Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 1 - The Order of the Stone Reviews

Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 1 - The Order of the Stone is ranked in the 60th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
ACG
Top Critic
Buy
Oct 13, 2015
Minecraft Story Mode Review "Buy, Wait for Sale, Rent, Never Touch?" video thumbnail
Unscored
Oct 13, 2015

Minecraft might not have a story and lore of its own for Telltale to build upon, but that just means that a Telltale story can fit right in.

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5 / 10.0
Oct 13, 2015

There is some hope for this series to be great in the future, but The Order of the Stone is just okay. The Minecraft-specific gameplay is a nice way to shake up the usual formula. The blank slate of the universe allows the tale to go wherever it wants. The voice cast is full of actors who can do great work. But the writing needs to be more engaging if Story Mode wants to be taken seriously among Telltale canon.

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Justin Davis
Top Critic
7.3 / 10.0
Oct 13, 2015

Sparse interactivity and a lack of commitment to explaining this world and its inhabitants hold Episode 1 back, but I'm still absorbed in my story, and eager to find out what happens next.

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7 / 10
Oct 13, 2015

It's a slow start, but a pleasant one, for Telltale's narrative take on one of the world's most popular games.

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Oct 13, 2015

Minecraft: Story Mode is off to a good start, and despite a story-less canvas and only in-game references to draw from, developer Telltale has crafted something promising.

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7 / 10
Oct 13, 2015

An extremely slow start to Minecraft's first story adventure, but it's a game made with a clear love for the original and is bound to please most younger fans.

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8.3 / 10.0
Oct 13, 2015

A Telltale experience through and through, the first episode is enjoyable and whets your appetite just enough to leave you wanting more

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Polygon
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Oct 13, 2015

Minecraft: Story Mode doesn't deviate from the well-established Telltale formula much, keeping both what works (the storytelling) and what often doesn't work (combat). Even so, it accomplishes something impressive. I was skeptical of Telltale's ability to tell a story in the Minecraft universe that would be interesting to people who weren't already fans of the game, but so far, the studio is pulling it off with aplomb.

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8 / 10.0
Oct 13, 2015

Overall Minecraft Story Mode is a great start to a new series. Although the child-like visuals will put some Telltale fans off this is to miss the huge investment and achievement so far. If the series continues in this vein it's set to be warmly welcomed by both Minecraft fans and families.

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8.3 / 10.0
Oct 13, 2015

A no-brainer purchase for fans of both Minecraft and Telltale. Those who prefer Telltale's more complex and mature works may find this title a bit lacking, but the exciting story, quality writing, and talented voice cast make this a hard game to dislike.

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No Recommendation / Blank
Oct 13, 2015

Mechanically you are left with a feeling that there was room for Telltale to - finally - stretch its template a little further than its standard 'side with one character or the other' choices. And if it didn't do so here, with the most open-ended licence going, then it may never. Like all recipes, if you have tried the end result too often then its taste may wear a little thin. But for lapsed Telltale fans or young Minecraft aficionados, Story Mode's opener is an enjoyable first bite.

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Oct 13, 2015

Telltale Games has done it again with Minecraft: Story Mode. I'm still not entirely sure how the developer managed to make an open world building game into such a fun and compelling story-based adventure but it certainly has.

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8 / 10
Oct 13, 2015

If Minecraft was around 25 years ago, this would be the Saturday-morning cartoon tie-in. And that's a good thing.

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8 / 10.0
Oct 13, 2015

Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode One is a promising start to Telltale's latest venture. As someone with only a passing knowledge of Minecraft, the story and characters were interesting enough to pull me in, and the manner in which the first episode ends suggests that there's some fairly major diverging paths to be resolved in Episode Two. It's nothing particularly new, as Telltale games go, but I think that playing with a more family-friendly property has been good for the studio.

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Oct 13, 2015

Will Story Mode pan out? Will it stand as one of Telltale's best? For now, the answer is… maybe. Episode One is a fun two hours with plenty of shout-outs to fans of the series while also a solid balance of gameplay and characters for those who've never combined flint, sticks, and a feather to create an arrow. As a "player choice via conversation" game, though, the plot so far is fairly standard.

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Oct 14, 2015

Minecraft: Story Mode gets off to a decent, but flawed start with Episode 1. The series is definitely going to be a more family friendly affair than its Telltale brethren, but not quite enough was done to accommodate the more mature gamer. Future episodes could help, but for now it is best to be wary, while still diving in if you appreciate the universe.

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6 / 10
Oct 14, 2015

Story Mode – Episode 1 hits or misses with its characters and presents a relatively anemic plot for later episodes to build on; less immediately captivating than its predecessors, yes, but Telltale has set out to find the perfect blend of action and heart – they haven't found it yet – but in later episodes they just might.

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7.5 / 10.0
Oct 14, 2015

Story Mode is a solid attempt at giving all new meaning to creativity in Minecraft. The plot is set and it looks to be both interesting and fun. I'm looking forward to continuing the story Telltale has crafted and seeing everything they have in store for the game.

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8 / 10
Oct 14, 2015

Although Story Mode doesn't deviate from Telltale's usual formula, it still manages to make me excited for the second episode in this new episodic adventure, with great dialogue and storytelling. I was skeptical of Telltale's ability to pull off an episodic series in the Minecraft universe, but as far as I can tell from this first episode, they've done a pretty damn good job of it.

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