Telltale Game’s “Minecraft: Story Mode” released its fifth and final episode on March 29. Unlike most of Telltale’s other games, the fifth episode included a different story than the previous four. For those unfamiliar with Telltale’s video games, they focus mainly on plot instead of complex gameplay. They make use of a point-and-click gameplay style which is simple, yet effective.
The biggest draw of “Minecraft: Story Mode” is its choice system that allows players’ gameplay choices to affect the course of the story. The story is, for the most part, good: the stakes are fairly high, the main characters are interesting and the progression of the plot never feels boring.
The game also utilizes its soundtrack to enhance the weight of the player’s choices and their effect on the game’s world.
“Minecraft: Story Mode” excels with its storytelling and gameplay execution, but it faces issues in its conclusion. While the main character’s goal is achieved and the final fight is gratifying, the person who caused the central problem in the first place (the character of Ivor) is ultimately ignored. This annoying feeling is enhanced when Ivor becomes a focal character and his previous deeds are not even acknowledged.
“Minecraft: Story Mode” also suffers from a lack of cohesion. The first four episodes tell a completely different story than the fifth. While the fifth episode follows the same characters from the previous four, it overall feels as if the episode was tacked on only for the sake of length.
Additionally, the fifth episode suffers from a lack of character development. As a result of introducing a self-contained story, not enough time is spent developing characters to make their personal stakes feel important or their choices feel important with respect to the continuity established in the earlier episodes.
Despite the shortcomings of “Minecraft: Story Mode,” its overall gripping story and satisfyingly simple gameplay more than make up for a decent but out-of-place fifth episode.
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