The Council

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 121 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 89 out of 121
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 121
  3. Negative: 8 out of 121
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  1. 0alexITA
    Nov 29, 2020
    9
    The best action game I played from years... I appreciate so much the story: history, politic, world order... so beautiful!
    The characters are well defined, and you can obtain different ends
  2. Gotrek74
    Feb 14, 2019
    8
    Here is an enjoyable, story/character/narrative driven adventure the likes of which Telltale games would tremble at were they still trading. Do NOT let the low score here (due to people having not played it for more than 30 minutes or just trolls) influence your decision to play this gem of an indie title; your time spent with it will be well rewarded.
    The game seems awkward and slow    Here is an enjoyable, story/character/narrative driven adventure the likes of which Telltale games would tremble at were they still trading. Do NOT let the low score here (due to people having not played it for more than 30 minutes or just trolls) influence your decision to play this gem of an indie title; your time spent with it will be well rewarded.
    The game seems awkward and slow paced upon the first few scenes but soon picks up into an intriguing conspiracy which involves various historical figures as well as a few fictional ones too. There are various decisions to be made which affect the outcome of the game. A "RPG light" system is here too which requires you to choose which skills you wish to utilise throughout the game each of which may help you in certain ways but mean that the skills you don't choose will be more costly or maybe even unavailable to you. This means that you will likely want to play it at least twice in order to see what could have been should you have chosen to go in other directions.

    Puzzles are very good in this and will require thought, logic and research (in-game) in order to progress and feel good when you come to the solution.

    I have been greatly surprised by this game and would recommend that anyone who enjoys a story driven experience to give this a go now that all 5 episodes of the, once episodic, game are available. You won't regret it at especially as the price is so low that even if you were to play for just an hour or two you would find value for money.    … Expand
  3. Farigol-lo
    Jan 25, 2021
    8
    I loved this game and it's a shame the lack of budget limits so much this kind of games because the mistery/adventure genre without combat doesn't sell anymore.
    Two of the most refreshing games I've played lately are The Council and Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter. Both games are very immersive and full of good ideas but share the same tech and budget limitations. Apparently the big    I loved this game and it's a shame the lack of budget limits so much this kind of games because the mistery/adventure genre without combat doesn't sell anymore.
    Two of the most refreshing games I've played lately are The Council and Sherlock Holmes: The Devil's Daughter. Both games are very immersive and full of good ideas but share the same tech and budget limitations. Apparently the big publishers of the gaming industry are too busy funding the same games over and over again to invest in developers trying to bring well written, intelligent, story driven adventures. So much wasted potential.    … Expand
  4. DrHasslich
    Mar 11, 2019
    8
    Story is interesting and different from all ive seen so far. Skill systems is dope. But some of the puzzles are just ridiculously hard.
  5. CJ34
    Oct 25, 2019
    8
    The game is really cool if you are into narrative driven games. It has some technical issues but the story and the dialouges are interesting enough to keep playing
  6. BuboTHEMIGHTY
    Sep 16, 2020
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. While it doesn't boast good visuals The Council makes up for it in story and gameplay, some of the voice acting is meh, but overall, it's a very good episodic mystery-detective game.… Expand
  7. aelinae_g
    Dec 16, 2020
    10
    Excellent jeux je le recommande vivement . Tout est bon dans cette série des graphisme à l'intrigue qui est juste WTF .
  8. bergcamp101
    Sep 14, 2020
    9
    This game is great! The plot is dare, cocky and vast, and puzzles are one of the best on PS4 platform at all.
  9. Ervis
    Sep 29, 2020
    8
    Very interesting game, the dialogues are very well builded and thoroughly deeped structured. Developed vocabulary, special characters, a bit of abstractism makes it even more interesting.
  10. sawduck
    May 8, 2023
    8
    Underrated gem, fun game, why can't i just rate games without giving a review, my ratings seem to be lost unless i give a review for everything, this site is a bit weird
  11. apolyakov
    Mar 15, 2018
    10
    Like the other reviewer here, I was not expecting much.
    I did not hear anything about this game - came across it on PS store today accidentally.
    Well, I checked some trailers and reviews, decided to give it a go and buy it, four hours later I can say this is the best investment of 8 dollars I could have made. This is a telltale game done good - with much more freedom and more RPG    Like the other reviewer here, I was not expecting much.
    I did not hear anything about this game - came across it on PS store today accidentally.
    Well, I checked some trailers and reviews, decided to give it a go and buy it, four hours later I can say this is the best investment of 8 dollars I could have made.
    This is a telltale game done good - with much more freedom and more RPG elements (skills, exp, inventory) that allow you to develop unique traits of character that actually have an impact on the plot. I'm really hooked on the story now, I hope these guys don't screw up in the next episodes, right now it is a 10/10 for me. Some of the decisions were also damn hard to make, like in key moments of Game of Thrones form Telltale or Life is Strange. Some people complain about the graphics and controls, but on PS4 they are just fine.    … Expand
  12. manmythledgend
    Mar 14, 2018
    8
    This game was actually better than I expected. The characters’ faces are wonky, sure, but the game still stands up well on its own. The leveling system is very engaging, and directly impacts your interactions with other characters as you move through the game. My girlfriend and I played through together and the plot/interactions were engaging no matter which one of us was holding theThis game was actually better than I expected. The characters’ faces are wonky, sure, but the game still stands up well on its own. The leveling system is very engaging, and directly impacts your interactions with other characters as you move through the game. My girlfriend and I played through together and the plot/interactions were engaging no matter which one of us was holding the controller. Well worth the $6.99 they’re asking for Episode 1 and definitely looking forward to the future releases.… Expand
  13. Bioware-Critic
    Apr 1, 2018
    10
    One of THE best and THE most interesting games I have ever played - PERIOD!
    I am a lover of RPG's. In my honest opinion, I would estimate that anyone who likes good stories and characters will cherish this gem.
    I can recommend this title wholeheartedly. I true AA-indie jewel! On a side note: In a time where "Hellblade: Senua's sacrifice" makes a stand for AA-titles, the title "The    One of THE best and THE most interesting games I have ever played - PERIOD!
    I am a lover of RPG's. In my honest opinion, I would estimate that anyone who likes good stories and characters will cherish this gem.

