Minecraft: Story Mode - A Telltale Games Series - 'A Portal to Mystery'
Overview -
Since the defeat of the Witherstorm in episode 4, Jesse and the gang have been on standalone adventures while they try to get back to their world. 'A Portal to Mystery' follows 'Order Up' in this new standalone format, and is the first of three extra season one episodes.
Video Review
'A Portal to Mystery' doesn’t have any of the big impressive environments exhibited in previous episodes, being confined to a single mansion and its outskirts. The new characters are modeled well enough. The QTEs were a problem here because the engine seems shakier than usual, and there were noticeable artifacts on screen during cutscenes.
Audio Review
The YouTubers are voiced by their real counterparts, which is both a blessing and a curse. It definitely increases the fan service aspect, but it’s quickly apparent that these are performers of a different stripe and not trained actors. Some of them are better than others, but it's the non-YouTuber TorqueDawg in particular that manages to get in some excellent lines. The music seems more flat this time around, probably because of a change in the audio department.
Final Thoughts
'Story Mode' has been Telltale’s most consistently unpredictable series in recent memory in terms of its quality. The stronger episodes, full of great jokes, interesting locales, and the occasional heartwarming moment, have been undermined by duds like 'Assembly Required' and now this streamer tribute. It’s best to wash our hands of it and hope for greater adventures the next time the New Order of the Stone meets.
