The Council (2018)

I just finished playing this and towards the end like mid-episode 3 to the beginning of 5, I was a bit dragged on. I was not pleased with my ending as I saw on YouTube there are quite a few possibilities but that's the beauty of the game. Maybe I'll replay it in a while from now or watch my gf play it to redeem myself. I would 100% play another game in this genre, I love the butterfly effect of it. Lots of twists and turns in the story. It was fun to be a part of it and affect the outcome.

The annoying things for me were Sarah de Richet's voice and the fact that there were not enough royal jellies for the majority of the game particularly episodes 2-3.

I didn't have any specific expectations for The Council when I started playing it. The game surely sounded interesting, but at the same time the art-style was in few ways very off-putting.

However those kind of light annoying details are easily forgotten once the game starts. The story is captivating, writing is great and most of the characters have so much mystery and secrecy in them that you just want to push forward to reveal their secrets. The gameplay is very subtle, there's no fast paced action or tricky platforming. Instead the game plays around the conversations, reactions and diplomacy. The game also has puzzles. I found gameplay really refreshing and despite few boring-ish moments within my playthrough I am glad I got myself playing the game. The Council was on 7th place of my top 10 in 2021.

Ever since I discovered Broken Sword on a PlayStation demo disc I've had a soft spot for adventure games, when I'm fed up with AAA games or can't decide what to play I'll often boot up one off my backlog. I've played the worst of them (I'm one of the few people that finished The Dig) and the best of them. That's a long winded way to say I have a high pain threshold with adventure games and can put up with a lot. I can overlook a lot of The Councils weakness; it's mismatched voice actors that do their best reading a script that's obviously written in French (where the developers Big Bad Wolf reside) and translated into English, I can forgive characters mouths occasionally not moving or when the game locks up (luckily the game checkpoints regularly) because the opening three episodes do a great job at hooking you with an excellent what if concept that's wrapped in an engaging mystery. However, I can't quite recall a game that implodes so much in its latter half; there's no way of dancing around the fact that the narrative wheels don't so much as fall off but fall off mid-journey, bounce onto the motorway opposite and causes a 20 car pile up. The plot deviates sideways and even the puzzles become more esoteric, possibly to obfuscate and pad out the shorter episode's run time.

The game still comes with a recommendation, the dialogue system is unique and tries successfully to do something new with the formula established by Telltale, but brave yourself for those last two episodes and, if your game ends up anything like my play through, possibly a massively unsatisfactory finale.

For better or for worse I'd recommend going into this not knowing or reading much about the plot then you can be surprised as much as you deserve to be.

Pros:

• A really interesting set of "RPG" skills for conversations: This is implemented well and I hope to see it used more (especially considering that these same devs are developing a Vampire The Masquerade Game). Every choice has to be weighed not only against how the Character might react but also against the players' limited resources. Similarly, when inspecting objects for example do you need to pick this lockbox when you might need your resources later to defuse a tense dinner discussion. A great gameplay mechanic for this type of game.

• Characters: The characters feel real and each one has there own aims and motives. Many characters have surprising arcs. I cannot overemphasis that this is a game that is carried by its characters. The voice cast also does an excellent job.

• Puzzles: I loved them. A lot of "Esoteric" puzzling and avoiding spoilers there all great (other than one backtracking one but luckily it is not very long).

• Setting and atmosphere: The Island feels very period-authentic and I enjoyed the large open fireplaces and little details in each character's room. Also for anyone interested in the history of this period, there are tons of little details and Easter eggs that I don’t want to spoil but are very well implemented.

• Story Episode 1-3: These first few episodes are fantastic. Finding out the secrets of each character. Discovering the complicated webs they have weaved between one another and their various motives are all executed with excellent finesse. And then to see these motives reflected in dialogue options only further heightened the excitement of this element of the game.

