By: Drew Beausoleil

  It's fair to say I stand behind Telltale and the games they produce. I  trust them, a studio I can believe in knowing that each game they release, I will enjoy. Telltale is one of the best story telling studio's who are able to approach episodic games like no other. But when Telltale announced they would be working with Mojang to bring an episodic Minecraft story...I was taken back. How would they create a compelling story about a game in which the player essentially creates their own story themselves within the world?

Well leave it to Telltale to create something out of nothing. A story of a building competition gone wrong, as Jessie our main protagonist and his friends are drawn into a dynamic and twisted plot of chaos. Episode 1 The Order of the Stone isn't their strongest opening but still pays great fan service to the world of Minecraft. A pixelated cast of characters are good. Jessie voiced by Patton Oswalt is the star of the show but later characters that join your entourage become more interesting. I wasn't able to get a strong connection to any of these characters. They're all well voice acted and deliver a strong performance, but there seems to be something missing for me. I don't care for them as much as I have in previous titles from Telltale. I felt the lose and pain when playing Clem in season 1 and 2 of The Walking Dead, I connected with her. Big B from The Wolf Among us was outstanding. Or even Rhys and Fiona from Tales from the Borderlands story are characters that grabbed me with excitement and compassion from the very start of their story. Jessie and his group of friends are leaving me disconnected, cold and wanting more. Maybe it's the world of Minecraft that is disjointing my connection, or maybe everything will turn around with episode 2. But right now, I am wanting a much stronger connection with these characters and their story.

Telltale is always known for having technical difficulties within their games and Minecraft Story Mode is no different. While playing my game the sky vanished behind my characters. I mean completely vanished, just disappeared. Does this take away from the core experience of the game? YES! Yes it does. I want to believe in this world I am in, and when the sky just disappears I'm left asking why? I understand games are hard, no game is completely perfect or bug free. I also know that Telltale is a very talented studio and praised by many gamers, including myself. I just wish, Telltale would polish their games and we as gamers would be able to experience the perfect game.

I could see some gameplay mechanics from The Walking Dead series while playing Minecraft Story Mode. Running from creepers felt very much like The Walking Dead and with good reason. All of your well known baddies were there chasing us. But in context of the story. Quick time events, often known as a bad phrase for gamers is a strong gameplay element. Either running from creepers or used for building items within the world. Telltale has everything you would expect a Minecraft Story to have. But in the end there are unfortunate bugs and no connection to the cast of generic characters.