Minecraft: Story Mode Season 2 – Episode 2 on PC
After finishing off the epic season 2 debut with the invasion of the Admin, Minecraft: Story Mode picks up the story directly from where we left off the last time. The colossal Admin has invaded Beacontown, and he’s challenging Jesse to a fight to see if she’s worthy of the title of ‘champion.’
While the game’s first episode was mostly a lot of setup and preparation for what’s to come, Giant Consequences has very little downtime, and it never lets the excitement die down for too long. The second episode opens with an epic fight against the Admin as he continues to thrash Beacontown, while Jesse and Lucas team up once again to stop the threat. Before the end of the first chapter, they manage to take down the Admin, but Jesse still hasn’t found a way to remove the mysterious prismarine gauntlet on her right fist. Things don’t stay peaceful for too long, however, as the Admin reveals that he has more than a few tricks up his sleeve.
Giant Consequences is probably one of the most beautiful episodes we’ve seen in Minecraft: Story Mode. After the entire biome is covered in snow and eternal night, Jesse and her crew are tasked with retrieving a mysterious clock from a dangerous ice palace. Most of Telltale’s games feature comic book-like graphics that add a touch of cel-shading to each of the character models, but Minecraft stands out because it adopts the game’s trademark voxel-based, pixel aesthetic. Couple that with some seriously gorgeous architecture, and you’ve got one of the best-looking games Telltale has ever produced. Truly, the environments shown off in this episode were nothing short of breathtaking, and it made the adventure all the more enticing.
As the story continues, Jesse’s relationships with the people around her also continue to evolve. Last episode, Petra talked about how their adventuring gang went their separate ways to do their own thing. This episode, she starts to think about finding her own ‘thing’ and what she’s good at as well. The dynamics between Jesse and Petra continue to be as engaging as ever, and players can decide if they want to play Jesse as a raring adventurer who supports Petra in her endeavors, or play the game as a more mellow hero who’s just looking for a bit of peace in Beacontown.
Likewise, it’s fun to see Jesse and Lucas reunited as they handle the incoming threats like the seasoned veterans they are. During my playthrough, I made sure to spend as much time with newcomer Radar as possible. Radar serves as Jesse’s assistant in Beacontown, and he’s a rather skittish character, though he seems eager to prove his bravery and loyalty. Radar’s interactions with Lucas and Jesse are charming, and it even manages to undergo a somewhat heartwarming development as the story continues.
On the other hand, Stella from Champion City also makes an appearance with Lluna the llama. Stella’s as conniving as ever, and is hilariously condescending in the way she speaks to the rest of the crew. The characters of Minecraft: Story Mode are truly at their best here, and it’s incredibly fun to watch the different personalities clash and play off one another.
To my (pleasant) surprise, there were also a few key decision-making moments here that seemed to drastically alter the way the story played out. The episode featured a few surprising story twists, a difficult moral dilemma, and ended off with yet another cliffhanger and an ominous preview of things to come. Though the game is still plagued with the same technical issues from the previous episode (unable to adjust resolution, connecting an Xbox One controller), Minecraft: Story Mode’s writing continues to be comedic and entertaining from start to finish.
Score: 4/5 – Great
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