The Council

Interesting take on classic adventures adding a dose of roleplaying aspects to a captivating mystery story and a varied dialogue system.

Though the modest technical execution tarnishes The Council to an extent, it remains an innovative and clever adventure which does that rarest of things - it treats the audience as intelligent, educated individuals. With its sophisticated geopolitical backdrop, occult themes and in-depth RPG style progression and decision systems, The Council sets a compelling blueprint for the episodic adventure to follow.

Now that all 5 episodes of The Council are available to play through from beginning to end, it's a must-buy for fans of story-driven adventures who are looking for something a little different. If you can get past the strange voice acting and character models, you'll enjoy diving into the complex and devious story that gradually unfolds within Lord Mortimer's mysterious manor.

Thanks to credible characters the story this game tells remains interesting. The puzzles are challenging and the graphical style is very pleasant to look at. The game does suffer from overly long load times and the lack of lip-sync detracts from the overall experience. There are some plot holes in the story as well, which is a shame but nevertheless The Council is a fine game.

Gameplay is far more superior to any other episodic title on the market, with Big Bad sending an important message to other developers that this aspect should never be overlooked in episodic gaming. From the opening moments of The Mad Ones, it’s clear as day that the RPG mechanics would bring forward an engaging experience over the story. The developer didn’t hold back from introducing a new mechanic in the later stage of the title and it seamlessly worked in harmony with the features that have been there since the opener. While it doesn’t boast mind-blowing visuals or sounds, The Council has a simple art direction that makes it feel right at home in the period that it takes place.

Though the chat is scintillating, however, it feels cut short. [Issue#158, p.90]

For those looking for an investigative adventure, The Council is worth checking out. It makes good use of its setting to create the initial intrigue, even if it veers away from it a bit too much at the end. The use of RPG and skill elements gives players a sense of progress as Louis learns more about the situation and becomes more adept at dealing with the other characters. While not all-powerful, The Council certainly has some interesting things to say.

The Council’s bad graphics, voice acting, and load times didn’t bother me as much as its problematic narrative. What’s the point of having choice and consequence when you don’t care about the story you’re inhabiting? The Council seems promising with its good ideas, but then when you get further into it, it betrays you like a dishonest politician.