Notes

'Minecraft' with a Story isn't as Weird as you Think.

A story-driven game about Minecraft the block-building phenomenon adored by children and adults alike, may sound little contradictory. Minecraft is an unstructured game with no plot or characters. The world is generated randomly and the best stories are created based on the things you create and explore. Its open nature is what makes Minecraft so unique. This is also why Minecraft: Story Mode has been met with a lot of doubt. Minecraft works because it does not have a storyis it even possible, or right, for another developer to create one?



Telltale Games is most well-known for adventure game adaptations of popular franchises such as The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones and Fables. These properties unlike Minecraft have well-established stories, characters, and mythology that the team is able work with. With its own game engine and comic book style of art, Telltale typically offers a game "season" comprising five episodes. The episodes are broken down into cutscenes and branching conversations. Occasionally, you'll get the chance to walk through an environment, but it's not much in the way of exploration or imagination. Do you want to build in a free-form style and crafting as in Minecraft? Better look elsewhere.



Despite the vast differences, Minecraft: Story Mode works. It's a wonderful celebration of the game that made Markus Persson a billionaire. The story and characters seem to belong in the world, even though they're not in the original game. In the first episode, you take on the role of Jesse, and unlike most Telltale games, you can pick between a boy or girl, and three races. It's a nice addition that immediately gave me a feeling of connection to the character. The voice acting was done by Patton Oswalt (best-known for his roles in Ratatouille or The King of Queens) and Catherine Taber (you might recognise her voice from Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker or Star Wars: The Clone Wars). With a small group of friends you are determined to win a tournament for building at a Minecon-style gathering known as Endercon.



There's no mention of Jesse's treehouse or his or her pet animal Reuben or the Endercon contest in the original Minecraft game. This could have been a problem but Telltale quickly won my trust in various ways. Story Mode is not the ultimate storyline for Minecraft. It's a new approach to the blocky franchise, and it is set in a distinct Minecraft world. That gives the writers room to explore, while safeguarding the original material. Story Mode includes many elements that are familiar to those who played of the original game. Episode one features beacons, portals and creepers that are easily recognized. Telltale's new concepts such as a vivid amulet that could be used to find important characters, don't look out of their place in the Minecraft universe. Story Mode is respectful to the original game's design by expanding, but without compromising Minecraft's core items and mechanics.



The pace is a bit slow at first however, once the Endercon building competition ends the plot is able to shift into a much higher gear. Igre Telltale introduces the Order of the Stone, an elite group of heroes who once defeated the Ender Dragon but then became legends. The members are responsible for the current threat facing the world. Telltale opens up a few of the most significant mysteries for the five-part season. While it's not the best however, I'm still enthralled enough to watch the remaining episodes.



Story Mode is meant to be a family-friendly. There are limitations on the writing and Telltale's capacity to use its cheerful characters. Fables (The Wolf Among Us) and The Walking Dead have provided more opportunities for the team to develop dark and unpredictable characters with shady plans. These properties provoke stronger reactions from the player, more difficult decisions , and more complicated relationships with the characters you select. The majority of Story Mode's characters are likable (aside from Jesse's best friend Axel who is known to be self-centered and impulsive), so I spent the majority of my playthrough just trying to be best friends with everyone.



That said, the characters are distinctive and have quirky, energetic personalities. All of them have distinct motivations and goals which makes it much easier to anticipate the outcome of every decision made in a dialogue. Previous Telltale games have been plagued by occasionally stiff scripts and inconsistency in the pace of play -- a fact that is inevitable maybe, due to the fact that they have branching stories -- but they've always made me feel passionate about the characters. Story Mode is no different and is a testimony of the quality of the writing. Although Jesse's friends are a bit shallow, they're easy to be a fan of. I really want my "Nether Maniacs" (early on, you get to choose your team's name for the building competition) to endure and stay together, so I'm interested to see how the game attempts to break them up in the later episodes.



Even if you have not played Minecraft before there are many things to enjoy in the first chapter of Story Mode. It's a charming but simple tale with interesting characters and memorable sets. In terms of game design, it couldn't be further away from Minecraft however, somehow Telltale has managed to make it work. I'm putting it down to the quality of the writing and how it cleverly integrates classic objects, monsters and gameplay mechanics. Story Mode uses Minecraft's entire toolbox to help tell its story. It's a great game. The game could have been a lazy and uninspiring cash-in, but instead, it's a clever and respectful spin-off which celebrates Minecraft's unique style of creativity.


Website: https://spletne-igre.net/