The Council

 Xbox One
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Metascore
  1. First Review
  2. Second Review
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User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 33 Ratings

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  • Summary: The Council is an episodic game like no other. Delivering a fresh new take on the Narrative Adventure, your choices and character growth truly matter. Make hard-hitting decisions, but also develop an array of skills to directly impact how the story unfolds. With permanent, long-lastingThe Council is an episodic game like no other. Delivering a fresh new take on the Narrative Adventure, your choices and character growth truly matter. Make hard-hitting decisions, but also develop an array of skills to directly impact how the story unfolds. With permanent, long-lasting consequences, there is no going back. Plunge into a tale of intrigue and manipulation in the style of a classic murder mystery, living with a cast of alluring characters each hiding their own dark secrets. Trust no one while uncovering dire truths no matter the cost to mind and body.

    The Council begins in 1793, with players taking the role of secret society member Louis de Richet after his invitation to a private island off the shores of England by the enigmatic Lord Mortimer. Joining him are a number of high profile guests, including Napoleon Bonaparte and President of the newly-formed United States of America, George Washington. The strange nature of this private reception goes beyond just the prestigious guests Richet's own mother has recently gone missing on the island, while each and every one of the colorful cast seems to have their own hidden agendas.    … Expand
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The Council Episode 2 - Official Launch Trailer

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. Generación Xbox
    Dec 28, 2018
    85
    The Council is the perfect narrative adventure that this gen needed. Modern and classic at the same time.
  2. IGN Spain
    Dec 7, 2018
    80
    A nice surprise that is a great narrative adventure, but that can be improved on its technical side and with a better ending.

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. Xbox_Alive
    Mar 15, 2018
    8
    As far as episodic games are concerned I actually find them to be very enjoyable and I have enjoyed most of the Telltale games that have beenAs far as episodic games are concerned I actually find them to be very enjoyable and I have enjoyed most of the Telltale games that have been released, but in my opinion I think the genre has gone a little stale. Focus Home Interactive have now gone into the episodic genre and for me The Council has breathed new life into the genre. The most important thing of a game of this nature is the story, and thankfully they’ve done a wonderful job here. The story was interesting from start to finish and most important of all it makes me excited for the next episode and that was mainly down to the fantastic cliffhanger ending. Hopefully though the next episode won’t feature the same amount of technichal issues the first episode has because whilst none of them are major problems they can ruin the immersion levels somewhat at times. If you like being able to choose your own destiny then this first episode has you covered. There are an array of choices to be made in the game and the best thing is that these choices actually feel important and in the grand scheme of things they actually matter, which is great. I must admit throughout my time with this episode I did become more attached to certain characters and I just felt that the characters I didn’t become attached to needed a little bit more of a bang. Something that really surprised me about this game was the gameplay that was present. The episodic genre isn’t blessed with much gameplay and the gameplay that is present is often tedious, but that’s not the case with The Council. The Council has a number of different mechanics in play at the same time and this without a doubt keeps the gameplay fresh and interesting and in a way it gives the genre a bit of uniqueness. The presentation side of the game is something that I enjoyed quite a bit, especially when it came to the sound design. Don’t get me wrong the visuals aren’t bad and they do their job I just thought they lacked a bit of polish at times whereas the sound design made the gameplay stand out, and a special mention has to go out to the fantastic voice acting. At the end of the day The Council has made me fall in love with the episodic genre again and they’ve done that by implementing fresh ideas which in my opinion make the genre become relevant again. If you’re a fan of good story games where what you do actually matters then you will absolutely love The Council, and when it’s all said and done I can’t wait to see where the series takes us.… Expand
  2. DKurac
    May 23, 2021
    8
    Out of 5 episodes overall 3,5 episodes were excellent. I really enjoyed decision making, politics, puzzles and mysteries in those. SadlyOut of 5 episodes overall 3,5 episodes were excellent. I really enjoyed decision making, politics, puzzles and mysteries in those. Sadly enough remaining 1,5 episodes was ending which kinda ruined the rest.… Expand
  4. SenorKoquonfaes
    Nov 27, 2019
    6
    This game popped up as part of an Xbox Live Gold sale for $9.99 CAD and since I enjoy story-driven, choice and consequence style games, IThis game popped up as part of an Xbox Live Gold sale for $9.99 CAD and since I enjoy story-driven, choice and consequence style games, I figured picking it up was a no-brainer.

    Along with it being a story-centric game, The Council also has some RPG elements as well, which allow you to add skill points to the main character as a Diplomat, Occultist and Detective. Each of those three main categories have sub categories that you can add skill points to as well. Increasing your skills in these sub categories allow the main character to access locked off dialogue options, study and obtain certain clues relating to solving puzzles etc.

    The first two episodes of the game start off rather well, there are some interesting dialogue and story options available as well as some interesting character interactions. Episode three is mostly filler and is honestly, rather forgettable. Episode four and five is where the game loses faith in itself, giving you the illusion of making some rather significant choices that could take the story in vastly different directions, only to have the game nullify those choices and railroad you down a much more linear path. The game has two endings and they're both kind of lame and cliched, ending the story rather abruptly.

    The games voice acting is absolutely terrible; the voices don't seem to fit their character models at all. Two of the main characters are of French origins, but are clearly voiced by North American actors. There are also lip sync issues that occur later in game, specifically during episodes four and five. That kind of breaks the immersion for me.

    There a number of times where the frame rate chugs concrete, dropping to like 21 FPS. This would happen as I'm running down a narrow corridor in a game that doesn't exactly live in a massive, open world.

    Overall, The Council starts off as an encouraging game, but definitely loses confidence in itself by the end. Couple that with the terrible voice acting, merely okay story and technical issues and I can really only recommend The Council at a deep discount and for curious fans of the story/narrative driven genre.    … Expand

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