'Minecraft: Story Mode - A Telltale Games Series (2015)' isn't Telltale's most mature, affecting or, even, fun game. It is, however, an enjoyably silly adventure that remains entertaining enough throughout. Even its extended episodes, which sort of feel detached from the main game even though they begin before the initially shipped story ends, are entertaining. They're essentially one-shot romps with a breezy pace and a care-free attitude. They also cross over a fair few genres, which keeps them feeling fresh. The game is a typical, modern-day 'choose your own adventure'. Its gameplay primarily consists of dialogue options and quick-time events, though it does contain some more classic - if rudimentary - puzzles, too. The choices don't change a huge amount but they still feel impactful. Telltale continue to display some great writing, keeping you onboard with the absurd story they want to tell and, even, giving you an inevitable lump in your throat. Look, this isn't exactly the pinnacle of gaming. Yet, there's enough here to keep you engaged and it's an enjoyable experience on the whole. 7/10
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Pjtaylor-96-13804421 April 2020
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jollyfilmsnv7 October 2020I played this with my brother when the episodes started releasing 5 years ago. I really enjoyed this. I still play this today whenever normal Minecraft is boring. Minecraft story mode was a story that had great stories, great music, humorous moments, and it had a few really good twists. I really liked the characters(Ivor was my favorite) the characters added to the plot by adding smaller plots that would eventually affect the greater plot. The game had a TON of interesting ideas. I still remember the games story and it was a rollercoaster ride playing it. Wondering if you're making the right choices was exciting to me and my brother.
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randomality7711 August 2022Minecraft Story Mode. A spinoff game made by Telltale. I haven't played another Telltale game before, but I reckon this one is pretty good.
- Sure, the story is simple, but it gives the ability for the characters to develop (more on that later)
- Voice acting is good
- Music is great (if you're a MCSM hater, you can say a lot of things about the game, but you can't say the music's bad!)
- Background designs are beautiful
- The animation isn't good, it's really glitchy, but it's always fun to laugh at some dude's arms spazzing out.
- I don't think the writing is BAD, just FLAWED, two different things, it's pretty decent overall, but like most other things on this list, it gets better in S2.
- The gameplay is lacking, but I don't really care about how good the gameplay is; the other factors I mentioned keep it interesting enough on its own.
- The characters. I said earlier, the plot is simple, to focus on the character developments. And they are great. I mean, Jesse the protagonist doesn't really have development, and most of the others stop after Ep4 (Lukas; Olivia; Axel, granted, Olivia and Axel aren't in most of the second half of the season, but Lukas and is). Petra and Ivor, however, do have arc throughout the whole season.
Of course, this game is far from perfect, and is clearly targeted towards the kids demographic, but as a teenager I find it entertaining too. 7.5/10 from me, for good characters, voice acting, music, slightly flawed but decent writing and animation, and lacking gameplay. -
DscreenG17 December 2019Okay, no. So there is no secret that Minecraft story mode has its large share of violence, killing, falling to ones own death and animals that help characters. That alone should not be rated for seven year olds. My 16 year old just asked how Ruben's perilous and emotionally gut-wrenching death, which, as if it's not enough of a profound loss for the viewer, then coldly vanished into a piece of dead meat in the form of a pork chop is considered "OK" for a Y7 rating. We are typically horror fans in this family but when my 16 year old is so moved to go goes out of his way to ask how we can report this to the Motion Picture Association because he doesn't want his own future children to watch such harrowing scenes. Parents: Just because it is titled Minecraft does not mean it's at all appropriate for your seven year olds.
