A genre that has experienced somewhat of a renewed renaissance in the past several years is the graphic adventure video game. And The Council is a very well-received representative thereof. It is 1793. As a member of a secret society, you will have to solve many intriguing mysteries.
How to Download the Council
To the download the game you should proceed to click on the Download button located below. This adventure game is available on the Steam platform. And if you like episodic adventure games, why not give a try to Life is Strange.
The Game Review
Taking their roots from the classic text-based adventures of the 1980s PC, like Zork, graphic adventure games hit a high point during the 1990s with Myst, 7th Guest, Return to Zork, and many others.
These titles tend to put a premium on narrative, immersion, and puzzle-solving, often involving intuitive solutions and natural interactions with objects in the game’s world.
Similar to graphic novels in that they tell a story, graphic adventure games tend to distinguish themselves by progression via puzzle solving and some choose-your-own-adventure elements.
One thing that is not really common to find in these games is role-playing game elements like leveling, skills, and a class system.
But that’s exactly what underpins The Council, a five-episode adventure game from Big Bad Wolf and Focus Home Interactive.
When players boot up The Council, things are immediately different from other graphic adventure games the player might have played before. This is because you are pressed to choose a class each one of which has a different set of skills that might make some things easier or harder in the game. These classes include the Diplomat, Occultist, and Detective.
In terms of skills, the Diplomat has Etiquette, Conviction, Politics, Diversion, and Linguistics while the Occultist relies upon Science, Occultism, Manipulation, Erudition and Subterfuges. The Detective, for his part, uses Questioning, Vigilance, Psychology, Logic, and Agility.
Anyone who has played a graphic adventure game can tell you how vastly different this setup is from most titles, but it is a welcome addition that adds to The Council’s strengths.
The progression system is similarly extensive without being overwhelming. Overall there are 15 available character skills with 44 talents and 20 traits. Character skills are developed when a player puts certain points into certain abilities.
Talents are certain one-time perks that can permanently alter a player’s abilities or how the player interacts with the environment.
Plot-wise, The Council is your standard conspiracy and occult affair. That doesn’t mean it isn’t engaging, but anyone who has seen an episode of The X-Files will be familiar with this territory.
The story is well developed and engaging enough but it is the quirky RPG mechanics that make The Council stand out in a crowded field of adventure games.
Yet it is tough to recommend it for everybody. Fans of role-playing games might find it off-putting in parts while graphic adventure enthusiasts might think the RPG elements strange and tacked on at the end.
Weaving an intricate story with an atmosphere that is both creepy and oddly intriguing, The Council’s mysteries might not be for everybody but they’re definitely a good yarn.
