Notes

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

A story-driven game about Minecraft the block-building phenomenon that is loved by adults and children alike, might sound a tad contradictory. Minecraft is an unstructured game with no plot or characters. The world is generated randomly and the most compelling stories are created by the things you build and explore. The game's free-form nature is what makes it special and is also the reason why Minecraft: Story Mode, a spin-off title with a carefully crafted plot is met with so much skepticism. Minecraft is a game that doesn't have any kind of story. Does it make sense or even appropriate for a different developer to create one?



Telltale Games is most famous for its adventure games adaptations of popular franchises such as Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, and Fables. As opposed to Minecraft, these properties come with established mythologies, stories, and characters that the team can work with. With its own game engine as well as a comic book art style, Telltale typically offers a game "season" consisting of five episodes. These are broken down into cuts, conversations that branch, short-term events, and puzzles. Sometimes, you'll get the chance to walk through an environment, but there's not much in the way of exploration or creativity. You would like freeform crafting and freeform building like in Minecraft? You should look elsewhere.



Minecraft: Story Mode works despite these vast differences. 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 character of Jesse, and unlike most Telltale games you can choose between a boy or girl, and one of three different races. It's a nice addition that instantly gave me a sense of belonging to Jesse as a 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 people you set out to win a tournament for building at a Minecon-style event known as Endercon.



There's no reference to Jesse's treehouse, his or her pet pig Reuben or the Endercon competition in the original Minecraft game. This could have been a problem but Telltale quickly gained my trust in many ways. First, Story Mode doesn't claim to be the ultimate storyline for Minecraft. It's a new take on the blocky franchise, and is set in a separate Minecraft world. This allows the authors to explore while protecting the original material. Story Mode includes many elements that are familiar to players of the original game. Episode 1 is filled with beacons, portals and creepers that are all easily identified. When Telltale does introduce a new idea -- for instance an amulet with a vibrant design used to track important characters It does not feel out of its place in the Minecraft universe. Story Mode is respectful to the original game's design by expanding, but not compromising Minecraft's existing mechanics and items.



The pace is a bit slow at first, but once the Endercon building competition ends, the plot kicks into a higher speed. The very first episode Telltale introduces a group of heroes known as the Order of the Stone, which once defeated the Ender Dragon, and then faded into legend. They are the ones responsible for the current danger that is threatening the world. Telltale introduces some of the most significant mysteries for the five-part series. The show isn't anything extraordinary however I'm interested enough to play the remaining episodes.



Story Mode is designed to be family-friendly. There are limitations on the writing and Telltale's capacity to make use of its jolly characters. Fables (The Wolf Among Us) and The Walking Dead have provided more opportunities for the team to develop dark and unpredictable characters with clever strategies. These provoke stronger reactions in the player, making more difficult choices and more complicated relationships with the characters you choose to align with. The majority of Story Mode's characters are likable (aside from Jesse's best friend Axel who tends to be self-centered and impulsive) and I spent most of my time trying to be the best friend with everyone.



Despite this, the characters are distinct and possess quirky and lively personalities. They all have distinct motivations and goals which makes it much easier to predict the outcomes of each dialogue decision. Previous Telltale games have had 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 feel passionate about the characters. Story Mode is no different and is a proof of the quality of the script. Jesse's companions might be a little shallow, but they're easy to identify with. I want my "Nether Meniacs", (early on you have the option of choosing the name of the team for the building contest) to make it through and stay together. I'm curious to see how the show attempts to break them apart in the subsequent episodes.



Even if you've not played Minecraft before there are many things to enjoy in the first chapter of Story Mode. It's a charming, if simple story with intriguing characters and memorable set pieces. It's a world away from Minecraft in terms of game design but Telltale has come up with a way to make it work. This is due to the high-quality of the writing, and the clever integration of classic items, monsters, and gameplay mechanics. wiki Story Mode uses Minecraft's entire toolbox to support its storytelling. It's very effective. It could have been a messy and awkward cash-in game but instead it is a smart, respectful spinoff that celebrates Minecraft's unique style of creativity.


Website: https://minecraft-wiki.net/