Minecraft: Story Mode - Season 2, episode one review - more than just some block-heads

Minecraft: Story Mode - Season 2 may be a tough idea to swallow, but it offers up humour, adventure, and a decent story.

Will the game fall into Telltale's regular traps? Or will it triumph where we originally believed it would fail?

Sticks and stones may break my bones

Minecraft: Story Mode - S2, episode one, starts off a little while after Jesse and the gang have defeated the Wither Storm.

Now accustomed to being the most famous heroes in the land, your days of adventuring are pretty much behind you. In its stead you're building up and leading Beacontown, and your friends are also pretty busy.

All except Petra who invites you along for one more crazy ride to catch a llama - which turns out to be doubly intense after you get a gauntlet stuck on your hand and unleash a plague of charged-up Creepers. Yeesh.

The first thing you notice is the faithful voxel art style. If you've played your fair share of Minecraft you'll get the feel of it straight away, right down to the building blocks.

The animation of the characters, from their facial expressions to their physical movements, also help bring that desired feel to it. It makes you forget every now and again that it's a Telltale game.

Its soundtrack is an absolute winner, replicating the chilled-out sort of score you find in the game during the day, but with a little more substance to it.

Needless to say that the voice acting was excellent across both the male and female Jesse, and the supporting cast are also absolutely spot of - especially Ashley Johnson's portrayal of Petra.

With the calm nature of the townsfolk and the fact that Jesse's pretty chilled, Petra adds that spunk and energetic burst which keeps the game from drying out.

Unlike Batman or Guardians of the Galaxy's introduction of more complex combat combinations and new mechanics, the controls here are pretty simple, likely for the sake of a younger target audience.

That would also explain the speed of its first episode. A lot may have happened in the space of two hours, but it never dragged.

It's also a nice touch that you don't have to play the first season to play this one, however I'd still recommend it. Like any decent story, character building and growth is what connects us to the characters on a personal level.

Just let me get the recipe

Minecraft: Story Mode - S2's first episode starts off with a bang as we're immediately thrown into several adventures with a neat cast of characters.

Though I was a little skeptical at first about a Minecraft story-based game, it was pleasantly surprising and I only hope that episode two continues this level of quality.

Minecraft: Story Mode - Season 2, episode one review - more than just some block-heads

Minecraft: Story Mode, S2, kicks off the series with a bang as fans both familiar and new to the series are met with humour, adventure, and an intriguing storyline.
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Emily Sowden
Emily Sowden
Emily is Pocket Gamer's News Editor and writes about all kinds of game-related things. She needs coffee to function and begrudgingly loves her Switch more than she lets on.