Why You Should Play Minecraft: Story Mode with Your Kids

Written by Mr. Change Diapers – if you click & buy, I may receive a small commission, thank you! I first heard about Minecraft: Story Mode at Minecon 2015 in London. The first trailer for the game was shown during the opening ceremony and it was eventually released later that year. While my son played it and I watched some parts of the gameplay I found the controls awkward (being used to normal Minecraft) and since I happened to just drop in on whatever point he was at in the game I did not really understand what was going on or what the point was. The game consisted of a season which was comprised of 8 episodes, like a TV show series. The one I was most familiar with and saw the most of was Episode 6 which included cameos from several well-known YouTube personalities.

At Minecon 2016 we attended a panel discussion which included several of the creators of the game as well as a few of the YouTube celebrities:

(Stampy, Stacyplays, captainsparklez)

Listening to the session made me want to revisit the game and actually play through it. Unlike Minecraft which is essentially limitless in most regards (coordinates, gameplay, goal) Story mode is the video game equivalent of a choose your own adventure book. If you happen to be an 80’s child familiar with choose you own adventure you may be surprised to know that the voice of Ivor from the game is none other than Paul Reubens (aka PeeWee Herman). There is a set story that plays out almost as though you are watching a movie, however throughout there are constant prompts for input that alter the story based on your selections. The creators have used the Minecraft “world” as a stage for their story but created new characters of their own to act it out. They also incorporate ways of explaining what is necessary to complete tasks if you are not familiar with the original game (such as recipe guides for crafting activities and explaining certain creatures) so even if you have never played Minecraft you can still play and enjoy Minecraft: Story Mode.

Many of the story line choices have to do with whether you choose to be friendly or antagonistic towards other characters and at the start, you can even choose whether Jesse, the main character, is male or female. As I played through the game my son indicated that I made most of the same choices he had. It would be interesting to go back and do otherwise just to see how it altered the outcome, a sentiment which was brought up at the Minecon panel when asked if anyone had ever played it through and “just been a total jerk to everyone”.

Each episode takes about an hour to complete and in addition to the interactive story there are villains to slay and puzzles that you need to solve, the most difficult being a maze in episode 4. They have just released a complete first season package “Minecraft: Story Mode the Complete Adventure” which includes all 8 episodes for PC/Mac, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One. There are free downloads of episode 1 available for most consoles and mobile app stores so you can try it out before you purchase.

Have you ever played Minecraft: Story Mode?

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