I’m not sure we’ve seen a release schedule as rapid-fire as the one for Telltale’s latest episodic series. It’s barely been a month, and Minecraft: Story Mode has already reached its midpoint. After two episodes that ranged from middling to decent, it is Episode 3: The Last Place You Look that does the most to bring the series closer to meeting its true potential. It’s heavy on action, plot, and character development; Telltale is at its best when they’re able to incorporate all three, and they do it with panache here. The writing isn’t quite strong enough to elevate it to greatness, but what it lacks is more than made up for in charm, family friendliness, and world building.

Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 3: The Last Place You Look has our intrepid heroes continuing on their quest to destroy the voracious Wither Storm. With Ivor making a quick and convenient escape with his splash potion of slowness, it’s back to the original task of finding former members of the Order of the Stone. With Magnus and Ellegaard in tow, they track down Soren the Architect and ultimately follow him through an End Portal. There, it becomes apparent that the object of their search might have been a little touched in the head, whether due to the isolation or the company he finds himself in: a large group of Endermen. But it’s up to Jesse to break through to him and conscript him into the fight: Soren’s Formidibomb (yes, the legendary F-bomb) is the team’s best hope at destroying the Wither Storm.

A few other plotlines are given their due time to develop and progress, including a party member’s worsening case of Wither Sickness and another’s disillusionment with the seeming futility of their journey. Some of it feels a bit like filler, but ultimately, I don’t mind. At this point, I care enough about Jesse, Reuben, and the rest of the gang to be automatically interested in anything they’re a part of.

Minecraft: Story Mode – Episode 3: The Last Place You Look has a rather explosive finale, coupled with one of those important binary choices that Telltale is so fond of. It’s a shame that the way in which it is presented essentially gives away what’s about to happen, and that the consequence of this choice unfolds so quickly in the grand scheme of things, but such is the nature of the beast. The action scene that dominates the final chapters of this episode is fantastic, and coupling that with the twist ending makes it easy to be excited for the final two episodes of this series.

Minecraft: Story Mode - Episode 3: The Last Place You Look is a confident step forward from the previous two episodes in terms of plot and action, but overall, I'd say the series has done a fine job of adapting Mojang's world to fit a completely different playstyle. This is surprising, considering how incompatible it seems on paper. While it doesn't succeed at incorporating the Minecraft into the Telltale, it does a fine job at incorporating the Telltale into the Minecraft. Regardless of how successful the adaptation is as a whole, I can't deny that I'm looking forward to the next two episodes.