in the crafting competition. The winning team gets to meet Gabriel, a member of the heroic Order of the Stone introduced in the opening cinematic.
Of course things go awry pretty quickly as new characters and events are encountered. Players can affect how the game plays out with the decisions they make within these scenarios. Notifications inform the player if what they say or do alters the game or its characters, typically with the message of “He/She will remember that.”
Bigger decisions, such as convincing a character to stay around or leave, will also provoke a notification giving players a concrete outcome based off their choices. The freedom to make your own decisions is heavy — it certainly does feel like you could be playing a different version of the game if you had chosen a different answer (if one was chosen at all). Situations that require input from the player are timed, thus making your affect on the game all the weightier.
Interactive cutscenes make up a majority of the gameplay. Many of these incorporate a great sense of humor, making it hard not to have a chuckle or two by the time you finish the game. Quick time events (QTEs) are relied upon for most of the story, whether it’s dodging a falling object or pressing a specific button quick enough to progress to the next event. None of these ever feel terribly difficult; if anything, there’s a worrisome lack of difficulty present in Episode 1. Missing a QTE typically results in losing a heart from your health pool (of which there are many), and nearly promotes a lackadaisical approach to playing.
Combat is tackled in a refreshing manner, however, and adds slightly more threatening situations into the mix. Players have to get close enough to the enemy to hit them with their sword, but they’ll get hit themselves if the enemy isn’t attacked fast enough. Many of these fights will provide players with choices to make, as well. If two enemies are approaching Jesse, players get to decide which one to approach and attack. Choosing wisely is important in order to prevent Jesse from getting overrun by enemies. Unfortunately, these fight sequences are strewn few and far between. But when they are present, they’re simultaneously simple and fun.
Outside of combat and cinematic events, there are small parts of the game where Jesse is allowed to explore. Highlighting an item or character you would like to interact with utilizes an on-screen cursor. This feature can feel somewhat sluggish at times, and the precision required to engage interactions can feel a bit too strict. This often leads to a few seconds of standing still in order to appropriately highlight what you want to select, but it doesn’t detract much from the experience. Additionally, many possible routes to explore are blocked off by characters or objects, making the episode feel slightly linear in its progression.
Two or three parts of the episode require Jesse to create an item using the trademark crafting system of Minecraft. Employing this feature in Minecraft: Story Mode is brilliant, but merely introduced in Episode 1. If future episodes continue to make use of this gameplay element by adding decisions that dictate what can be made on these crafting tables, this could be an effective and adorned gameplay mechanic specific to the Minecraft universe.
If you’re looking for a more explorative adventure, Minecraft: Story Mode may not be for you. But if you’re the type who prefers an interactive legend to be a part of, this game comes highly recommended. The game doesn’t completely rely on the Minecraft universe to tell an interesting story, however elementary it may be. Within the two hours it takes to complete Episode 1, Telltale Games takes what makes Minecraft so great and implements it exquisitely into its own genre of decision-based gameplay.
If Episode 1 is of any indication, Minecraft: Story Mode is going to be a journey worth completing.
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Review Statement: The author of this review received a code for the game from the publisher for the purposes of this review.
Minecraft: Story Mode is a graphic adventure game based on Minecraft, where your choices and actions decide how the story is told.
Originally published at www.entertainmentbuddha.com on October 24, 2015.