Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 5: Order Up! (Xbox One) Review

By Leigh Groocock 01.06.2016

Review for Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 5: Order Up! on Xbox One

After defeating the terrifying Witherstorm and reforming the Order of the Stone in the previous episode, the band of heroes is back to solve the world's troubles. Continuing long after the point at which Episode 4 left off, the final instalment gets straight into the action and attempts to hook players from the start.

Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 5: Order Up! kicks off with the group of heroes being thrown right into the deep end, battling an oncoming horde of enemies, and trying to progress towards a mysterious jungle temple, and those familiar with Minecraft will know that these secretive structures are loaded with goodies (and traps).

Thus far in Minecraft: Story Mode, Jesse & the others have sought a way to bring down the Witherstorm, but that particular mess has been fixed. The new Order of the Stone searches the lands for vast treasures, awesome gear, and pesky zombies to slay. After hearing rumours from Ivor about a potential jackpot, the heroes want to find it at all costs. It's an entertaining story, and the humour is better than past episodes, but it feels forced at times.

Screenshot for Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 5: Order Up! on Xbox One

After a bit of searching and scouring, the episode resolves with a clear beginning, middle, and end, something that was hit-and-miss in prior episodes that often made them frustrating to play. Instead of lacking traditional story structure, the major issue with this episode is that it's essentially setup for the next three episodes, all of which are DLC. So of the original five episodes, only four comprised the primarily plot, and the final is a teaser for upcoming DLC, surely a questionable direction and end for the series.

Throughout Minecraft: Story Mode inconsistencies with Minecraft lore have been a sore point, and Episode 5: Order Up! is no different. There are multiple situations throughout the episode that would easily be circumvented by building or destroying in Minecraft, but here players are tasked with tackling issues that feel designed to simply extend the playtime. With the usual problems of ugly faces, poor lip syncing, and dodgy animations also hampering the experience, there is much more in the way than just a mountain made of blocks.

Screenshot for Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 5: Order Up! on Xbox One

Cubed3 Rating

6/10
Rated 6 out of 10

Good

Episode 5: Order Up! is certainly the strongest episode yet, but it's not exactly terrific, especially given what Telltale Games is capable of producing. The lack of real Minecrafting (yes, that's a word) clashes with the core of what Minecraft is, forcing puzzles to be solved rather than walls blasted through. It's Minecraft by name to shift more copies, which is disappointing, and looks somewhat mundane when compared to the open world survival game.

Developer

Telltale

Publisher

Telltale

Genre

Adventure

Players

1

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  7/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  0 (0 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date None   Australian release date Out now   

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