Neutral:

• Choices: The common complaint about these types of games is that "your choices don't matter". In general, it is a fair complaint however I've always felt it is one rooted in personal Opinion. In my opinion, this game did a fairly good job of ensuring that the players feel like there choices matter. I would argue that the limited resources of the player definitely adds to this feeling as every choice takes on a much greater weight when you realize it may lock you out of another choice further down the road as a result of exhausted resources.

• Music: No particular track stood out to me as being particularly excellent or mediocre. Overall very middle of the road though I do like the ending theme of each episode.

Cons:

• Graphical glitches: For a game based on dialogue this is a very very unfortunate issue. Characters constantly look past each other or at walls while talking to the player's character. There were also times where the characters would speak without there lips moving. I was happy to ignore this as I enjoyed the story enough to set it aside but your mileage may vary.
• Story post Episode 4: This is where the real issues of the game begin to seep in and unfortunately it is MASSIVE spoilers from here on in you have been warned: I felt that the reveal that Mortimer and Holms were demons completely deflated much of the mystery the game had built up. Overall the supernatural element of this game is by far the most boring parts and I even found it ruined characters who I had previously enjoyed (Such as Holms) who turns from someone who seems to have his own ideas and concepts into a simple demon trying to please his father. It also leads to the devaluing of the games other characters. Suddenly individuals who had seemed to have there own goals and plans (such as Washington) become mere puppets of the Demons completely ruining previous characterisations. Overall I disliked this turn in the story and feel it did a massive detriment to the games overall plot. I would have much preferred the game try to stick with its Esoteric conspiracy theme instead of diving into pure fantasy.

Conclusion: Overall I would still recommend this game but do realise that the story from episode 4 on fails to meet the height of its previous episodes.

I heard about this game from an ACG review and there was a sale recently for the full 5 episodes, so I finally got a chance to play through it. It's a unique experience in both setting and gameplay. It's not a "relax & destress" game, but it's more low-key than a frantic shooter.

So, this game tries to be a game devoted solely to the art of conversation and diplomacy. There's no combat to speak of, I think in the whole game I had one "combat encounter" & that's when I bitch slapped Napoleon. Instead, everything is about talking your way out of situations. The dialogue wheel is in the Mass Effect style and there's a lot of skill check options for every conversation, like Fallout: New Vegas on steroids. Big Bad Wolf Games did a good job in making an RPG with skills based around talking. Some skills make you more convincing, others allow you to have background knowledge on politics, history, or science to have more meaningful conversations. The most intense talking is in the form of confrontation battles. Here you have to say the right words or lose the chance to gain info or sway a vote. It is a little silly, that they pop up like the start of a Mortal Kombat round.

The other aspect of this game is centered around puzzles. This whole thing is sort of a modern take on the old adventure games, not just an homage to it, like Blackwell or others. There's no quick time events like a Telltale game, just puzzles and talking. Like those old adventure games, some puzzles are easy to figure out, others, well, aren't. Lots of the riddles in this game, almost all of them really, are based around Greek myths or the New Testament. Those types of riddles are my favorite because you aren't just relying on a logic puzzle or math. You the player can pull from your own knowledge to figure out the solutions. One of the late game puzzles plays for keeps as well, you mess it up once you lose an arm.

There were some graphical hiccups in the game, Mortimer clipped through his sleeve frills, some of the dialogue options didn't work right, and the subtitles didn't always agree with what's being spoken.

The game is set in 1793 and centers around a secret cabal of world leaders who decide the fate of the world, Illuminati style. I do like how the game starts with a cheeky little disclaimer, "This game is probably a work of fiction". You'll quickly learn that your player character, Louis De Richet, will be bumping elbows with real historic figures like Washington, Napoleon, and other figures this game introduced me to like von Wollner and Godoy. How much they match their historic counterparts, I can't say. Washington is portrayed almost like a sweet little grandma. There's also some original characters, like the host of the council Mortimer & aristocrat Gregory Holm. Your love interest seems to be loosely based on a historic figure. Louis also dresses like a disheveled hero from a Lovecraftian game and is another Frenchman with an English accent. His mother is worse, a Maggie Smith lookalike with a voice that doesn't really seem old enough for how she looks.

