Noriyoshi Fujimoto on why Dragon Quest Builders is Not Another Minecraft

Minecraft Beginner guide: 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.

If you haven’t already boarded the hype train for Minecraft: Story Mode , the newest episode from Telltale Games might not convince you. The review that was done for the first episode ended with the hope that the following episode would be just as wonderful and expansive. Unfortunately, it didn’t meet the standard appointed to it for a variety of reasons. This new episode taps into the lore, one that you would normally have had to guess playing the original game, delving into the world that Mojang had created for us. Depending on which member of the Order of the Stone you decided to pursue in the previous episode, you either begin the episode with Olivia (if you’re pursuing Ellegaard the Redstone Engineer) or Axel (if you’re pursuing Magnus the Griefer). While which character you begin with doesn’t necessarily matter at the beginning, the stories begin to change as you near the middle of the episode, causing you to have to play it twice in order to get a full understanding.

A bit of a cheat considering that Chivalry began its life as a mod to Half-Life 2, and thus retains many of the aesthetics and gameplay ideas of a shooter, it’s nonetheless impossible to single out games that think outside the shooter box without mentioning a game that in doing so manages to give us a game scenario that many have wanted for years.

Let me begin by saying that this episode is particularly short, like a little over an hour short. I guess that’s what happens when the first two episodes are only separated by a few weeks, but the fact that to get the entire experience you have to play through it twice sort of pans out well because it then makes the episode about two hours long. Still, a much longer playthrough for the sequel was expected considering the complication of the events taking place. That being said, the episode covers the areas following either Elligaard or Magnus and each path allows you to follow and understand more of the world of Minecraft. There are a few inconsistencies that don’t make sense and some new events that don’t necessarily pertain to Jessie or his/her friends, but that doesn’t label the episode as terrible. By inconsistencies, I mean there were points in the game where I thought, «why can’t they just do this/that in order to progress?» One moment that comes to mind is when a character falls into a hole and can’t seem to get out when they could have built their way out as they were able to in the first episode. The rest of the episode is littered with little things like that that make you scratch your head and ask those questions.

The pace of the game is dictated entirely by how the player wants to approach the game. If someone only cares about completing the main story, it is possible to rush through the game and complete it in approximately ten hours, but because of the volume of optional quests and activities it can extend well beyond one hundred hours. It is possible to build anywhere in the world, the player is not restricted to only having construction done in the base camp area. This will not effect the camp growth or progress the story but should the player desire it is possible to cover every square inch of land with construction. The scope of world is huge, and exploring to the end of it will give the player more things to build with nearly limitless potential. There are four different stages, all are unique from each other with different challenges and unique things to do.

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.