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The Council Review

Stop me if you have heard this before…a strange aristocrat invites a motley crew to their mansion under very mysterious circumstances. From Agatha Christie’s often replicated but never duplicated And Then There Were None to The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion where gamers are invited to a posh party and must assassinate the other guests. Christie’s plot has been recycled more times than one can count. The Council, an episodic adventure game from French development studio Big Bad Wolf and publisher Focus Home Interactive, follows Christie’s lead. However, this tribute that harkens back to the elements that made Christie’s work some of the very best mysteries ever written.

As Louis de Richet, you are an everyman born into a secret organization that protects the world from both flesh and blood threats, and supernatural threats. Your aging mother is a celebrated member of this organization, famous and infamous in powerful circles around the globe.

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What separates The Council from other narrative adventures is that Louis has skills like diplomacy, the occult and psychology.  He can use these skills to twist situations and conversations in his favour. Some of the conversations turn into cerebral battles in which Louis must gain the confidence of a particular person. If he fails, he suffers the consequences. In one such confrontation, Louis must convince another guest to hand over a letter entrusted to them by his mother. In another, he must wrangle a deal with Napoléon who is planning a revolution.

Throughout the personal and political jostling there is an air of supernatural intrigue that cloaks everyone and everything. It is often unnerving and just flat out creepy.

In Conclusion

As an old school gamer who remembers such titles as Myst, Police Quest, the Gabriel Knight series, Quest for Glory and others with such fondness and admiration for their storytelling, it is great to see the genre make such a strong return with Telltale Games and other developers like Big Bad Wolf leading the way. Based on the first episode alone The Council would fit in with the best of those old school classics. It also brings something new to the table and establishes such an intriguing plot. Its especially appealing to someone who appreciates history and great mysteries, such as myself. Agatha Christie would surely give a tip of the hat to The Council.

Interested in The Council? Check it out Here on Steam.

Review Summary

A throwback to the classic adventure games of old but with a modern twist. History and mystery buffs will appreciate the references and the story in The Council.

 

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