“The Order of the Stone” is the first in a five-part episodic series that takes you on an adventure across the Overworld and through the Nether, the worlds of Minecraft. This episode begins with EnderCon, a building competition-slash-festival, turning tragic when the protagonist and his friends get caught up in a turn of events that sees a creature known as a Wither being unleashed unto the world. Cue complete destruction and the protagonist’s quest to save his friends and put an end to said annihilation.
For those new to the episodic offerings by Telltale Games — and I must confess that I am as well — the majority of Minecraft: Story Mode plays out as a movie with the occasional moments where you’re able to explore small rooms or environments. Exploration is somewhat limited, however — you’re able to walk around while the camera remains fixed, and you move your cursor to identify which elements or people you can interact or speak with. In each area, there’s usually about four or five things to interact with.
Oh, and there are a lot of quicktime events.
For the record, I’ve never found QTEs particularly fun, but I’ve never agreed with backlash that they receive from some segments within the community… until now. When I first learned about how Minecraft: Story Mode would work I initially thought it would be an interesting way to experience a game and its world. I envisioned sitting back, taking in the story like I would a movie and occasionally make the odd choice or two. It doesn’t work like that.
Instead, you’re caught in this awkward middle-ground where you’re left holding your controller making menial button or directional inputs, or walking around trying to find someone or something to interact with. It’s the halfway point between watching an engaging storyline in a movie and playing a game with really engaging gameplay – except Minecraft: Story Mode offers neither. You’re also tasked with choosing specific dialogue options that will affect how the story plays out and how other characters react however you’re constantly under a timer. Think of Mass Effect, except not as fun.
“The Order of the Stone” offers six chapters that’ll take around an hour and a half to complete, meaning the experience is over almost as quickly as it begins. That said, there are a further four episodes to be released, offering gamers a further six hours or so of content. The first episode costs $5 USD and the complete package comes in at $25 USD. If nothing else, the episodic nature of Story Mode means you can try the first episode out to see if both the franchise and the genre are for you. If they’re not, I guess you can always take to YouTube or Twitch to see how the story eventually turns out. If you end up invested in the story, that is.
It’s not to suggest that Minecraft: Story Mode is horrible, but it is far from great; it lacks substance. I can see the appeal of playing something like this in between a few hours of Halo or Forza Motorsport, but still, there are other light-hearted titles I’d rather spend my time with. I’ve given both Minecraft and Telltale a real attempt, but in retrospect, I just don’t think either are really my kind of game. For those who are fans of Minecraft and the Telltale way of storytelling, then perhaps this is the game for you. For everyone else, maybe it’s better to give this one a miss, or at the least, set your expectations low.
Minecraft: Story Mode‘s “Episode One: The Order of the Stone” was reviewed using a promotional code on Xbox One, as provided by Microsoft.
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