Minecraft: Story Mode – Season 2 has finally come to an end with the release of the fifth and final episode. I say that with a little trepidation because last season I thought there were only going to be five episodes to find out that they were adding three DLC episodes. Anyway, moving on from that, let’s talk about episode 5. How did things end for Jessie and her friends? Did this game get some sort of closure just in case it gets canned? Keep reading to find out.
Picking up right where episode 4 left off, you can read my review of episode 4 here, Jessie and her friends have made it back to Beacontown that’s being run by the admin who is disguised as Jessie. Gone is the peaceful Beacontown and in its place a tribute to the founder Jessie. There’s even going to be a big celebration for the fake Jessie, but Jessie and her friends aren’t having any of that as they come up with an Oceans 11 type plan to take down the Admin once and for all.
I have to say that while I was playing this episode I was kind of on the fence about it. It felt just a little rushed and everything happened really quickly. By the end of the episode though I came around and really enjoyed it. This was because it mostly cleared up a lot of things that were left hanging in certain episodes. The rivalry between Stella and Jessie, which was all in Stella’s head, was basically finished. The stuff Petra was going through also came to a close, the fate of Beacongtown and the Admin also had a nice tidy ending making the game end on a really high note. Having the ending that the game had was a real highlight to an episode that was a little on the boring side even with all the action and adventure that was thrown in.
Kudos to Telltale! I usually don’t give out Kudos lightly, but I have to this time around because they kind of won me over by the end of this episode with a Jessie and Petra moment. I won’t spoil it here, but being a Jessie and Petra shipper it was a nice little tame option given to you at the end of the episode and made me just a little giddy.
The playability of this game was a mess at some points. Sure it didn’t stall or take too long to load, but the action sequences were just off. This kind of messed up the game because when it came down to it, this episode was one big boss battle. Quicktime events didn’t seem as neatly calibrated as they were in the past and the action sequences that weren’t Quicktime events were just an absolute pain with the hearts and stamina system. I spent a lot of time dying in these sequences for really stupid reasons. If there’s another season I really hope they fix this mechanism and just switch over to full Quicktime events or improve the stamina system.
The graphics for this game were back on track like last episode as they fit into the whole Minecraft universe. Except for episode 3, the graphics have been spot on and are really a highlight of this game as a whole. I like how they really give you a Minecraft game but with a story so that you’re not running around the woods punching trees.
Finish this episode and you’ll have not only 6 new trophies to brag about but also a new platinum trophy to add to your list. Congratulations to those who played this game and got the platinum trophy for it. Unlike the other Telltale games, I don’t really feel like this was a cheap platinum trophy because some of the episodes felt like a chore to play so it wasn’t all fun and games.
As always, no multiplayer for this game and just the crowd play feature. I was surprised that the crowd play feature wasn’t crammed down my throat this time as when I play recent Telltale games I feel like I’m doing something wrong if I don’t use the crowd play feature.
Overall I give this episode a 4 out of 5.
What’s Great:
+ An Oceans 11 type story for this episode that planned out a major scheme to take down the Admin and save Beacontown.
+ A nice ending that tidied everything up in case there are no more seasons for this game.
+ Graphics that fit in nicely with the whole Minecraft Universe.
What’s Not So Great:
– Quicktime events that weren’t calibrated correctly and action sequences that used the broken stamina system. This made for a lot of non-fun times in a huge boss battle that could have been better.
– Another quick episode that made the ending feel just a little rushed.
Overall this episode was probably the best of the season. It had a nice ending that if they don’t continue with the game you’ll be satisfied with. It wrapped everything up nicely and even put a little bow on it. Thanks Telltale! Anyway, if you haven’t played this game yet, I would say to wait until it was on sale and pick it up so that you can binge play it. This is one of the Telltale games that I feel in my honest opinion that it’s not really worth the $24.99 price tag that goes with it. If you aren’t a Telltale fan or a Minecraft fan, or maybe you’re just burnt out on Telltale games I would say to skip this one then and wait for something better.
Spoilers! Below are the choices that I made for the fifth episode.
