Many of the episodic adventures tend to opt for a rather long cooling period between episodes being released, however Minecraft: Story Mode wanted to sink its proverbial teeth in to the players by releasing the second episode within just a week of the first one. Will Telltale be able to capitalise on such a strong opener with episode two – ‘Assembly Required’?
It’s worth pointing out that your experience during ‘Assembly Required’ will differ depending on the choices already made, with the most important decision being whom you choose to track down next from the Order of the Stone. As noted in the first review, I struggled to connect with Jesse’s pal Olivia and so the plan for me was to go forth alongside her to find Ellegaard the Redstone Engineer. Jesse needs all the help he can get if the Wither Storm is to be destroyed, before it destroys the whole world.
Having spent more time with Olivia, I’m still not entirely enthralled by the character but I understand her role as the sensible, intelligent type to counter the other best friend, Axel, whom lacks in both areas. Getting to meet two members of the Order, Ellegaard and Magnus, makes everything clearer about why the group of legendary heroes don’t get together too often nowadays. It’s interesting to see the dynamics of these egotistical members running wild; putting their own issues firmly in the way of saving the world.
The dialogue goes through a bit of a lull for the majority of this episode, where conversations are either straight to the point or just plain boring. It couldn’t grab my attention and if it can’t keep my interest consistently, then the younger audience, whom this story is half aimed at, will surely struggle too. Considering I had a few giggles during episode one, it’s disappointing that the humour is sparse throughout ‘Assembly Required’.
I was expecting more of the same when it came down to interactivity, but once again, like all the goodness I had previously experienced, it was in short supply. There might have been two fights in which you’ll wield a sword or a bow, however these seemed to be cut short with just a couple of creepers and a solitary ghast to take down. And despite my lack of love for the previous light puzzle, not having a single test of an intellectual nature was disappointing. The only saving grace came in the form of a QTE battle that lasted a good few minutes and explored the magical side of the Minecraft kingdom.
Being able to have differing experiences already, I’m confident that there’s some real replayability should you wish to go for another run through when the season is over. That’s if you enjoyed it enough to do so of course.
What really shocked me however was the length of the second episode; I don’t tend to rush things and even I managed to finish this within an hour, that’s half the usual time that we normally get to experience with an episodic adventure, especially a Telltale one. I wouldn’t necessarily bother about how long it took to finish if the time was spent playing a top quality episode, but sadly that wasn’t the case here. Instead it was an hour of mediocrity that failed to grip me like the season opener did. Thus leaving me with a dilemma; can I still recommend purchasing the Season Pass or ‘Assembly Required’ on its own?
No, not without playing more from this Minecraft: Story Mode series by Telltale Games. The step down in quality between these episodes so far is strange, leading to thoughts of whether chapter two was just rushed out the door. For now, bide your time and await the third episode review before committing to it long term.
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