Tear Jerker / Minecraft: Story Mode

Season 1

Episode 2: Assembly Required

• The way Ellegaard and Magnus are towards Olivia and Axel respectively is pretty sad, especially considering the fact that those are their idols that they've looked up to for probably a long time.
  • If you go to Redstonia, Olivia's at first already too nervous to talk to the others in Redstonia due to how they know more than her, but it gets even worse when she actually meets her idol Ellegaard. While there, she faints out of worrying that she'll mess up, to which Ellegaard reacts by seeming annoyed by the whole thing, clearly upsetting Olivia. Fortunately you can determinantly defend her by saying it's not her fault she was so excited, but it doesn't help a lot. If you decide to stay and help build the Command Block, at one point Olivia will give you an awkward smile while Ellegaard glares at her. Even when you return to the base, Olivia mentions that she thinks Ellegaard judges her a bit.

Episode 3: The Last Place You Look

• Having to choose between Ellegaard's and Magnus's armor. The one you pick will end up dying in Soren's arms, letting Jesse keep their armor and attempting to make them promise to help people and fix the world (which could be even more gut-wrenching depending on the words you choose).
  • If you saved Petra over Gabriel in The Order Of The Stone, Gabriel will have never had the chance to see his old friend before they died (since they die minutes before Gabriel is revealed to be alive)
• When Lukas gets incredibly frustrated at everyone in Soren's wool world, it's pretty heartbreaking to find out why - the reason being that he felt guilty for causing Petra's/Gabriel's Wither Sickness. This is even worse considering Axel blaming Petra being supposedly dead on him due to freezing up in fear happened only two episodes before, meaning there's a possibility it stuck with him for that long.
  Lukas: So... everything I was worried about — is true! This is all my fault, Jesse! Petra/Gabriel's withersickness... It's because of me.

Episode 4: A Block and a Hard Place

• Reuben's death. It just feels terrible to have such a loyal friend die during the journey. Jesse's reaction can vary depending on dialogue chosen, but all options are sad. By far the most heartbreaking reaction is Jesse begging Reuben not to die and that they need him. Another option is simply to comfort Reuben as he dies. Jesse's quiet "I'm here" is reminiscent of anyone who's ever done the same as someone they love (animal or human) passes away.
  Jesse: Please, Reuben...I need you.
  • This interaction gets even more painful if earlier in the episode, a dialogue option was chosen where Jesse stated that they didn't want to lose Reuben.
  • Reuben's pained pitiful oinking as he is dying is terrible to hear. He even tries to get up, probably to assure Jesse that he's alright.

Episode 5: Order up!

• Near the beginning of the episode, Lukas comes to visit and takes a look at the New Order of the Stone's treasure room. In the room, there's a framed portrait of the raw porkchop that Reuben left behind when he died. Lukas will ask how Jesse is doing. All in all, it is a pretty depressing moment to remember a good friend is no longer there.
  • One of the responses is Jesse confessing that they have always felt guilty about his death. Despite assurance from their friends that Reuben died a hero, Jesse says that they still feel guilty. Another response is Jesse detailing that sometimes they wake up thinking Reuben is still alive and in another room somewhere, and that it takes a while for reality to set in that he's really gone. Any pet owner who has had a pet pass away will know this grief.
• Later in the episode, as Isa is walking away with Benedict the chicken, Jesse looks longingly after them and then eyes some pigs who have gathered nearby. Lukas and Petra will both notice and ask if Jesse is okay. Jesse can respond with the 'I'm fine, but I'm not fine' shtick or admit that they're just missing someone. Even if a long time has passed, Jesse still misses Reuben greatly.

Episode 6: A Portal to Mystery

• The deaths of various mansion residents (especially if you're a fan of their real life videos). Even if you're not, the fact that this is the first time so many named characters are Killed Off for Real as a result of cold-blooded murder at the hands of another person (rather than the Wither Storm) can be very jarring after the previous five episodes. And you can't really save them; Sparklez and Torque die no matter what, and you also indirectly choose whether Dan or Lizzie dies.
  • Dan's death in particular. It only happens if you accuse Stampy of being the White Pumpkin, resulting in Dan talking to him (instead of Lizzie) about having accidentally killed Sparklez. Later on, you learn Stampy stole the enchanted Flint and Steel from Dan via a prank Gone Horribly Wrong. Just imagine how Stampy felt, having wronged someone who trusted him enough to come to him with something so heavy and then immediately being robbed of any chance to make amends with him for a mistake that was costing lives.

