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. 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
  2. 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
  3. 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.
  4. 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
  5. Kahoutek
    Nov 18, 2020
    7
    Pretty fun, but bad voice acting and unoriginal characters bring it down. Ok tho
  6. 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
  7. 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

All reviews »
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.
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  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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