Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 5: Ordered Up!

The last episode Minecraft: Story Mode had players confused, wondering how Telltale would continue the episodic adventure now that the Wither Storm was stopped and the captured people saved. Episode 5: Ordered Up! delivered a brand new antagonist and has Jesse attempting to live up to his position as leader of The Order of the Stone. With a brand new cast of characters, a brilliantly crafted story, and difficult choices Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 5: Ordered Up! will leave you yearning for the next episode. 

The Wither Storm is gone and Jesse and his friends have become the new Order of the Stone as a result of their accomplishment. Consisting of Jesse, Petra, Alex, and Olivia the group now spends most of their time hunting down rare treasure housed within ancient locations, similar to the previous Order of the Stone, and basking in the glory of the populist’s admiration. Eventually Jesse learns of an item called the Everstone, an item capable of creating infinite amounts of rare resources. Now Jesse seeks to obtain this item for the glory of the Order, however not everyone is happy about Jesse’s success and seeks to overthrow the young hero for their own gain.

New characters and problems continuously present themselves throughout the episode, with Jesse having to make difficult decisions that determine the relationship between the people around him and sometimes their lives. The story’s plot builds on the edifice of Minecraft, crafting a story that not only fits the original game’s gameplay mechanics but finally creating a lore centered on them. Things like freedom to build and craft, resources limitation, and even the spawn eggs are given some sort of context in this episode, almost like it was intended for Minecraft the entire time. When the episode finally ended not only was I satisfied with the story but Telltale was able to leave an open-ended cliffhanger that entices players for the upcoming episodes.

Ordered Up! doesn’t change the traditional gameplay mechanics found in other Telltale games. You still make decisions, that may consist of up to four answers, within a finite amount of time. Certain choices determine how the story will progress and determine the relationship with Jesse and the people around him. Each interaction, whether big or small, are well voiced and animated, selling each character’s motives effectively. Everyone from the ordinary citizens to the main characters are well-designed and voiced.

The game does stumble a few times, especially when it comes to the puzzle segments. All of the puzzles revolve around simply exploring the environment, picking everything up, or crafting simple items These situations do offer an opportunity for your allies to express their concerns and opinions over your actions, but for the most part these are minor distractions. Exploring the amazing environment teased throughout the episode would’ve been an excellent substitute for these boring objectives. Like other Telltale titles you can expect a few glitches and sudden audio silence, my audio completely shutoff two times during my second playthrough.

Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 5: Ordered Up! touches on subjects never explained in the original game and adds context to them, all while delivering a unique story. . Starting off as a mediocre game Minecraft: Story Mode as quickly risen to one of Telltale's best work, all while remaining faithful to the E rating. The puzzles are the dullest portion of the episode but these small vexations are easily overshadowed for what is the best episode of Minecraft: Story Mode.

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
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