Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 2 - Assembly Required Reviews
Episode Two is a fast-paced affair that once again proves to be a charming, winning adventure for both fans and newbies to the world of Minecraft.
The ride may've been short, but it was filled with entertainment along the way. Assembly Required manages to pack in a lot in such a short space of time. Whilst the surprise launch left me faintly surprised rather than overjoyed, episode three now can't come soon enough.
More of the same isn't a terrible philosophy to carry when said "same" is enjoyable, but interactivity within the game's universe still lies dormant.
Assembly Required is a solid, but very short, entry. Here's hoping that episode three can start to pull it back around.
The second episode of Telltale's Minecraft: Story Mode provides some fun, but a shorter length, abrupt conclusion, and less impactful moments cause it to pale when compared to its predecessor.
Story Mode – Episode 2 ups the action and engages with its characters, making for a short but enjoyable hour; however, Telltale still struggles to give the player meaningful choices, balance tone, and create a unique story – though they're well on their way.
"Some Assembly Required" retains the silly humor of the first episode and adds some new takes on the Telltale storytelling method, but being able to finish in less than an hour hurts the overall experience.
It's unevenly paced and ends just as it gets exciting, but Assembly Required has me interested to see what happens next
The second episode of Minecraft Story mode isn't near as charming as the first. Thought it features some genuine character development, its poorer writing and direction leave it feeling flat.
Even with some of the strongest elements from Minecraft: Story Mode's debut missing, "Assembly Required" is a decent follow-up to the series premiere, though it mostly serves to keep the story chugging along at a leisurely pace, rather than going full-speed ahead.
After a solid setup from the first game about a world-ending evil, Minecraft Story Mode Episode 2, loses a bit of steam due to a shorter adventure that feels like it's just going through the motions. The foundation is still there for a fun adventure so, but Telltale will need to ratchet things up a notch in the next episode, "The Last Place You Look," especially with the excellent precedent that "Tales From the Borderlands" has set.
Assembly Required is nowhere near bad enough to stop you from continuing on your Minecraft adventure, but enough to raise some concerns about whether Episode 1 was a fluke.
Intended for kids.
Episode 2 of Minecraft: Story Mode is an unfortunate stumble for Telltale's promising family-friendly series.
After a solid start, Minecraft Story Mode Episode 2 is disappointingly short. Coming in at around an hour in playtime, the adventure is brisk and active, but it ends right when you're getting into it. A lot happens, but the impact is dulled due to the breakneck pacing.
There is some hope for the future of the series, as Assembly Required has planted some interesting seeds of what's to come, but it's not quite there yet.
The world of Minecraft alongside all the fun inside cracks at geekdom is the right fit for Telltale, but so far these first two episodes have failed to craft anything remotely as engaging as The Walking Dead or the excellent Tales From the Borderlands. Jesse, whether voiced by Patton Oswalt or Catherine Taber, remains a solid lead character as does his companions, but the Witherstorm premise and to a lesser degree the villainous Ivor are not compelling yet. Here's hoping that with more time to develop episode three, this story mode finally delivers.
Minecraft: Story Mode continues its mixed experience with Episode 2 "Assembly Required". Writing is still enjoyable, though the overall story isn't coming together quite as well as usual. Glitches, especially those in animation, take away from the fun.
Minecraft: Story Mode is left with a lot to prove in the coming episodes. "Assembly Required" doesn't do much to convince players that any of its drama is genuine, or that any of its plotlines can adequately fill up what they've come to expect in a full episode of a Telltale series.
Too short to go anywhere storywise, a lack of genuine peril, and devoid of character development, ''Assembly Required'' is easily the weakest episode of a Telltale series post-Walking Dead. The world it exists in continues to shine, but anything original flounders.