Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 4 - A Block and a Hard Place Reviews
Family-friendly but not childish, in-depth but not self-obsessed, Minecraft: Story Mode's actual story is consistently stellar, if not spectacular, over all four episodes.
As of episode four, Minecraft: Story Mode feels like it's on the right track to conclude in a more interesting way than it originally appeared, but I'm not sure yet whether that makes dragging yourself through the first three episodes worth it to see the better places the series goes as it nears its conclusion.
Episode 4 makes Story Mode as a whole easy to recommend, and it will leave you itching to find out what the writers have planned for the final chapter.
Minecraft: Story Mode Episode 4 continues the momentum from the previous episode in true Telltale fashion. Many of the series flaws remain, but many more have been fixed. The accelerated pace of the narrative really helps here as well, with the story of the Wither Storm coming to a close in both fun and surprisingly dramatic ways.
Minecraft: Story Mode's penultimate chapter does a great job of both concluding the main plot and delivering more of Telltale's trademark character moments and emotional beats.
Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 4: A Block and a Hard Place is the strongest episode yet in basically every aspect.
Intended for kids.
The conclusion to the Wither Storm storyline is delivered in a refreshing and heartfelt way, and I am looking forward to seeing what Jesse and friends get up to in the conclusion.
'A Block and a Hard Place' is a return to form for 'Story Mode', shoring up the series after the last few episodes have faltered. The climax comes a bit sooner than expected, but the pacing during the wither episodes felt rushed at times, so there's no harm in moving on before the final outing.
Though I'm critical of some repeating gameplay tropes in the series, this episode does also do quite well to feature a few more puzzles. Navigating a large maze does lean toward the tedious – and doesn't exactly make too much sense in the world of Minecraft, where you can break down walls and build bridges in moments – but the puzzles through which you piece together some of the key moments from the Order of the Stone's past are enjoyable, and it's nice to see elements of crafting involved as well. However, on the whole, these puzzles are still rather simplistic, aiming to be easily accessible for children.
A satisfying conclusion to this story arc, full of revelations, heartbreak and humour. The only things that really hamper Story Mode's penultimate episode are some predictable moments and how little much of its cast have developed over the span of the past four episodes.
This episode could very well be considered the finale for the first season. It wraps up the Wither Storm saga, it answers the questions about the Order of the Stone, and it delivers a semi-happy, hopeful ending for the crew. If only it did that without an utterly boring first half and the clumsy insertion of mandatory Telltale story elements, it might have also been a good ending.
A Block and a Hard Place isn't a terrible episode – it's certainly better than the fumbling second one – but it caps the adventure with a mild fizzle as opposed to the great big bang I'd been expecting. One of the biggest problems with it though, is that I don't really care what happens in the concluding episode
The fourth and penultimate episode of Telltale's first season of Minecraft: Story Mode has yet again failed to impress.
Overall, Episode 4 is a strong outing for Minecraft: Story Mode. By the end of the two hours, I was ready to begin the final chapter. And yet, as good as this next-to-last episode is, including an emotional goodbye to one of the best characters, the bulk of the cast still don't leave much of an impression, which has been my main complaint in past reviews.
This episode doesn't have as many memorable sequences, but it brings the Wither Storm saga to a satisfying and enjoyable conclusion
Certain scenes got me more emotional than I ever thought I'd be when playing Minecraft: Story Mode, and that is a mark of approval that overshadows nearly all of this episode's negative aspects.
Unlike episodes one through three, four ends without a cliffhanger. There seems to be nothing Telltale can add on that will change this, so I honestly cannot even begin to predict what the fifth episode may bring. At one point I did choose to have Jesse lie, and I wonder if that will come back to bite me - but what about everyone who didn't choose that path?! Regardless, A Block and a Hard Place is my absolute favourite episode in the Minecraft Story Mode tale to date, and I certainly look forward to what surprises may be coming my way when the conclusion is released.
Telltale's love and deep understanding of Minecraft combined with a thrilling satisfying climax keep Minecraft: Story Mode Episode 4 - A Block and a Hard Place from reaching a new series low at the hands of poor dialogue and a meandering plot. It's still a little too slow-paced and predictable to recommend wholeheartedly.