Episode 7: Access Denied

• When Lukas/Petra (the one you didn't unchip) faint after PAMA's destruction, Jesse and the others believing so much that they've died from that can be this. One of the dialogue choices even involves Jesse basically BEGGING them to not be dead, along with another involving Jesse blaming themself for Lukas/Petra seemingly dying, and another trying to state that they're strong enough to outlive this and that they can't die now. It's even worse when it turns out they didn't even die, it just seemed like it. Along with Lukas/Petra determinantly saying that they didn't even know Jesse cared THAT much.

Episode 8: A Journey's End?

• Similar to Jesse's reaction to Lukas/Petra almost dying in the previous episode, when Nell kills Lukas and Ivor/Petra in Spleef, Jesse's INCREDIBLY surprised and enraged, going as far as attacking Nell mere seconds after their supposed death and determinantly even threatening Hadrian and Mevia. And then they learn that yet again, their friends aren't really dead — this time just respawned. It really goes to show how defensive of Jesse is when it comes to their friends getting hurt.

Season 2

Episode 1: Hero In Residence

• Only one episode in and the new season already brings some, starting off with Petra already hinting at being sad that her friends are more focused on doing their own things and don't have as much time for adventuring anymore. It's not as gut punching as it is in Episode 4, but still is a pretty sad moment for the FIRST episode.
• And another — that being Jack's backstory with the Sea Temple. Two of his friends died in there a while before Season 2, but he STILL is incredibly upset about it, showing signs of trauma from the event. He mentions throwing the part of the map that had the location into a volcano, and is very reluctant to even go back to that place and tries to stop Jesse and Petra from going there. It gets WAY worse when you go there and he sees Sammy's inventory still there — and needless to say he doesn't take it well. His friend Vos showing up does make it better, but it's still heartbreaking to see regardless.

Episode 2: Giant Consequences

• Not long into the episode, Petra mentions wanting to go off on an adventure with Jack, Nurm, and Vos without telling Jesse, one of the reasons being that she was worried Jesse didn't need her anymore. It's a relatively short scene but still pretty heartbreaking to hear about.
• Later on, Stella reveals Radar's past of him working for her in Champion City — and it isn't pretty. What happened there is never fully discussed, but when referring to his time there she notably calls him a "quitter". To make it worse, she puts him down for multiple other things as well. The entire conversation just something that seems to really upset Radar, and while it's over quickly it is still pretty sad.
  • Not long after a similar thing happens as well — with "Vos" putting Radar and Lukas down for "not being up for the task", which both of them seem to be pretty upset about. While "Vos" ends up convincing Jack and Petra to feel the same way as he does, their reasoning is out of them not wanting people to get hurt — whereas "Vos"'s is just out of pure social darwinism. While Lukas only seems to be mildly upset about it, Radar is INCREDIBLY frustrated by it, likely with the previous conversation with Stella not helping at all, enough for him to go on a long rant about it. Even after this The Admin CONTINUES to put him down for being too weak, and will determinantly say it to Jack too if you went with Jack and Petra and "Vos."
• And then there's the reveal of the episode: that "Vos" had been the admin pretending to be Vos the entire time (since episode 1) and the real Vos DID die in the temple. This isn't initially very sad on it's own, but seeing Jack's reaction to it is pretty heartbreaking, especially considering he really did think that was his long lost friend. He even went out of his way to look for Vos — only to find out he had been manipulated.

Episode 3: Jailhouse Block

• If you told Petra to get the clock in Episode 2, Jack shows up in the first chapter, already blaming the whole mess on him believing Vos had actually showed up.
• And only a chapter afterwards, The Warden tortures Radar using the Iron Breathtaker (aka through suffocation) ONLY to get Jesse to become an Associate. If you refuse, The Warden makes it even worse by tripping up Radar RIGHT after that, resulting in Radar now having a black eye and breaking his glasses. It's generally a horrifying scene to watch, and it happens so early in the episode too.
• It doesn't help that this episode is where the season starts feeling a lot more grim and hopeless. Hero In Residence had its moments but was fairly lighthearted compared to the others, along with Giant Consequences only being slightly darker due to the Icy Palace of Despair, which doesn't feel too impossible until later. And then this episode hits, where Jesse and the others (save Lukas) are sent to an underground top security prison with a nigh endless labyrinth filled with Admin-created mobs surrounding it. Along with the Warden being ruthless to the "Guests" and going as far to torturing Radar (see above) a lot of the episode feels pretty grim.