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I used to be really into this game when I was a kid. I'm not sure I even really like it anymore, and I'm mostly fond of it just because of nostalgia. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of great things about this game. The characters are great, the story is good, the music is fantastic and there are some genuinely tragic moments. Yes, it's a little corny. Of course it is, it's a kids' game. I don't have a problem with that. Something I don't like is how drastically the dialogue options are altered. You choose something and Jesse says something completely different. I think there have seriously been times where you choose one thing and Jesse says the complete opposite. The game is also really glitchy and the animation is not great. Some of the gameplay is really annoying and they could've done a better job having there be more gameplay. I think a lot of this gets better in Season 2. I honestly think everything about Season 2 is better; the story is more consistent, there is more character development, and a LOT of personal conflict with the main cast. The gameplay is better as well. However, if you want to play the second installment, you should play this one first, or at least the first 4 episodes. But yeah. Good game.
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And my boys love this show and love how they can pick which way the story goes! They are 5 and 11. It's sad that adults are not happy and wish it was better...the child show based on a child's game!!
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sesrizgiz5 August 2023Minecraft: Story Mode was a game I thoroughly enjoyed at the age of twelve, and even now as an adult I reminisce fondly on the memories. Telltale is basically a company that creates interactive movies sold as video games, and this format isn't for everyone. It's also not for everyone to enjoy pixelated characters and landscapes, lower than average writing, corny dialogue/humor, and light cursing (just "hell" and "damn"). However, this game had my childhood self captivated by its memorable characters, world-building, and storyline. It also has deeper messages under its cheesy exterior, teaching lessons on friendship, teamwork, determination, forgiveness, and facing your demons. Kids will like it a lot. Adults? You have to be a special individual to enjoy it. In the short, if you're a lover of Minecraft, going through a nerdy tween phase, and you don't mind Jesse yelling "damn chickens!", give it a try.
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Let me be clear I adore Telltale Games, and I find Minecraft to be an enjoyable relaxing experience. So merge them and it'll be great, right?
Well actually no, or at least I don't think do.
You play a generic square boy/girl in the Minecraft universe teaming with your friends to go on an adventure. And along for the ride are all the blocks, zombies, spiders and token Minecraft tropes you'd expect.
So what went wrong? Well for a start I struggled to take it seriously, being in the Minecraft style it just didn't sit right with me. Then you have the story which was about as interesting as a 5hr lecture on toenails.
To make matters worse the gameplay just wasn't engaging. Sure it's Telltale so I use the term gameplay loosely but still! When you take over as your character and potter round this little world the puzzles and engagements simply aren't very enjoyable.
The game does have a great voice cast and has it's moments, but when a certain bad thing happened to a certain character (No spoilers here) it angered me more than it should. That was just bad writing.
Story Mode for me is a swing and a miss, certainly a contender for the worst Telltale game.
The Good:
Telltale charm
Great voice cast
The Bad:
An adventure in that square universe just doesn't look right
Not very interesting plot
Dull interactive sections
"That" scene. -
bojanmilenkoski31 August 2020I'm a Minecraft fan. A bit older (42), so I would rate this lower. But, my kids (6 and 12) love it, hence 9/10. I won't go into details about this interactive show, but remember, the rating given is aimed at younger Minecraft fans only.
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bonnecarrerebrian5 July 2023It doesn't have the best of writing and doesn't have the best of animations either... though it is a fun experience! Especially for Casual Minecraft players who want more out of the series. Most of everything in this game can be (or has been) modded/built in the vanilla game. (Which is honestly pretty cool) they really did improve once season two was being made, and that kinda revived the game. Don't expect a season 3 as Mojang isn't planning on any new seasons as far as I know. TLDR: it's not the best Minecraft game out there, and most hardcore Minecraft players probably wouldn't enjoy it much, but to the casual players... this is something to try.
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veggiedude11 June 2016This is a disappointment . I love Minecraft and i was excited for this edition. Then I played it. I'm gonna say, it does have a cute story, but in reality, it's a TV show filled with quick-time events! Thats It! it is a quick time event TV show. It even has Episodes! Its not even close to as good a the real minecraft. I will also say the voice actor almost save the game, as they are great voice actors, and like i already said, the story is good. But, its not a video game! And I'm not hating on this because its for kids, my issue is that there are phenomenal kids games out there. Super Mario 64 is a good game, Lego Starwars is a good game, Splatoon is a good game, and Minecraft is a good game. This is not a good game. I expect more Mojang.
