Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 1: The Order of the Stone

The Order of the Stone is the first episode of Minecraft: Story Mode, a five-part adventure series based on the sandbox building and exploration game Minecraft. Typical for Telltale games, it is a cinematic adventure where the story is driven through the player's choices. Decisions are carried over and influence characters and events. The game uses the original title's block design and introduces a story for the game world as there was none for the original title. At the start of the game the player can choose between six characters, three male and three female, with different appearances.

The introduction explains the title as the The Order of the Stone is a legend of four heroes who once defeated the Ender Dragon. The game then returns to the present where the character Jesse (either male or female) is the protagonist. His friends Olivia and Axel are introduced, along with Jesse's pet pig Reuben. Axel brings the news of the Endercon where there will be a building competition with a chance for the winner to meet Gabriel, one of the heroes of The Order of the Stone. They build a giant Creeper, but a rival team known as The Ocelots tries to sabotage it, accidentally setting Reuben on fire. The pig flees into the woods and the friends venture there to find him back. He has to fight mobs and is helped by Petra, who tells him about a wither skull from the Nether she intends to trade for a diamond. Back at Endercon the competition can be won or lost, and the deal with the diamond becomes shady. Through a number of events Jesse, Olivia, Axel and the new characters Lukas and Ivor arrive in the Nether through a portal with no immediate way back. Using a mine cart they eventually arrive in the Overworld and more about the history of the order is revealed. At the end of the episode Jesse has to choose which of the heroes to track down first, by choosing between Axel or Olivia.

As the story unfolds, there are different moments where the characters is offered different choices for actions or conversations. These are time limited and if none is chosen, the 'silence' option is selected automatically, which also counts as a decision. Choices are remembered by characters, with a notice for the player, and influence how they will react in the future. Unlike other Telltale titles however, the tone is lighter and less mature, and many choices do not have the strong emotional impact other games by the developer are known for. There are many humorous moments and references to typical Minecraft elements. Next to the cut-scene-like gameplay there are moments with free exploration. Jesse then can freely explore the environment, collect items in an inventory and solve small puzzles. There are quick time events and also action sections where he fights mobs in the woods and on a bridge using his sword. He can move between a number of lanes, strike with the sword and has a limited amount of health. There are also sections where Jesse gets to create a new sword and a bow and arrows by arranging various items in a way according to a recipe similar to how it is done in the original Minecraft. At the end of the episode an overview of the choices is shown, compared to those of players worldwide.

This game entry only covers the platforms where the first episode of the game is available separately, unlike the PC version. Additional episodes could be purchased as a season pass or as additional single DLC items or in-app purchases for this first episode as the base entry, depending on the platform. For some platforms listed here the entire season can also be bought right away, as a single purchase.