Minecraft: Story Mode - Season Two, Episode One Reviews
This is very much Marmite: Those who enjoyed Season 1 and want more will happily eat this up. Those who did not enjoy Season 1 will not enjoy this new addition. Episode 1 adds nothing to the formula and for some that will be fine.
Though the episode falls flat in a few areas and drags in the middle, some of the story beats have me interested in knowing where it goes next
The first episode is a good start for Minecraft: Story Mode: Season two, but we need some innovations for this gameplay.
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While I have long been a fan of the Telltale video games, Minecraft: Story Mode was probably my least favorite of their full season offerings to date. It got off to a slow start with a property that seemed somewhat ill-fitting to a narrative-heavy game. However, to its credit, I thought Story Mode got stronger near the end, finding some solid footing during the final chapter. I was hoping that momentum would carry over to Season Two, but Minecraft: Story Mode Season Two - Episode 1: Hero in Residence reminds me a lot of the first episode in the initial season's installment.
Minecraft: Story Mode Season Two starts off a bit rocky with a content-filled but overall kind of dull episode. Jesse's story continues here with some tried-and-true story beats that might keep younger players engaged, but more experience gamers will want to wait for more episodes to see if this hits Telltale's usual level of quality.
Minecraft: Story Mode Season 2, Episode 1 is a nice return for the series as it continues to be as light and easy as before. The perfect next step for families who love Mojang's absurdly successful creation.
Episode 1: Hero in Residence is a slow start to the new season of Minecraft: Story Mode, as Jesse tries to ready Beacontown for the Founding Day celebrations. Fortunately, this early section of the game is quite fun to interact with, and the various characters create various types of "mini-games" to accomplish. Unfortunately, once Jesse and Petra jump into the mines to start their adventure, the story takes a bit of a downward turn, becoming a little bit cumbersome to complete due to the dullness of Jack's character.
Minecraft: Story Mode Season Two fails to capture both the creative freedom of Minecraft, and the meaningful storytelling of a Telltale Games series. While there's definitely some niche appeal for those who are extremely invested in the world and lore of Minecraft, the story and characters don't stand out enough to make this a super compelling title. If Minecraft is something people love playing, they're better off just sticking to it.
Episode 1: Hero in Residence represents a rather disappointing start to Minecraft: Story Mode Season Two. The story is agonisingly slow to get going, core mechanics are clunky, and there is a huge lack of character throughout which leaves you feeling like you've wasted your time. Unless you were a huge fan of Season One and can't stop punching wood, we'd suggest you wait for another episode to see if this adventure is worth following. We really hope Telltale has got an absolutely stunning season planned, but we're not feeling this one yet.
It's only the first episode and in my experience TellTale series always get better and better as the series moves on, though I'm strained to remember a series which started as rocky at this one. I'm gonna jump into Episode 2 and hope that the story and series will get somewhere that brings back the spirit of the first season, because right now it's nowhere to be found.