Minecraft with a Story isnt as Weird as youd Think
A narrative-driven game like Minecraft, the block-building game that is loved by adults and children alike, could sound tad odd. Minecraft is a game that has no plot or characters. The world is generated randomly and the best stories are created by the things you create and explore. Its freedom of movement is the reason that makes Minecraft so special. This is also why Minecraft: Story Mode has been greeted with so much doubt. Minecraft works because it doesn’t have a story. Does it make sense or appropriate for another developer to give one?
Telltale Games is most well-known for its adaptations of adventure games of popular franchises like The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones and Fables. As opposed to Minecraft, these properties come with established stories, characters and mythology that the team can collaborate with. Using its own game engine and comic book art style, Telltale typically offers a game "season" comprising five episodes. The episodes are divided into cutscenes and a series of conversations. There are times when you're able to walk through an environment. However, there's very little exploration or imagination. You are looking for freeform crafting and building, like that found in Minecraft? You should look elsewhere.
Despite these huge differences, Minecraft: Story Mode is a success. It's a charming celebration of the game that has made Markus "Notch" Persson a billionaire, and its story and characters seem to fit the world -- despite the fact that they were never mentioned in the original game. You take on the role of Jesse in episode 1. In contrast to other Telltale games, you get to select between a boy or girls and also choose one or more of three races. It's a nice addition and immediately gave me some feeling of connection to the character, voiced by either Patton Oswalt (best known for his role in Ratatouille and The King of Queens) or Catherine Taber (you might recognize her voice from Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Final Fantasy XII or Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker). With a small group of people you are determined to win a building competition at a Minecon-style gathering known as Endercon.
There's no reference to Jesse's treehouse, or her pet pig Reuben or the Endercon competition in the original Minecraft game. Which could be a problem however, Telltale quickly impressed me in several ways. One of them is that Story Mode doesn't claim to be the ultimate storyline for Minecraft. It's a different approach to the blocky franchise, and it is set in a separate Minecraft world. This allows the writers to experiment while still protecting the original material. Story Mode includes many elements that are familiar to players of the original game. Portals, beacons, and creepers all appear in episode one and are easily recognizable. Telltale's new ideas such as a vivid amulet that could be used to track important characters, don't look out of their place in the Minecraft universe. Story Mode is respectful to the original game by expandingit, but never abusing Minecraft's established items and mechanics.
Although the pace is slow at first, once the Endercon building contest is over the story picks up considerably. In the beginning, Telltale introduces a group of heroes known as the Order of the Stone, who once defeated the Ender Dragon and subsequently disappeared into legend. The threat that the world currently confronts is tied to these heroes and this is where the developer lays out a few of the overarching mysteries of 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 utilize its fun characters. Other properties that it has adapted in the past, such as The Walking Dead and Fables (The Wolf Among Us) have given the team more chances to create darker and unpredictable personalities with devious strategies. These properties trigger stronger reactions from the player, more difficult decisions , and more complicated relationships with the characters you choose. Most of Story Mode's cast is likable (aside from Jesse's best friend Axel who is known to be self-centered and impulsive) and I spent most of my playthrough just trying to be the best friend with everyone.
However, the characters are distinct and have quirky personality traits that make them lively. It's easier to determine the outcome of every dialogue because they all have distinct motivations. Previous Telltale games have been plagued by sometimes stiff scripts and inconsistent the pace of play -- a fact that is inevitable maybe, due to the fact that they have branching storylines -- but they've always made me feel passionate about the characters. The same holds true in Story Mode, which is an affirmation of the quality of the script. Jesse's companions might be a bit superficial, but they're easy to root for. I really want my "Nether Maniacs" (early on the show, you can choose your team's name for the building competition) to survive and stay together, so I'm curious to see how the game attempts to break them up in the later episodes.
Even if you've never played Minecraft before there are many things to appreciate in the first chapter of Story Mode. It's a charming tale with simple characters and some memorable set pieces. It's a world away from Minecraft in terms of gameplay design, but Telltale has managed to make it work. I'm putting it down the quality of the writing and the way it cleverly integrates classic items like monsters, gameplay mechanics and monsters. Story Mode raids everything in Minecraft's toolbox in order to help with its own story and, ultimately, it works to amazing effect. MINECRAFT The game could have been a lazy and uninspiring cash-in, but instead it's a thoughtful and respectful spin-off that is a celebration of Minecraft's unique style of imagination.
