The Council
Big Bad Wolf · 2018 · Choices Matter, Adventure, RPG, Story Rich, Detective
PC
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Screenshots
About The Council
✦ AI summary
Navigate a 1793 conspiracy on a mysterious island where you manipulate historical figures like Napoleon and George Washington through a unique Social Influence system, with your choices and skill development permanently shaping the story and characters. Every decision sticks with irreversible consequences—fail an encounter and you might gain permanent scars or psychological traits that define the rest of your adventure.
The Complete Season of The Council grants you access to all 5 episodes.
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-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.
In a new twist for the genre, the core of The Council’s gameplay comes from manipulating and maneuvering through character encounters using the unique Social Influence system. During confrontations, skills and limited resources can be used to gain the upper hand and achieve the desired outcome. Players will be rewarded for their knowledge of each character’s psychological vulnerabilities and immunities, as well as their preparations made during prior exploration and investigation. Failing an encounter does not mean ‘game over’, and no action can be taken back. The consequences are permanent, and may result in persistent physical disfigurements or mental traits that help or hinder the rest of the player’s adventure.
Richet’s numerous skills can be developed to align with your chosen approach to the adventure. Solve issues with diplomacy, delve into occultism to expand your historical and scientific knowledge, or play detective and see what others do not perceive. Your skills will have uses that extend far beyond your conversations with fellow guests. With 15 diverse skills to use and invest in, players are free to uncover The Council’s mysteries how they see fit, with wildly varying consequences depending on their methods. The results will forever alter the life of Louis de Richet, of those around him, and shape history as we know it.
DLC & expansions
What Steam players say
Recent verbatim reviews from Steam — separate from playze.io community reviews below.
awesome game!
I received The Council very cheap on a sale and that’s really the only reason it gets a thumbs up from me. I’d be peeved if I’d spent more than $1.49 on this frankly. There’s a very heavy Telltale Games influence here. Almost the entirety of the game is conducted via dialogue trees and making choices therein. At least one major puzzle solve scenario gets thrown in for each chapter. I’ve never been very good at puzzles, but these seemed excessively difficult, to the point I just skipped to watching walkthroughs in order to pass them. I won’t hold that against the game, though. My gripe comes with the story itself. In the interest of avoiding spoilers, I’ll omit the name of a certain character introduced early on who disappears never to come back again. Certain choices made kept me from learning specific details or clues about the plot that were then accidentally revealed by my character’s dialogue trees later on. This made the ending quite lackluster and rather anti-climactic. I saw it coming a mile away. Keeping with the avoidance of spoilers, all I’ll say about the final third of the game is if EVERYONE is “special” then NO ONE is “special”. Also the ‘dialogue battle’ part or w…
The Council initiates an immersive mystery where the protagonist searches for a missing mother amidst a claustrophobic, high-stakes atmosphere on a secluded island. Historical figures mingle with occult elements to construct a uniquely dark fantasy setting that consistently rewards the player's curiosity through dense, layered world-building. Dialogue encounters function as high-stakes confrontations, necessitating preparation and precise skill usage rather than relying on standard combat systems. Personality analysis acts as the primary weapon, forcing participants to actively scrutinise their opponents for specific vulnerabilities to gain a decisive advantage during these demanding and tense social battles. Choosing between the Diplomat, Occultist, or Detective classes dictates the acquisition of knowledge via discovered manuscripts and investigative efforts. This class-based progression system ensures that gathering clues translates into tangible skill boosts, making the search for information feel intrinsically linked to the character's capability to succeed in future arguments. Navigating the manor often proves tedious due to its complex, maze-like layout and the abse…
The voice acting in this game is absolutely atrocious. I personally find it so bad and unbearable that I'm unable to continue playing this game past the first hour or so.
GOOD COUNCIL
this game lowk a hidden gem. choices + classes you can choose from, history easter eggs are sprinkled in, and an interesting story line. + you can get most of the achievements from the free version which is only one chapter. i liked it.
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