    I can recommend this title wholeheartedly.
    I true AA-indie jewel!

    On a side note: In a time where "Hellblade: Senua's sacrifice" makes a stand for AA-titles, the title "The Council" makes me hopeful for an era of better games ... "far, far away" ... from all toxic AAA-industry-influence.    … Expand
  14. SvenLorenz
    Dec 25, 2018
    8
    This game surprised me a lot. At first it looked like a Telltale Games clone, but halfway through the first episode, I realized that it was more as if someone had taken the dialogue system of the Fallout games and made it into a standalone game. You gain experience, raise certain skills which then allow you to perform actions or take dialogue choices that are not possible if you do notThis game surprised me a lot. At first it looked like a Telltale Games clone, but halfway through the first episode, I realized that it was more as if someone had taken the dialogue system of the Fallout games and made it into a standalone game. You gain experience, raise certain skills which then allow you to perform actions or take dialogue choices that are not possible if you do not possess that skill. Add to that the Telltale storytelling and some good old fashioned adventure gaming inventory management and puzzles and you end with something that is good but not quite the sum of its parts.

    It is - hopefully - the beginning of a series of these games. Not regarding the plot, because I think that this story is over, but a series of games featuring these gameplay mechanics. If the writing and the voice acting had been better, it would have been a very good game instead of the promising but uneven game we got here.

    So, give it a chance, you might be surprised. Maybe read up on a certain twist in the storyline and decide if you like it. I don't want to spoil anything here. But that twist is divisive. I liked it, many people hated it.    … Expand
  15. Lexinchan
    Mar 20, 2018
    1
    I was excited for this game the moment I heard about it, I love this era and love mystery games even more. That's why I was appalled at what a horrible mess this game was, I uninstalled after the first half hour.

    The voice acting is *HORRIBLE*, many characters sound like they don't belong in their own skin and unfortunately this is most true about the protagonist, he sounds more like a    I was excited for this game the moment I heard about it, I love this era and love mystery games even more. That's why I was appalled at what a horrible mess this game was, I uninstalled after the first half hour.

