Minecraft: Story Mode - A Telltale Games Series - 'The Order of the Stone'
Overview -
'Minecraft' remains a juggernaut in gaming, consistently outselling much newer titles, and can be found on just about every mainstream console, gadget, and operating system out there (except for Nintendo devices, conspicuously). It could be casually described as a video game translation of Legos, where the player has a big open world with which to create things to their heart’s content, so long as those creations come in the form of squares. Not being a particularly plot-heavy game, it came as something of a surprise when Telltale, purveyors of fine episodic games like 'The Wolf Among Us' and 'Game of Thrones', decided to weave a new adventure game out of the 'Minecraft' mythos.
Video Review
'Story Mode' resembles 'Minecraft' machinima with a glossier picture and a bit more technical acumen. The grainy blocks and squares are all here, along with the simplistic water and lighting effects. The character models have more expressive animation and higher texturing than the world around them, which is genuine 'Minecraft' pixel fare. During quick-time events, the characters develop a liquid, cel-shaded appearance. I am happy to report that 'The Order of the Stone' demonstrates almost none of the glitchy hang-up problems of previous games from this developer.
Audio Review
I chose a male Jesse and was therefore rewarded with the perpetually cheerful, awkward acting of Patton Oswald. He gives a stellar performance, as does fellow comedian Brian Posehn, who is his usual sedate self playing Axel. Other highlights on the voice cast include Paul Reubens ('Pee Wee Herman') as the nefarious Ivor and Ashley Johnson (Ellie in 'The Last of Us') as spelunking expert Petra. The music, most evident during some of the slower scenes, is very similar to the pensive and agreeable piano from the original game.
Final Thoughts
While I have come to love Telltale’s more grown-up titles, 'The Order of the Stone' is fun, wholesome entertainment in its own right. There are plenty of jokes for all ages, along with a healthy dose of slapstick comedy and a few puzzles and quick-time events to spice things up. Perhaps the best thing I can say about it, other than I’m looking forward to the next episode, is that it dearly made me want to fire up my own 'Minecraft' world and get to building.