Brett Maciech
bmaciech@uwyo.edu
“Minecraft: Story Mode” may not be the most original or engaging experience, but its charm and simplistic story makes for a solid adventure for everyone.
Mojang really did strike gold with “Minecraft.” No, it was more like striking gold at the end of a rainbow that had been hit by lightning and blessed by the ghost of David Bowie. Not only is it a huge hit that just won’t die, it’s also actually really quite good. You know, for what’s it’s trying to do. But there has always been a level of depth missing in “Minecraft,” a depth that can be found in the player-driven, free-forming narrative of building whatever Lego fortress you damn well please, but that gap still remains.
At least it used to, until Telltale Games released their “Minecraft: Story Mode” into the world. And the first thing to know about “Minecraft: Story Mode” is that it isn’t really the “story mode” of Minecraft. Minecraft already has a pseudo-story in place, where the player can seek out an underground fortress, enter another dimension ruled by a ghost dragon, kill that dragon, and then steal its egg baby just to rub it in. “Story Mode” has nothing do with that.
Our actual story follows Jesse (voiced by Patton Oswalt or Catherine Taber, depending if you play as a man or a woman) and his friends as they attempt to reunite a mythical order of heroes in order to save the world from a giant rampaging monster. There’s action, laughter, thills, chills and a pig sidekick. But no romance. Then again, that’s probably for the best. I don’t think anyone wants to think about how those sprite Lego people reproduce. Probably by coding or something equally as disgusting.
At any rate, the game has everything you could ever want from a light-hearted adventure spanning the farthest reaches of the “Minecraft” world. Except that it really isn’t a light-hearted adventure as one might expect. The world is being ripped apart piece by piece, members of the group are constantly at odds, someone’s got a life-threatening illness and the faith in childhood idols is put to the test. It’s all surprisingly mature for a game you’d assume to be aimed at dumb children.
Then there’s standard soul-crushing decision-making that Telltale Games are known for. Granted they don’t have the usual bite these choices usually have, but this game is meant to skew a little younger. No reason to make anyone choose between your arm and a loved one.
However, as charming as this adventure is, it isn’t exactly the most engaging of stories. The characters are fun and lovable, but they aren’t anything to write home about. Everyone in your group feels a little too stocky and a little too familiar to stand out. The voice acting is solid, especially from Patton Oswalt. However, it isn’t anything impressive even though the story is fairly standard adventure fluff. The Minecraft sheen gives the action a unique feel, but it’s all going through the same motions.
Yet, even the smallest of nitpicks feels wrong to bring up. It feels like I’m criticizing a ten-year-old’s Dungeons and Dragons campaign. There’s a lot of heart in this tale and if I was younger, I’d have probably eaten this up without breathing. As it stands, it’s fun, emotional and you’ll probably end up crying at the end. There’s isn’t much more to ask from something as simple as “Lego people fight monsters and save the world.”