    The voice acting is *HORRIBLE*, many characters sound like they don't belong in their own skin and unfortunately this is most true about the protagonist, he sounds more like a whiny Hannah-Barbara character than a period correct scholar and the lip syncing that accompanies the voices is also atrocious, it feels like watching a bunch of cheap ventriloquist dummies. The graphics are something I would have expected out of a game made a decade ago, the controls are absurdly clunky, and for the foul cherry on top the story is terrible! Within the first thirty seconds of the game we're introduced to three characters and about five plot items at a rapid fire pace, none of which are immediately expounded upon before it cuts to a '1 month later' scene cut. this is NOT the way to get someone hooked on your narrative! I have no drive to keep playing to figure out any of details behind whatever you just vomited all over my eyes and ears! The whole thing feels as if it was written by a teenage fanfiction writer, I wanted to love this game but I simply can't waste any more of my time on such an unpolished turd.    … Expand
  16. 613th
    Jan 9, 2023
    5
    It started rather exciting, but the closer the game got to it's end, the worse it got.

    Even if we omit the technical part of the game because of it's year, the game is still bad-optimized and bad-looking for 2018 year. Of course, the graphics and such things are not so important for games like this, but it was simply unpleasant to play at some places because of those factors. So, we    It started rather exciting, but the closer the game got to it's end, the worse it got.

    Even if we omit the technical part of the game because of it's year, the game is still bad-optimized and bad-looking for 2018 year.
    Of course, the graphics and such things are not so important for games like this, but it was simply unpleasant to play at some places because of those factors.

    So, we only have the puzzles, the story and the characters left here, but all these parts were also weak in my opinion.
    There were a lot of puzzles with not very obvious decisions and often they were not very interesting.
    The story started well but become worse and worse up to the end, and the final was the most disappointed part of the whole game (even worse than the endless backtracking throught the whole game).
    The characters weren't as bad as the other aspects, but in sum with all bad sides closer to the end they annoyed me too.

    Strange game, not the worst of course, but I won't play it again.    … Expand
  17. SASISTER998
    Oct 2, 2019
    6
    До 3-го эпизода игра хороша. Пускай в ней нет передовой графики и не самая лучшая анимация. Но в неё действительно интересно играть. Персонажи, визуальный стиль, диалоги, загадки и ролевая система действительно хороши, но 4 -ый и 5-ый, ОСОБЕННО 5-ый, портят всё впечатление от игры. Так же бесят постоянные загрузки и техническое несовершенство. Финальная сцена поставлена простоДо 3-го эпизода игра хороша. Пускай в ней нет передовой графики и не самая лучшая анимация. Но в неё действительно интересно играть. Персонажи, визуальный стиль, диалоги, загадки и ролевая система действительно хороши, но 4 -ый и 5-ый, ОСОБЕННО 5-ый, портят всё впечатление от игры. Так же бесят постоянные загрузки и техническое несовершенство. Финальная сцена поставлена просто отвратительно. Но The Council объективно неплохая игра, но разработчики не смогли или не захотели поддерживать качество игры до конца.… Expand
  18. painava
    Jan 15, 2020
    5
    The Council starts off very promising, but becomes such a hot mess after the first episodes. Cannot recommend this one.
  19. m1ku47
    Jul 9, 2020
    7
    Очень качественное интерактивное кино с интересными головоломками и необычными механиками. Минусы : баги, 0 эффектов и эпика в концовке, странный сюжетный поворот в конце
  20. Kahoutek
    Nov 18, 2020
    7
    Pretty fun, but bad voice acting and unoriginal characters bring it down. Ok tho
  21. ThatsTheFrench
    Mar 21, 2021
    6
    The Council is to me, the epitome of a mixed bag. What it does well, it does very, very well and impressed me far more than I expected. What it does poorly, it does very, very poorly to the point of it being difficult to enjoy.

    The plots interwoven in The Council immerse you in their mystique and slither through your mind, prompting you to give the full weight of your attention and    The Council is to me, the epitome of a mixed bag. What it does well, it does very, very well and impressed me far more than I expected. What it does poorly, it does very, very poorly to the point of it being difficult to enjoy.

