Notes

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

A story-driven game about Minecraft the block-building phenomenon that is loved by adults and children alike, might sound a little contradictory. By design, Minecraft has little in terms of plot or characters. The world is created randomly, and the best "stories" occur naturally based on what you decide to build and explore. The game's open nature is what makes it special and the reason Minecraft: Story Mode, a spin-off title with a well-crafted plot has been met with so much skepticism. Minecraft works because it does not have a storyis it feasible, or even appropriate for a different developer to make it one?



Telltale Games is most well-known for its adventure games that are adapted of popular franchises like Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, and Fables. In contrast to Minecraft the properties of these franchises come with established stories, characters and mythology that the team can collaborate with. Using its own game engine and comic book style of art, Telltale typically offers a game "season" comprising five episodes. These episodes are split into cutscenes, and then branching conversations. Sometimes, you'll get the chance to walk through an environment, but it's not much in the way of exploration or creative thinking. Do you want to do free-form building and crafting like 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 characters and narrative feel like they belong in the world even though they're not in the original game. In episode one, you take on the role of Jesse and unlike other Telltale games you can choose between a boy or a girl, as well as one of three different races. It's a nice touch that immediately gave me a feeling of attachment to the character. The voice acting was performed by either 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). You and a small group of friends are determined to win a building competition at Endercon which is a convention that's like Minecon.



There's no mention to Jesse's treehouse pet pig Reuben or the Endercon competition in the original Minecraft game. This could have been a problem but Telltale quickly won my trust in many ways. Story Mode is not the most compelling storyline for Minecraft. It's a different take on the blocky series and is set in its own, separate version of the Minecraft world. This allows the writers to play around while still preserving the original material. Story Mode also weaves in countless elements that will be familiar to players of the original game. Episode one is filled with beacons, portals, and creepers that are easily recognized. When Telltale introduces a novel idea -- for instance an amulet with a vibrant design used to locate important characters It does not feel out of place in the Minecraft universe. Story Mode respects the original game's mechanics and items, but does not abuse the same.



The pace is a bit slow to begin with, but once the Endercon building competition is over the plot shifts into a much higher gear. Telltale introduces the Order of the Stone, a group of heroes who once defeated the Ender Dragon, but later disappeared into legend. The threat that the world currently faces is linked to these heroes and this is where the developer sets up a few of the overarching mysteries for the five-part season. It's not anything special however, I'm intrigued enough to watch the remaining episodes.



Story Mode is designed to be family-friendly, so there are some limitations on the writing and the places Telltale can take its cheery characters. Fables (The Wolf Among Us) and The Walking Dead have provided more opportunities for the team to create dark and unpredictable characters with devious plans. They trigger more intense reactions from the player, making more difficult choices and more complex relationships with the characters you choose to identify with. The majority of Story Mode's characters are likeable (aside from Jesse's friend Axel, who tends to be impulsive and self-centered), so I spent the majority of my playthrough just trying to be the best friend with everyone.
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That said, the characters are distinct and have lively, witty personalities. It is easier to anticipate the outcome of each dialogue because they all have distinct motivations. Previous Telltale games have been plagued by sometimes stiff scripts and inconsistent pace -- a common occurrence maybe, due to the fact that they have branching storylines -- however, they've always made me care about the characters. Story Mode is no different and is a testimony of the quality of the script. Jesse's friends may be a little superficial, but they're easy to root for. I'd like my "Nether Meniacs", (early on you get to choose the name of the team in the building contest), to survive and stay together. I'm interested to see how the game attempts to break them up in later episodes.



Even if you've not played Minecraft before there are many things to appreciate in Story Mode's first Chapter. It's a charming but simple tale that features interesting characters and a few memorable set pieces. It could not be further from Minecraft in terms of gameplay design, but Telltale has somehow succeeded in making it work. I'm putting it down to the quality of the writing and how it cleverly integrates classic objects such as monsters, gameplay mechanics and other items. Story Mode raids everything in Minecraft's toolbox to aid in its own story and, in the end, it does it to great effect. It could have been a messy or awkward cash-in game but instead it is an elegant, respectful spinoff that celebrates Minecraft’s unique brand of creativity.


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