The biggest question on my mind when entering into the latest episode of Story Mode was where could the tale possibly go to with Jesse and his friends? The last episode brought the Whither Storm saga to a close and the new Order of the Stone had come out on top and were ready to take on a whole new adventure. This is precisely what "Order Up!" sets out to do as our heroes head forth into an unknown land in search of a legendary item with immense power. But, they may all be sent further down the rabbit hole than they initially had planned.
Jesse and his friends have grown up immensely since their initial debut back in October of last year. They have all since become mirror images of their idols the former members of the Order of the Stone and it rather suits them. The people of the world look at them as if they were great heroes and they have proved it to them time and again by not only beating the Whither Storm but also going on countless adventures since then in search of mythical items that the world has only dreamed about. However, not everyone is as enthused with our new heroes as we soon learn. The former members of the Awesome Ocelots, who now refer to themselves as the Blaze Rods, have become envious of the groups fame and feel they are stealing all of the best items for themselves. Thus they set out to challenge our heroes and claim their latest find for themselves, a flint and steel with some mysterious powers.
The discovery of this item is what sets the story in motion as a lost order that was even more impressive than the Order of the Stone is revealed. They had done many experiments with portals and thus the flint and steel comes into play by transporting everyone to a strange city in the sky. The idea of which plays wonderfully with those familiar with Minecraft's randomly generated worlds and how often times chunks of land can form that simply float on air. It's usually simple enough to get to though or look upon them and admire the ridiculousness of it but what happens when that's all there is? What is Minecraft world where you cannot destroy everything around you and build it into whatever you wish? Well, Jesse and his friends are about to find out.
An interesting stand alone idea comes from the story this time around as the people of the land have never been given the chance to build for themselves. They lack the simplest knowledge of building and even things like ladders are a mystery to them as to how you would create them. Naturally the hero worship for Jesse and his friends becomes even stronger here do to their abilities but this is a double edged sword that gets them into serious trouble here as building without permission is expressly forbidden. It's an interesting dynamic to be sure as there are characters presented on both sides, those who want to freely build and the followers of the Founder of the land. Neither are necessarily bad or good as you will find out but there in lies an issue for the choices presented.
The choices for Story Mode have never been all that grueling to begin with, there have been many interesting combat points and fun little nods to the audience but here the choices feel rather bland. I had almost forgotten that the game was a choose your own style game until almost the very end of this episode. The dialogue wasn't at all bad and in fact it felt as though the freedom of an independent story made things feel looser for the writers. But, by the end their is a relatively simple choice to go with as you can simple wrap everything up with a few kind words. It's rather story book and for a game geared more towards younger audiences I can see the appeal, it just doesn't wow you.
By the end however, I was satisfied with where the adventure has gone with this latest entry into Story Mode. I know that after the last episode I questioned what exactly was the end game for Telltales' Story Mode, but with the series renewed for four more episodes following "Order Up!" and an enticing finale to leave everyone off with, I feel that even better episodes are just around the corner.
Good:
- The writing feels lose, fun and free
- Solid stand alone tale that sets up for so much more down the road
- A beautifully crafted world that once again makes great use of Minecraft lore
Bad:
- The "tough" choices were lack luster
- No true semblance of conflict to be had here
Scully Rating: 7.0 out of 10
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