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 that 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 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.
The gameplay of Minecraft: Story Mode combines cinematic cut-scenes with free exploration and action sections. The player must make choices that influence the story and characters. These choices are carried over from one episode to the next, making the player feel invested in the story. The tone is lighter and less mature than other Telltale games, with many humorous moments and references to typical Minecraft elements. Jesse can explore the environment, collect items, solve small puzzles, and fight mobs using his sword. He can also craft new items by arranging them according to a recipe.
This game is available on Xbox 360 and follows the standard Telltale model for release. Additional episodes were released as part of a season pass or as single DLC items or in-app purchases.