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petermatkins11 November 2020I enjoyed this title. a very gripping and engaging story with heart wrenching subtopics (the death of pig). oh lord mighty, not the pig, bring life back into his heartless corpse.
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ellenypes24 June 2021At first I thought this was a show for kids, looking at how easy everything is and how boring the story was, but now I'm not only not entertained, I'm heartbroken and adult, so what even is this? I played trough the last "episode" to see if there was a way to bring Ruben back, but no. I hate this show. It waisted my time and left me feeling depressed.
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Patton Oswalt and Brian Poshen try to play these macho hero characters and it comes off extremely disingenuous. It's like they are try to play out a fantasy they can't in real life. The story line is ok but I can't get over the fact that they are reaching for this bravado that neither of the actors possesses so it falls flat on it's face.
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5% of the time you are actually playing the game and having a slight snippet of fun with it. The rest of the game is overly long cutscenes, countless quicktime events, and dialogue options that add next to nothing to the story.
Speaking of the story, it is absolutely contrived. You would think that if you have next to no gameplay in your video game, you would at least counter that with a compelling story that you could engage in. Minecraft Story Mode has none of the sort. Jesse, Olivia, and Axel want to win a building competition, so they build a monster with a fireworks dispenser, and depending on the monster you build, you either win or lose. This would be cool if it had an actual effect on the story, which it doesn't. The first 2-3 episodes of chapter 1 are pointless filler. Then Petra asks Jesse to help her engage in an exchange with her where she trades a wither skull for a diamond. Idk if the developers have ever played Minecraft, but a wither skull should be worth like 20 diamonds at the minimum. That is an ultra rare item. Why are you giving it to the guy for 1? Are you stupid? We'll find out later. But anyway, the guy she's trading with, Ivor, doesn't even give her a diamond. He gives her lapis lazuli. So they chase after him and find his secret hideout which just happens to be inside a convention center where the world's most powerful warrior is speaking. Because I guess security isn't an issue at a place like that. Petra discovers a statue with soul sand and wither skulls, but has no idea what is being built. HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW. You gave Lukas a nether star for his building competition, and you get that from KILLING A WITHER. How do you NOT know what a wither is when you see one. I told you she would be stupid. The gang then find out that Ivor is plotting to build a wither storm to destroy the world. But he doesn't actually want to destroy the world. He wants to prove to the Order of the Stone that they aren't as powerful as people think they are. So he releases the wither storm, and Ivor fails to stop it because Axel stole his potion. Because if Axel had actually listened to anyone and not stolen a potion that he had no idea what it was or what it could do to him, none of this would be happening in the first place.
So everyone runs away from the wither storm and the gang escapes into the nether where they use the railway system to get to the HQ of the Order of the Stone, and Jesse has to pick which member of the Order they need to go find. But it doesn't matter which you pick because both of the options show up at the end in the first place.
That might sound like a story that a 7-year-old put together, because it probably is. And people will always try to defend this game by saying "It's made for kids. It's allowed to be bad."
THERE ARE PLENTY of kid's games that are actually good. Some have great gameplay like Mario, Banjo-Kazooie, and (ironically) Minecraft. And there are kid's games with great stories as well like Zelda. Games made for kids can be fun and engaging. The fact that it's "made for kids" is absolutely not an excuse for any piece of media being bad. Idk how people don't get this.
The one thing holding the game together is the characters, who despite the awful story, feel like real people with their own charms and personalities. It's nice watching them argue with each other because you get to see both sides of an issue. The problem is that none of them actually have a character arc. Aside from being popular and being part of the new order of the stone, they all just stay exactly the same as they used to be by the end (except for Lukas. He has a little bit of substance).