Episode 4: Below the Bedrock

• Xara's despair at returning to the Oasis to find it (especially her bed, having not slept in years) in ruins. Her dropping to the floor and asking Jesse to leave her is gut-punching.
• One of the most heart-wrenching sections of the whole series (arguably the most so) is Jesse and Petra at the Admin's Cabin.
  • It's just a simple cabin, with three beds. Throughout, a soft melancholic tune is playing. As Jesse is looking around, Petra is shown to be shaken up by the environment due to it reminding her of simpler times (when everyone was together and she wasn't alone). Petra seems like she wants to just cry (thinking about how much things have changed), but initially refuses to talk about it. Eventually, Petra confides in Jesse that she's just like Romeo, who wanted nothing more than to keep his friends together and ended up destroying both them and himself. At the beginning of the season, Petra kept lamenting that the whole gang wasn't really around anymore. She wanted them to stay together like always, but has realized that she was being selfish wanting this and has dragged Jesse in particular around on her whims (to which Jesse can confirm or deny). Petra admits her desire to leave Beacontown and find her purpose in life, which is 'out there' (adventuring), but doesn't want Jesse (her best friend and the person who has stayed with her more than anyone else) to leave her side. Jesse can either assure a crying Petra that they will always stay by her side or that they will wait for her to come back, and the two hug.
  • On the flip side of things, if Jesse chooses not to respond, Petra will take it as her feelings not being reciprocated. Petra's tone is heartbreaking as she comes to the conclusion of how little she must mean to her best friend—visibly trying not to cry.
• And then there's Jack's Lament, the song that plays in the credits of this episode and one of the only songs with lyrics in the game. Some of it is funny, with Jack talking about how swole he is for example, but a lot of it is pretty sad when you pay attention to the lyrics. In one verse, he even mentions not being able to forget the trauma of his friends dying due to his perfect memory of it, and even how he wrote this song for them.
  Jack: My friends' faces, they'll never leave me, so I wrote them this sad serenade. For the curse of a memory that's perfect is that, those faces, they'll never fade.

Episode 5: Above and Beyond

• If Xara was given her bed, Romeo destroys Champion City right in front of Stella. Even if she was a bit of a jerk throughout the adventure, even Petra admits that no one should have to go through that.
• Through choices, all three admins can end up dead. Fred has already died, Xara can be killed by Romeo if she wasn't given her bed, and Romeo can be killed by being left in the admin terminal by Jesse. Although this is sad, perhaps the three might've been reunited in death.
• Remember the guy with the three pigs from Episode One? One of Romeo-as-Jesse's crueler acts is to make him kill those three pigs and cook the resulting porkchops. When Jesse is posing as the Admin later, they're offered those porkchops by the still freaked out owner. If you choose to have Jesse agree to eat one, the poor guy will present them with the same names as the pigs they once were.
  Pig Guy: (After naming all three porkchops) They're all good... (choking back tears) Were good... (bursts out sobbing) They were so good!
• The possibility of Stella giving Lluna to Jesse. Through some choices earlier in the story (by being favorable to Lluna), Jesse can later have the option of permanently adopting Lluna from Stella. If Jesse does adopt Lluna, Stella is obviously saddened by Lluna's departure, but knows that Lluna is much happier with Jesse than with her (though it is still a little sad to see Stella returning to Champion City alone).
  • Adopting Lluna makes her Jesse's first pet since the death of Reuben. Even though his death has happened so long ago, some choices in dialogue reveal that Jesse had never really let go of him. Now with Lluna as a 'new part of the family', Jesse may be able to move on from Reuben's death truly. If Jesse decides to leave Beacontown to stay with Petra, Lluna even follows them on their journey.
• Heartwarming as well as a tearjerker is the final hug of all the members of the main Jesse Gang: Jesse, Axel, Olivia, Lukas, and Petra. Although Reuben isn't there anymore, Lluna will also join in on the hug if Jesse adopted her, essentially carrying Reuben's legacy as the animal companion.
  • Jesse may remark before the hug that the group would always be friends, even if this is the last time they will ever meet. If a continuation to Season Two is never made, this statement may sadly end up ringing true.
• The final choice. No matter what Jesse chooses, it will end up bittersweet. Happy, but definitely sad in more ways than one. Whatever you choose, it's Jesse's last known fate and the ending to the series as a whole.
  • If Jesse decides to stay in Beacontown, they can continue to live the peaceful life they may have hoped for and remains close to the other friends who chose to stay, but will have to depart from Petra (their closest friend who has left to go on a soul-searching journey). Petra initially looks crestfallen before leaving, but as Jesse may have promised, they would be eagerly awaiting Petra's return.
  • If Jesse decides to hit the road, they will be able to enjoy a happy life of adventure with Petra (who is overjoyed to still have Jesse by her side), but will end up leaving behind Beacontown and the whole life they had built up there. Radar is even crying as he realizes that Jesse won't be around that much anymore. Jesse's voice as they bid goodbye to the home they risked everything for is extremely heartbreaking.