Review: Minecraft Dungeons
The Bogged looks straight out of a swamp monster movie and is more dangerous than the skeleton as it will shoot the player with poison arrows. The swamp is not the only place that gamers will find the Bogged, as they will also spawn as an enemy in the new Trial Chambers , a combat system in which players must defeat mobs in order to progress and be rewarded. Skeletons are terrifying enough, but this Bogged version takes it to another le
From the same people that brought us Game of Thrones and Tales From the Borderlands comes their newest decision based game, Minecraft: Story Mode. Telltale Games is notorious for their rigorous storytelling and memorable characters and this time is no different. You play as Jesse, regardless of which gender you choose at the beginning, who is on a mission to create the greatest build at EnderCon, (Enderman Convention if you didn’t catch on). The winner gets to meet the great Gabriel of the Order of the Stone, a group of people who slayed the Ender Dragon years ago but have disbanded since. Of course, the episode would be nothing without some kind of story of revenge that spirals the characters into an adventure that they would have never seen themselves in. Someone sets out to create a Wither, a huge monster that sets out to consume everything, leaving you and your friends to seek out the Order of the Stone. You are accompanied by your friends Olivia, confidant and trusty, Axel, large and loyal, and Reuben, a pig. Telltale hit the nail on the head this time with a different, family-friendly take on one of their main installments. No prior knowledge of the original building game is needed, but it would help if you had some basic terminology.
It takes a while to build up a full arsenal, especially due to how many gems are required to level up equipment skills, but once you’ve got a foothold the game opens up into a fun combat romp. Minecraft Dungeons is designed with younger players in mind, so on standard difficulty it’s too easy for any kind of seasoned player, but after a few levels you can crank it up to the hardest and eventually get a decent challenge that can actually run the risk of killing you. Enemies attack in large numbers, whether they be familiar Minecraft creatures like zombies, spiders and skeleton-archers or newer threats such as the corrupted Illagers (like villagers but ill) or zombie-summoning sorcerers. Combat is initially a simple matter of holding down the attack button and letting the combo animation play out, broken up occasionally by needing to shoot archers that don’t want to hang out in melee range. The final levels do a nice job of putting all your abilities to the test, though, requiring regular use of magic, support pets, keeping an eye out for traps in the environment and giving the bow a good workout.
Minecraft: Story Mode has managed to surprise fans of episodic games with every episode released. While the second episode might not have proven that, both Episode 1, Episode 3 and now Episode 4 have not disappointed. Probably the best episode yet in both content and character development, Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 4: A Block and a Hard Place will leave you emotionally defeated. Lasting a little bit over two hours, the episode gives closure to the events that Jessie and his friends are facing in saving the world from the Witherstorm. It begins right where you left off last, either Ellegard or Magnus having died (according to the decision that you make) and Gabriel having been rescued but with no recollection of what has happened (a side effect from having Wither Sickness). You all run from the storm only to find safety in a cave, still within the storm’s range.
The action from the first episode hasn’t left at all and if anything, managed to speed itself enough where you practically have to do a second playthrough just to catch it again. There are plenty of moments that could have been explained more and it’s upsetting that they weren’t in the short time it took to finish the episode. Things like Olivia’s disappointment in finally meeting her hero and Lukas’ role in Jessie’s group of friends could have been touched upon a little bit more but the fact that they weren’t makes me fear for future episodes. It leaves you with a, “oh, that was it?” feeling that should never be felt while playing any game, especially right when you begin getting into the action and quickness of it all. Hopefully, the third episode will capitalize on a few more important moments within the main character’s development and slow down a little in order to give everyone the attention that they deserve.
Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 4: A Block and a Hard Place is the strongest episode yet in basically every aspect. Employing emotional factors as well as hard story elements, Telltale has managed to create a story that originated from just a few blocks. every wood Type in minecraft second of this two hour episode was spent towards making the player feel as though everyone really is depending on them to save the world. Hard times fall, but Jessie and his friends make this episode an unforgettable experience that one can only hope to be transferred to next and final episode of this series.