    The plots interwoven in The Council immerse you in their mystique and slither through your mind, prompting you to give the full weight of your attention and comprehension to the game's offers of intrigue and problem solving. The only issue with these plots is a glaring one, however. The voice acting for The Council is so offensive to the ears that making your way through a lot of the (completely unskip-able) conversations had between characters is pure torture. I cannot even express fully just how awful each and every voice acting performance is in this game. I even tried switching to a different spoken language with English subtitles, but the voice acting in other languages was just as bad.
    You may think I'm exaggerating, but I promise, this game is unbearable to listen to quite often. I recommend tuning out the game or muting it altogether and reading subtitles for the most part. The actors voicing the game constantly mumble and refuse to annunciate most of the time, and inflection is not even present on the site. It is downright painful to listen to the protagonist in the game's first episode.

    The TellTale styled choice making in this game is engaging, and forces you to think quickly and anticipate reactions by other characters. The game encourages you to study and learn character's personalities in order to outwit and aid them. This is very fun, but can be overwhelming as well, given that the odds of your hard work in this regard actually paying off are about 60/40.

    Graphically, The Council is just straight up ugly. The style of the game is a tad grungy, but the production and detail of the graphics is still poor overall. The Council would look serviceable, if not a bit bland, on the last generation of consoles and PC hardware.

    The gameplay is a bit odd. The controls didn't need to be much, as the majority of the game is just walking around and selecting things. Yet, the gameplay still feels stiff and uncoordinated. Not bad, just disappointing when compared to similar games.
    The skill tree and leveling system is well fleshed out and offers many opportunities to get an edge in many of the game's scenarios. You'll find yourself fretting and agonizing over not just the choices made in dialog, but also the ones made on the level up screen. The depth in that area is really refreshing for a game of this style.

    The Council makes a confusing and sort of off-putting choice in terms of setting and tone. The game is set in France, 1793. Despite this, the game depicts Europe during this time in a very unrealistic and generally clumsy way. They blend English, French and Italian culture, interchanging customs, common phrases and mannerisms from multiple EU cultures in multiple centuries. The game feels displaced and awkward in this way. The Council would have benefitted more from creating a unique culture and area inspired by the one depicted, instead of turning late 1700s France into a parody of Europe during the 1700s and 1800s.

    The music in The Council is exactly what you'd expect, and nothing to write about. Boring, but generally representative of the period in which the game is set.

    Overall, The Council features engaging and tense decision making gameplay with an intriguing plot, but falls flat in so many other areas that make the game feel exhausting and uncomfortable to play. I did make it all the way through, but found myself getting utterly frustrated by the poor voice acting and repetitive music.    … Expand
  22. whitekid
    Feb 28, 2021
    5
    got this game cause of positive reviews and deep ps4 sale ... after playing the first episode i was intrigued and the game looked very promising.. unfortunately, the remaining four episodes were no where near as intriguing and seem to simply drag .... most of the puzzles were just plain tedious to complete .... the movement of the characters was clunky and slow, which was made worsegot this game cause of positive reviews and deep ps4 sale ... after playing the first episode i was intrigued and the game looked very promising.. unfortunately, the remaining four episodes were no where near as intriguing and seem to simply drag .... most of the puzzles were just plain tedious to complete .... the movement of the characters was clunky and slow, which was made worse because of the need to constantly check the various rooms that all looked the same to find clues and talk to specific characters... when i finally finished the game, it was a relief, i just wanted the torture to end... would i recommend this game? no, i wouldn't but i could see how some very patient video gamers might enjoy a game that takes place in the late 1700's with a mystery to unravel… Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. GameGrin
    Jul 30, 2020
    85
    While it certainly isn't a feast for the eyes, The Council exceeds expectations in all other regards, delivering a thoroughly enjoyable and occasionally thought-provoking experience.
    Read full review
  2. Hardcore Gamer
    Jan 28, 2019
    70
    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.
    Read full review
  3. Playstation Official Magazine UK
    Jan 27, 2019
    70
    Though the chat is scintillating, however, it feels cut short. [Issue#158, p.90]
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