So, thoughts about Episode 8 and the ending...
Uh, were to start.
Even though I am a late-comer to the series - literally ignored it till June - I am addicted to it to now. It was wonderful in so many ways.
Well, it explained a lot of stuff about Minecraft itself - like the spawn eggs and other stuff - and made a lovely story out of the game. It also introduced a humane side, in a way.
But this episode was somewhat a disappointment.
To be honest, the adventure pass episodes were all nice, but, I felt there was a difference between the Season Pass and the Adventure Pass. There is something missing in the latter episodes: some kind of mysterious, adventurous, noble allure that existed early on in the game. After replaying the entire series a few times this was confirmed. However, I hoped that this episode - the climax and resolution of the adventure - would fix matters. Unfortunately, it didn't.
First of all - the games. Yes, it introduces things happening in the real Minecraft community to the story, but it was not intense enough, nor elaborate enough. In addition, the respawning machinations, the fast building and switching of weapons, as well as others, are not even properly explained.
Secondly, the Old Builders! We DID find that the Order of the Stone WERE liars in the end, but, before, during and after the story they retained their grandeur, "dignity" and some sort of majestic aura. The Old Builders, who are supposed to be even greater, are shown like any other characters. I mean, with the exception of Otto, even Ivor without his clothes looks and acts more dignified than they were!
Thirdly: Historical context. This is a HUGE part of the gameplay. Nothing is explained about the Old Builders' origin, how they came together, what they built, who are their members, and whether Isa and Soren were actually part of the group. Literally nothing. Look back unto the Season Pass and explore the history of the Order. Episode 1 by itself explained the plot more than this supposedly finale of an episode! Even the architecture instills a feeling of reverence and adventure back then.This is what messed the episode the most. Soren is killing me - what EXACTLY happened to him? There are a lot of loose spots that need to be filled up.
Fourthly: There is no new type of characters. Those personalities have been encountered previously. More details and interactions with the other teams should have been inserted unto the scenario. An excellent example is one of the central figures: Hadrian. There is nothing new or special about him; a classic villian, wears ultra-modern clothes - which do not really fit that much - manipulates, kidnaps, etc etc. And so? These are the OLD BUILDERS; there must be something special about them!
Fifthly: Seriously, Ivor running off with the stuff? A kid wouldn't do that. I mean, Ivor has been through with Jesse and the others for long enough not to do things behind their backs, and I'm pretty sure that it is more logical to think that he has been exhausted for the time being. On top of that, going all alone? They barely escaped death as a group in more than one world, and he goes off alone? He's supposed to be clever, not dumb. Also, that Harper scene, I feel that should've been made more "touchy" and detailed.
Sixth: The end scene itself. Remember how Episode 4 ended? Compare it with this. Its just so shallow. At least, they should have gone out to town, explored buildings as Olivia said, gave speeches, celebrations yada yada Jesse with his people, hints about Season 2, etc. Something! Not just them coming back as if they came back from a hunting trip.
This episode might have been good if the villains weren't Old Builders, if the episode was not the finale, but that is not the case. You could really feel that everything was kind of rushed.
It could have been better.
So, thoughts?
Comments
I also forgot to mention:
Choices.
Unlike earlier episodes, the choices do not even majorly impact the story. This is the essence of the game, and it is not present..