Notes

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

A narrative-driven game like Minecraft the block-building game that is loved by both adults and children alike, may sound bit odd. By design, Minecraft has little in the way of plot or characters -- the world is randomly generated and the best "stories" occur naturally depending on what you decide to build and explore. Its openness is what makes Minecraft so special. This is why Minecraft: Story Mode has been met with a lot of doubt. Minecraft works because it doesn't have a story -is it even possible, or is it even necessary for a different developer to give it one?



Telltale Games is best known for adventure game adaptations of popular franchises like The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones and Fables. Unlike Minecraft these properties are based with established stories, characters and mythology that the team can collaborate with. Telltale utilizes its own game engine and comic book style to create a series of five episodes. These are broken down into cuts, conversations that branch, short-term events, and puzzles. Occasionally, you'll get the chance to explore an environment, but there's not much in the way of exploration or creative thinking. You want freeform building and crafting like in Minecraft? Better look elsewhere.



Minecraft: Story Mode works despite these huge differences. It's a wonderful celebration of the game that created Markus "Notch" Persson a billionaire, and its narrative and characters feel like they fit the world -- despite not being mentioned in the original game. In the first episode you play the character of Jesse, and unlike most Telltale games you can choose between a boy or a girl, as well as one of three races. It's a nice feature that immediately gave me a feeling of belonging 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 people you are determined to win a building competition at a Minecon-style convention called Endercon.



You won't find any reference to Jesse's treehouse, his or her pet pig Reuben or the Endercon competition in the original Minecraft game. This could be a problem, but Telltale quickly gained my trust in many ways. One of them is that Story Mode doesn't claim to be the ultimate storyline for Minecraft. It's a different take on the blocky franchise, and it's set in a separate Minecraft world. This lets the creators experiment while still protecting the original material. Story Mode also weaves in numerous elements that will be familiar to those who played the original game. Creepers, beacons and portals all appear in episode one and are easy to recognize. When Telltale does introduce a new idea -- for instance an amulet that is colorful and used to locate important characters it does not feel out of place in the Minecraft universe. Story Mode is respectful to the original game by expanding, but not compromising Minecraft's existing mechanics and items.



Although the pace is slow to start but when the Endercon building contest ends the plot is picked up considerably. Telltale introduces the Order of the Stone, a group of heroes who once defeated the Ender Dragon but then became legends. They are the ones responsible for the current threat that is threatening the world. Telltale opens up a few of the most significant mysteries for the five-part series. It's not anything special however I'm interested enough to watch the remaining episodes.



Story Mode is designed to be family-friendly. There are limitations on the writing and Telltale's ability 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 devious plans. These trigger stronger reactions from the player, more difficult decisions and more complicated relationships with the characters you choose to align with. Story Mode's cast is enjoyable with the exception of Jesse's best friend Axel who is impulsive and self-centered. I spent most of my game trying to make friends with the best of them.



Despite this, the characters are distinct and possess quirky and lively personalities. Each of them has clear motivations and desires that make it easier to predict the consequences of each dialogue decision. Although Telltale's previous games had some issues with inconsistent pacing and stiff scripts however, they have always made me want to know more about the characters. Story Mode is no different and is a proof of the quality of the writing. Although Jesse's friends are somewhat shallow, they're easy to root for. I want my "Nether Meniacs", (early on you get to choose the name of the team for the building contest) to make it through and remain together. I'm curious to see how the show attempts to break them in later episodes.



Even even if you've not played Minecraft before there's plenty to love in Story Mode's first chapter. keep calm and say ‘arrr’ It's a sweet story with simple characters and a few memorable sets. In terms of game design, it can't be more different from Minecraft, but somehow Telltale has managed to make it work. I'm putting that down to the quality of the writing and how it cleverly integrates classic objects like monsters, gameplay mechanics and monsters. Story Mode raids everything in Minecraft's toolbox to aid in its own storytelling and, ultimately, it works to great effect. It could have been a lazy, awkward cash-in game, but instead it's an elegant and respectful spinoff that celebrates Minecraft's unique style of creativity.


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