Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 2: Assembly Required (Xbox One) Review

Episode 1 ended at the beginning of a quest to reunite legendary warriors from across the world, so that the group can bring down the dreaded Witherstorm that is slowly but surely obliterating everything and everyone. Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 2: Assembly Required starts with the decision to try and find the infamous griefer or the engineer; once the choice is made, the adventure is underway!

Upon arriving at Boom Time to visit Magnus, the safest bet for a good bit of dialogue, it is revealed to be inhabited by hundreds of griefers, each trying to one up the next and bring down Magnus to earn the champion title. After a bit of hunting, Jesse will find Magnus in a lava-filled room and, with a bit of persuading, Magnus agrees to join on the adventure to bring down the Witherstorm and reunite the Order of the Stone.

Unfortunately, this episode doesn't have the same gripping moments that Episode 1 had. It'll only take roughly an hour, even if every single area on the screen is explored, and this, combined with the fact that very little actually happens in the episode, makes it a fairly dull experience overall. There are still some really entertaining exchanges between the characters, and Magnus is the sole reason this episode will ever be remembered.

One thing that was concerning in the premier episode has unfortunately made another appearance, and that's the lack of consistency and disregard of Minecraft's rules. Why can Jesse one minute create an enormous structure out of nothing, yet the next can't escape a small hole that she fell into? Surely, she could just build back up and out? Familiarity with Minecraft makes it extremely frustrating when things like this happen, and it's becoming fairly common for the rules to apply, and then to not apply. Decide already, Telltale Games—it's one or the other.