Minecraft: Story Mode Episode Five - Order Up!

By: Robert Murphy

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

Minecraft: Story Mode Episode 1 - The Order of the Stone

Robert Murphy


Open world gaming is perhaps the most sought after genre of the past decade, players no longer want a linear story and want a vast world to explore and do what they wish with it. Minecraft is probably the purest among this genre of games where you literally start in a world with nothing but the materials to build whatever you wish so there has never been a need for a story nor a real concept of one, until now. 

The story revolves around Jesse (voiced Patton Oswalt) or Catherine (voiced by Catherine Taber), depending on your gender selection, who is an aspiring builder and sort of the leader of his group of friends who are trying to become the next big name in building. While it isn't flat out said what being a prestigious builder means, you are in Minecraft so building literally is everything. In order to prove yourself, you and your friends head off to the local Endercon which is where local builders set out to show their creation in order to be crowned champion. You guys however are frankly known as the local loser in this category but this doesn't stop you from entering in once again for fame and glory.

The situation turns dire for your friends (and your pet pig) though when a world ending scheme begins to unravel before your eyes. The local legends known as The Order of the Stone have a rich history and their tale is one that has been passed down throughout the world for years but their is more to the story than what everyone knows. There is a powerful lie hiding from the world and now a terrifying evil is being unleashed that threatens to destroy the world, block by block. Heavy stuff, right? While the story is mostly full of laughs and makes use of excellent material from the Minecraft universe, there is a degree of life threatening danger to the story but it's played all in good fun. There also heavy conflict choices that you are faced with among your friends and former enemies players will face along the way which made the story all the richer.

While the main story is jam packed with characters that will be joining you on your quest, very few of them actually prove to make an impact with you. Jesse/Catherine are greatly explored main protagonists and I had a blast playing along with them but as for the rest of your friends there is little to be invested in. Axel (voiced by Brian Posehn) and Olivia (voiced by Martha Plimpton) are with you since the beginning but only recieve the basic of character backgrounds, Axel is loyal and strong and Olivia is smart and assertive, that's about it. This can be said for all the other characters you meet as well, Petra (voiced by Ashley Johnson) is strong and Lukas (voiced by Scott Porter) is your enemy turned friend. It leaves little to be invested in when the action starts to kick in and I was left to reflect on the  one real connection I had with any character Reuben, my pet pig. 

Now, one of my biggest gripes with Telltale over the years has been that while the story choices you make in each of their games can be very impactful to what you're playing, things never truly felt that different if you went back for another playthrough. In Order of the Stone however, players can experience a variety of different circumstances depending on their choices, in the very first episode no less. Twice the story had given me a choice that I barely thought anything about as they were happening, I acted on instinct and what I thought would truly happen if I went one way or the other. Later I came to find out that I could have gone through a whole other ordeal by going on a rescue mission for one of the characters. These were the biggest by far but there were other small choice that I went back a second time just to test out just because my curiosity was so strong and all of it leading to a finale where you could essentially decide what adventure you will be going on in episode two. 

Even though our story features little in the way of free roaming and actually collecting of materials to build massive in-game structures, there was more of the Minecraft charm to go around with The Order of the Stone. Players will be able to build, to the themes of an 80's style montage I might add, as well as craft items and enter a world where some of the most iconic and ridiculous things Minecraft players have ever built are brought to life. The drama and choices were also an excellent direction choice that fit the overall story perfectly, even if I wasn't entirely invested in the characters I was involved with. Whatever the case, I am wrapped up in the story and I cannot wait to find out what mysterys lie in wait with the legendary members of The Order of the Stone.

Good:

- Plenty of laughs

- A great story filled with mystery and intrigue

- Excellent decision making problems and actual effects to them

Bad:

- Characters are mostly generic

Scully Rating: 8.0 out of 10