Minecraft: Story Mode Season 2 Starts Off With A Yawn

Minecraft: Story Mode is back for a second season as we continue the adventures of Jesse and friends in Beacontown. Season Two starts fresh with a whole new story. Unfortunately, that story isn’t very exciting.

It’s Founders Day, a chance to celebrate and have fun, but there’s trouble brewing underground. That means it’s time for the gang to get to work.

Like any Telltale game, the first episode of Minecraft: Story Mode Season Two is a big set-up for what’s to come. After exploring underground, Jesse ends up with a gauntlet stuck on his/her hand. This leads into a quest to see what the gauntlet actually is. Along the way, there’s some personal conflicts building up between Jesse and Petra.

Admittedly, I only played the first episode of Minecraft: Story Mode Season One, so I am not entirely caught up with all the nuances behind some of the character relationships. If you haven’t played the previous season, you may also feel a little lost, but should be able to know what’s going on for the majority of the episode.

Actually caring about what’s going on might be a more difficult challenge. The game takes us to a mysterious underwater temple that hasn’t seen anyone come or go for years. While this seems like an interesting setting for an adventure, the crew swoops in and solves some insanely easy puzzles to find the treasure. Nobody else in the world of Minecraft could have figured this out? Really?

Also, a personal storytelling gripe of mine is seemingly shoehorning in relationship drama between two characters who are hiding information from each other. When it seems like a single honest conversation would solve everyone’s issues, it makes me upset when that conversation gets continuously pushed off. The whole Jesse and Petra storyline moving forward seems like it will incorporate a lot of this so-called tension, which doesn’t excite me at all.

As far as gameplay goes, Minecraft: Story Mode has a little more “game” to it than other Telltale games. The majority of time is still spent picking dialogue options in conversations with characters, but there’s also a surprising amount of action beyond quick-time events. Jesse finds him/herself in combat situations a number of times over the course of the first episode, and players get to control movement, attacks and dodges. There’s even a stamina bar so you can’t spam attacks or dodges without wearing yourself out. The combat is generic and very basic, but more enjoyable than reducing these segments to simple button presses.

There’s also the Minecraft-esque crafting sequences. While these are also basic, with the game pretty much limiting you to only having access to the materials you need at that specific moment, it’s still a fun nod to Minecraft.

Telltale also has a bad reputation for technically buggy games, but there were only a few minor glitches in my playthrough. Although the graphics are made to look retro like Minecraft, they are still crisp and clean. Despite the purposefully limited animation, I still saw some issues with character’s mouths not moving properly with the dialogue. Considering there are no major framerate issues or bigger bugs, this is still an improvement over previous games.

There are also some great performances from Patton Oswalt, Catherine Taber and Ashley Johnson. Perhaps the stand-out star for the first episode is Fred Tatasciore, who voices the new character Jack. Tatasciore, best known in the gaming world as the voice of Gears of War’s Damon Baird, manages to be both gruff and manly, while also adding touches of humor and timidness into his voice at the perfect times. Popular Minecraft streamers Stampy Cat and StaceyPlays also make appearances, so if you’re into the Minecraft community, that’s a fun little addition to see.

While the story may not be as exciting this time around, gameplay in Minecraft: Story Mode provides a nice twist to the classic Telltale experience and the characters are enjoyable to listen to. Unfortunately, when games like these rely so heavily on a strong story, it really hinders the overall product.

Minecraft: Story Mode Season Two is available to download for PS4, Xbox One, PC, iOS and Android devices starting on July 11.

So what do you think? Are you excited to see what’s next for Jesse in Minecraft: Story Mode? Will you wait for all of the episodes to release before getting Season Two? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.