It doesn’t feel like there are any substantial changes to the formula here, beyond a few button-mashing segments meant to encapsulate the feel of gathering resources or building in Minecraft proper. Sometimes you’re navigating fairly small levels in search of whatever will catalyze the next scene, but for the most part you’re along for the ride, keeping your WASDQE+Mouse fingers poised to respond to quick time events and timed dialogue prompts. In it, you’re on a quest with your friends to prevent the destruction of the world by reuniting a group of legendary heroes, and theoretically making some tough choices along the way. If you have any familiarity with Telltale adventure games, Minecraft: Story Mode will feel like putting on a pair of comfy (if slightly overworn) slippers. That doesn’t mean that Minecraft: Story Mode actually delivers on that. Episode 1 satisfied that curiosity wholly, showing me exactly how that set of creative tools could be turned into a unique and appealing narrative experience. This didn’t make me doubtful that Minecraft: Story Mode could succeed, but it did make me curious. The idea of turning what I had experienced mostly as a set of open-ended creative tools into a more closed-off narrative-driven experience didn’t necessarily click, especially not considering the level of character development and jaw-clenching player choice that Telltale Games has come to be known for. When I first heard about Minecraft: Story Mode I probably reacted like people must have when some of the earliest licensed Lego games were announced.