And then there were fewer…
Episode 5 of Minecraft: Story Mode was meant to be the last in the series, but Telltale extended it by another 3 episodes after leaving the episode on a cliffhanger as Jesse and company are faced with an endless hallway of portals to different worlds.
Episode 6 picks up directly after choosing one of the portals to arrive in a world with 2 suns and tons of enemies chasing after them, until they find an invitation to a mansion. The group stumble across it during their getaway, only to find it occupied by YouTube stars in a meta kind of way. What gets underway after that is your typical Agatha Christie style murder scenario, much like her famous work “And Then There Were Fewer” where one of the group is the murderer, killing them off one by one, until the murderer is unmasked.
It’s a different tone from the other Minecraft episodes, but it’s all the better for it. I personally love a good mystery, especially one like this…I wish more games would use this plot, even if it has been done a lot for TV and films. Jesse becomes the detective, interrogating everyone over their possible motives and it’s not until just before the end that you realise who it is, but proving it to the rest of the group isn’t so easy either…you really need to remember what you see.
Of course, it doesnt matter if you don’t convince them as mere seconds later the culprit confesses before attacking Jesse and the group. What happens next is a great showdown before Jesse and company depart for another portal that leads them back to the endless hallway. It’s not the longest episode, but it’s definitely one of the more memorable ones. The script has a darker tone, but there’s still classic Telltale humour in there.
The Verdict
I never would have thought about combining Minecraft with a murder mystery, it’s bizarre…but it works spectacularly. If this is any indication to the quality of the remaining 2 episodes, then bring them on!