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'Minecraft' with a Story isn't as Weird as you'd Think

A story-driven game about Minecraft the block-building phenomenon adored by children and adults alike, could sound tad contradictory. By the nature of it, Minecraft has little in the way of plots or characters. The world is generated randomly and the most memorable "stories" are naturally generated depending on what you decide to create and explore. The game's free-form nature is what makes it different, and it's the reason Minecraft: Story Mode, a spin-off title with a well-crafted plot has been met with so much skepticism. Minecraft works because it doesn't have a plot -- is it feasible, or even appropriate, for another developer to make it one?

Telltale Games is most well-known for its adaptations of adventure games of popular franchises such as The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones and Fables. These properties in contrast to Minecraft are based on established characters, stories, and mythology that the team can collaborate with. Telltale utilizes its own game engine and comic book art style to create five episodes. The episodes are broken down into cutscenes and branching conversations. Sometimes, you'll get the chance to walk through an environment, but there's not much in the way of exploration or imagination. You want freeform building and crafting, like that found in Minecraft? Better look elsewhere.

Despite these enormous differences, Minecraft: Story Mode is a success. It's a wonderful celebration of the game that created Markus "Notch" Persson a billionaire, and its story and characters feel like they are part of the world, despite not being mentioned in the original game. You play the role of Jesse in episode 1. Contrary to other Telltale games, you get to pick between a boy and girls and also choose one or more of three races. It's a nice feature that instantly made me feel a sense of belonging to Jesse as a character. The voice acting was performed by either Patton Oswalt (best-known for his role 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). You and a few of friends are determined to win a building contest at Endercon, a convention which is like Minecon.

There is no mention of Jesse's treehouse, his pet animal Reuben or the Endercon contest in the original Minecraft game. Which could have been a problem, but Telltale quickly won me over in a variety of ways. One of them is that Story Mode doesn't claim to be the only storyline in Minecraft. It's a fresh take on the blocky franchise, and it's set in a distinct Minecraft world. This allows the creators to explore their ideas, while protecting the original source material. Story Mode also weaves in many elements that are familiar to fans of the original game. Episode 1 features portals, beacons, and creepers that are easily identified. Telltale's new concepts like a vibrant amulet that can be used to find important characters, don't look out of their place within 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 of the game is slow at first, after the Endercon building contest has ended the story picks up considerably. At the very beginning, Telltale introduces a group of heroes called the Order of the Stone, which once defeated the Ender Dragon, but then faded into legend. The peril the world now confronts is tied to the members of the Order and the developer sets up some of the larger mysteries for the five-part season. The show isn't anything extraordinary however I'm interested enough to watch the remaining episodes.

Story Mode is designed to be family-friendly. There are some limitations to the writing process and Telltale's ability to make use of its jolly characters. Other properties that it has modified in the past, like The Walking Dead and Fables (The Wolf Among Us) have given the team more opportunities to create darker and unpredictably characters with clever strategies. These trigger stronger reactions in the player, more difficult decisions and more complex relationships with the characters you choose to align with. The majority of Story Mode's cast is likeable (aside from Jesse's friend Axel who is known to be self-centered and impulsive) and I spent the majority of my time trying to be the best friend with everyone.

However, the characters are distinct and have quirky and lively personalities. It's easier to determine the outcome of every dialogue because they all have distinct motivations. Previous Telltale games have had occasionally stiff scripts and inconsistency in the pace of play -- a fact that is inevitable, perhaps, with branching storylines , however, they've always made me feel strongly about the characters. Story Mode is no different and is a proof of the quality of the writing. Jesse's friends might be a little shallow, but they're easy to identify with. I really want my "Nether Maniacs" (early on, you get to choose your team's name during the building competition) to be able to remain together, which is why I'm eager to see how the show tries to pull them apart in the later episodes.

Even if you've never played Minecraft before, there's a lot to love in Story Mode's first chapter. It's a charming, if simple story with interesting characters and a few memorable sets. It's not that far from Minecraft in terms of game design , but Telltale has somehow managed to make it work. This is due to the quality of the writing, and the clever combination of classic items, monsters, and gameplay mechanics. Story Mode uses Minecraft's entire toolbox to help tell its story. It works well. srazy The game could have been a lazy and uninspiring cash-in, but instead, it's a clever and respectful spin-off which celebrates Minecraft's special brand of creativity.

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