Minecraft: Story Mode Season Two - Episode 3: Jailhouse Block

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
63

Mixed or average reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. PlaySense
    Sep 25, 2017
    75
    Once more, Minecraft: Story Mode delivers an enjoyable adventure. Jesse remains a truly engaging character and the rest of the cast also does everything in their power to keep you thoroughly endeared.
  2. Game Informer
    Sep 21, 2017
    65
    With so much conversation with characters that feel like they'll be left in the past after this episode, a dreary prison setting, and gameplay that generally fails to engage, Jailhouse Block is the weakest entry of the season. The fleeting high moments like the difficult decision or the climactic battle don't save the episode. However, like most episodes Telltale releases in any of its myriad licensed series, it ends on a solid cliffhanger that has me intrigued about what happens next.
  3. Push Square
    Sep 25, 2017
    60
    Jailhouse Block is a big step in the right direction for Minecraft: Story Mode Season Two and is far better than the first two episodes with a really well-paced and fast flowing plot. The more impactful decisions and a humorous appearance from a well-known artist keep your attention from start to finish – although that’s not saying much with a running time shorter than an hour.
  5. GameSpew
    Sep 25, 2017
    50
    Minecraft Story Mode Season 2, Episode 3: Jailhouse Block isn’t awful, it’s just so disappointingly middling. Furthermore, the series has started to hit the same familiar beats as season 1 which, given that the first two episodes felt so fresh, is a little worrying. Hopefully Telltale can pick things up for the remaining episodes and do justice to Jessie’s journey.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.9

Mixed or average reviews- based on 12 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 12
  3. Negative: 4 out of 12
  1. InducedRhino438
    Sep 20, 2017
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. Minecraft Story Mode: Season 2 Episode 3 delivers yet another thrilling and engaging storyline along with some action packed themes and impactful story changing decisions different to what we got in Episode 2 along with some dark themed dynamics tailored towards the story. I was exceptionally impressed with Episode 2 with its fast paced action and gameplay and not to mention the plot twist at the end, leaving me in one of the biggest cliff-hangers in this entire franchise. Fortunately Episode 3 does an amazing job at continuing from all of the drama and continuing right where the end of the previous episode left Jesse and his friends and I am not disappointed by it. The writing done to this plot really works and really pays off. Our friend Jesse is sent to a deep, hidden underground prison/reformatory (hence the title of this episode; 'Jailhouse Block') after angering the mentally deranged admin for apparently not showing him as his 'champion' in the previous episode. We are once again reunited with most of the characters featured in the last episode (including the admin during the middle of the episode). The great thing about this is that the first character we are reunited with is determined out of the two characters (Jack or Petra) that was selected during the end of the last episode while deciding on who would go for the clock being the main goal of the episodes plot. This means that depending on who you selected, the beginning of this new episode will be slightly different, though no matter who it is, you will be introduced with an awesome, action packed intro featuring some point and click gameplay just like in Episode 3 of the first season. As well as that, we also get to see a couple of new characters in this episode such as the quirky Warden. We are even reintroduced with a couple of other characters previously seen such as Jesse's friend and assistant Radar, and Nurm the Villager. In the last episode, I had noticed a favourable bond between Jesse and Radar who I had also grown a bond too. During the beginning of this episode however, he is the victim of the episode first major decision which the Warden uses him to influence you into working for him or resisting. During my two play throughs of this episode in choosing both options, I noticed that some of these have very little change to the story while the others have a more impactful change to the storyline. One of these choices made near the end of the episode ends up being not only once of the hardest decisions to make in this entire series, but once of the most heartbreaking. Of course since this episode is set in a dreadful prison, the plot follows Jesse and his friends trying to escape, where they discover that there is one particular prisoner who is the only one who knows the escape route. Referred to as 'Prisoner X', Jesse and his friends must find a way to get to her heavily fortified and guarded cell deep in the prison. based off the choice you made from deciding to work for the Warden or refuse, you will depend on your experience to how you will get yourself to the bottom floor known as the 'Zombie Mines' consisting of all the poor and disgusting prisoners forced to kill and eat zombies. If you decide to work for the Warden, you will promote yourself to working in the room, while if you refuse to, you will find a way to deliberately get yourself into trouble. Once Jesse encounters Prisoner X, Jesse is forced to leave behind one of the series companions; Nurm the Villager and Jacks best frined, or Lluna the Llama the series new animal companion. This choice was both hard and sad to decide because although we hadn't seen these characters that much, what we had seen were strong. Speaking of Stella, we get to see her again where this time she works as an associate and of course has the same bitter & ruthless attitude towards Jesse along with her 'rival' vibe. Some point in the episode, we have the option to let her join us from reasoning with her. if you choose this, than she promises to 'have your back' hopefully in a future episode. And yet again in this episode we are introduced to another cliff hanger though this time it starts during the beginning of the second half of the episode where the admin makes an appearance at the prison bringing back your friend that you chose to retrieve the clock in the previous episode where he tries to force the two of you to fight. After a failed attempt at striking the admin himself, he takes his evil tactics beyond all measures by manipulating Jesse's identity and threatening Beacontown and his older friends. And yet this was all happening when Jesse still has a prison to escape, and once he had, the ending lead to a second cliff hanger!
    In conclusion, this episode has proven that this season just gets better and better and is the best in the series thanks to all the action, impactful and versatile decisions and consistent cliffhangers which has once again left me very excited for what is to come next.    … Full Review »
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