If you are reading this episode 4 review of The Council I have to assume by now that you have played the previous 3 episodes and are up to date with the story. If you aren’t, I urge you to stopping reading right now and come back when you are up to date! This review will discuss some of the goings on up to and including episode 4, so if you are worried about story spoilers… and you should be, you have been warned.
This review will be shorter than most on the website as I won’t be going in to great detail on the likes of the sound in the game. These aspects have been discussed in previous episodes and while I will touch on everything briefly, when it comes to narrative episodic adventures like this you tend to find yourself spending more time discussing the story the further in you get.
The graphics in The Council remain a highlight for me. Mortimer’s mansion is beautifully crafted and picturesque. It would be easy to now four episodes in be over the setting, but as I was playing my better half came and sat down next to me and was immediately drawn in. The open view from the dining room is a particular favourite.
On the not so positive side though is the animation. The character models themselves look great. The slight caricature design makes it stand out from other games and that unique look is a real benefit to the game, but the lip syncing has been an issue for a few episodes now. I don’t remember having any major issues with it during episode one, but certainly in the last two there have been lines of dialogue where the character model doesn’t even open their mouth.
The voice acting throughout the four episodes of The Council has been really strong. In the past I have been critical of the mothers voice work and it’s hard to tell if I am now just used to it or if it has improved. Either way the likes of Louis, Mortimer, Sir Gregory and others come across believable during interactions and really help build a believable narrative within the game.
The score that often plays in the background has remained since episode one but really fits the time and does a great job of ramping up to build tension at critical moments. It is easily to overlook these little touches but they add to the games overall presentation.
As with other episodes you are mainly walking (or jogging) around Mortimer’s mansion interacting with people and items. The gameplay is basic, but serviceable. There are no issues with the camera or any navigation. The Council, along with other narrative based adventures are different in terms of the gameplay not being a primary hook. Instead the gameplay is simply a vessel to help advance the story.
This is the real crux of this review. Before starting episode four I would have said The Council is my favourite narrative in gaming so far this year. I find the whole thing fascinating and so each episode I have went in excited to find out more, but also worried that the wheels could fall off. Episode four packed enough story revelations for at least two episodes, but it never felt too much.
First of all you get confirmation that Mortimer is indeed a daemon when he not so discreetly enters Piaggi’s body and tries to manipulate you. Following that is the bombshell directly from Mortimer himself that not only is he actually your father, not only is your mother not actually your birth mother, but that YOU yourself are a daemon.
This has been the reason behind your visions all along. While I would have liked Louis to dwell on this revelation a bit longer, for the most part I think it was all explained and handled really well. The only egregious error I found was that in my playthrough I went to the docks to confront my so called mother to find that Emma (who I thought was Emily) had killed her. Once I returned to Mortimer Louis automatically acted like he was over any feelings he had for Sarah and that she got what she deserved.
Basically the game proceeded as if I had arrived before Emma killed Sarah and found out that everything Mortimer said was true, but in actuality I hadn’t. This did however leave me wanting to go back and find a way to get to those docks faster so that I can hear what she has to say.
Coming in at £5.79 for a single episode or as included content if you bought the £20 season pass I think The Council offers great value for money. Normally in these story driven episodic games you play through once and never touch it again, and even if you do decide to do that here £5.79 per episode is a snip given the level of storytelling. But each episode I have found myself going back and trying to experience everything the story has to offer.
At the end of chapters you find out in vague terms things that could have happened had you explored more. That has always brought me back to find out what alternate paths there were. In previous episodic games like the one’s from Telltale or the Life is Strange series you have the illusion of choice, but in The Council you really do feel like your choices matter.
Episode four of The Council is the strongest yet in terms of story. In episode three they struck the balance right in terms of puzzle difficulty and that continues this time around. As things stand we now await what is hopefully a thrilling conclusion to this story. Big Bad Wolf is on the verge of finishing something truly special.
-Craig ✌️