The history of this game is really done well and I felt engulfed in the colonial era. The mansion you spend the entire game in feels very much like a period home, like the Presidential manors I've visited. The clothing is period, besides the Duchess' dress, I mean, the cheesecake is appreciated, but pretty sure something that revealing wouldn't be permitted in the late 1700s. Part of the game also revolves around occultism, Louis works for a sort of paranormal mythbusters. It's been awhile since I boned up on it, but I think spiritualism was in a downswing around the 1790's. Were it the late 1800s or 1920s, it would make more sense for everyone to have a fascination with the occult. Throughout the game you also see these characters react to moments of history, such as the French Revolution.

One of the big plot points early on in the game actually involves real history. Story time means it's spoiler time. The whole reason the council has convened on this secret island is to discuss what will become the Louisiana Purchase. Mortimer proposes Godoy hand over the Spanish controlled Louisiana Territory to France for free. Godoy is obviously against this and he has half the council in his favor, while Mortimer has the other half. Being we all know how the real history goes I decided to back Mortimer and stick with my homeboy Washington. The story moments where you are debating in the council room are really thrilling, trying to navigate the political minefield. It's as thrilling as a firefight sometimes. I wish the game was more about political power plays. It's like a premium cable show of drama & intrigues.

Unfortunately, in episode 4 this game goes completely off the rails and keeps shoveling coal into the firebox. Throughout the story, the game is pretty coy on just how much supernatural stuff is real. There's little hints, like John Adam's daughter being crazy & Mortimer seems to be up to shady stuff, but you never know how much is paranoia & how much is paranormal. All that subtly is thrown out the window in episode 4 & here comes the super spoilers. It turns out that the two hosts of the party, Mortimer and Holm, are both ancient demons and sons of Jesus, who is actually an immortal demon. They've been manipulating people for centuries to help them progress. It was a bit of a story shift, but I could get behind Mortimer, the silver tongue demon. When he revealed his true nature, it wasn't played as a cartoon villain. He seemed like he was really interested in helping people in a good way, while still feeling a bit malicious. Then they go even farther, turns out Louis is a demon, & Mortimer is your father. Your mother isn't actually your mother, but instead another one of Mortimer's kids whose out of vengeance. The Duchess, your love interest, is actually your demon sister. So, yeah you porked your sister in this game. It's also hinted that Von Wollner is the demon son of Holm.

This all comes out in the last two episodes, and there's a whole bunch of exposition about demon families. It muddles up the whole story & completely usurps the political plotline. It's not about navigating the political scene anymore, but about using demon powers to control the council's vote. Yeah, as a demon, Louis gets a new set of powers that allow him to read people's minds. It stinks of a game developer who wasn't too sure of themselves, so they ramped up the ending with magic powers. I get that maybe sticking to the political story may've made the game a bit more niche and boring to some players, putting it in a category closer to Frogware's Sherlock Holmes games. Still, if they wanted to do a supernatural plotline, I would've preferred they implemented it sooner.

All in all, I enjoyed this game, at least the first 3 episodes, but there's definitely some story issues at the end. The world they've created is very fun and I always love interacting with historical figures. I wish they kept with political intrigue though. Hopefully they make a sequel to this game, maybe set in the 1860's or 1940's, really all of history is open.

Pros:

• Really innovative and fun gameplay
• Compelling story
• Nicely designed environments
• OK puzzles

Cons:

• Just awful writing (often immersion-breaking and/or cringeworthy)
• Laggy on low settings despite having the recommended specs
• Annoyingly many anachronisms and inaccuracies, including:
  • The audio, subtitles and menu sometimes contradict each other in strange ways
  • The French MC is voiced by an American that isn't able to pronounce French (including his own last name), even though (almost) all other cast members have appropriate accents
  • An important female character is jarringly oversexualized (e.g. her dress is more like an apron, except with a cut so low it would be showing her nipples if only she had any, and her boobs are blatantly gravity-defying)
• Etc.