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- Focus Home Interactive
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- Focus Home Interactive
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- Focus Home Interactive
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- Focus Home Interactive
The Council - Episode 1: The Mad Ones
Released On: Mar 13, 2018
75
7.5
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 28 Critic Reviews
75
64% Positive
18 Reviews
18 Reviews
32% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 28 Critic Reviews
75
64% Positive
18 Reviews
18 Reviews
32% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The skill system, leveling up, confrontations and the immunity/weakness system are all fantastic game design choices that really get you invested in the game. Pair those with superb writing and a beautiful location to explore, and this is one fantastic start to this episodic series. If you're a mystery hound like me that can appreciate these twists to the genre, I think you'll agree that Episode 2 can't come fast enough...
While missing some of the polish other games might have, The Council feels like it could be the next step in the genre thanks to branching narratives that feel much weightier than before and a mystery you can't help but be drawn into.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 48 User Ratings
7.5
71% Positive
34 Ratings
34 Ratings
15% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
15% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 48 User Ratings
7.5
71% Positive
34 Ratings
34 Ratings
15% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
15% Negative
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
Great Game-I hope the publisher makes a lot more, much better than Telltale Games' offerings. Fantastic game, intriguing, fantastic mechanics, great plot!
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PlayStation 4
Apart from the facial models and animations, the game is just perfect! Intriguing scenario, a very well mixture of RPG elements into adventure genre, always get surprised, etc. A must play!
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PlayStation 4
A promising start. The Mad Ones builds the framework for what can be a wild narrative ride, but it’s not clear yet how far this game will go in terms of its branching paths, or if the narrative will remain interesting throughout. I’m excited to learn more about the deceptive world of The Council and what Louis will uncover in upcoming episodes.
The Council is a good attempt to refresh the narrative adventure genre, that starts to feel a little bit too repetitive these days. Although it's not based on a popular intellectual property, it does offer a story full of mystery and some interesting characters.
It's tough to provide a definitive review on a chapter-based game, but The Council is off to a good start with its gameplay based on social interactions and a very nice artistic touch. A good spin on the Telltale recipe.
The Council: The Mad Ones is a good start. Adding RPG elements in a classic adventure game is a very good idea, but there's something wrong in the reactions. Also, the graphics are outdated.
The Council has impressive ambitions – even if its execution is not up to scratch. You’ll already know whether its alternate history backdrop appeals to you, but it’s the RPG elements that threaten to disrupt the narrative genre. We already like what this series is doing, but the writing and voice acting leaves a little to be desired. That said, this is a solid start, even if it is a bit too early to come to any conclusions about the overall story just yet.
What a game, if u like choices that change story, and actually the way ull play other episodes when released, u like narrative games, and lots more , Just get It, is even cheap to try First episode, i finish mine in a way u dont wanna know , cant wait for the second One, u gotta be' very carefull what u answer, how you answer , and the actions u Will take, well , i got so Much to Say but this masterpiece for his gender, is gonna be' popular later on, so original, u spend less then a pack of **** and then u Can tell . U gotta try il if u like this tipe, is just so Amazing. Cant really understand bad reviews , is about the experience , not the 4k graphics, or whatever today everyone expoect, is a game, and really does the job. Well done developers.
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PlayStation 4
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PlayStation 4
I actually give this game a 6 out of 10, but bumped it up to 7 because the Duchess has huge cleavage and a bare back. I saw the trailer for this and it looked interesting --- full of mystery and intrigue. But when you actually get to play the game the whole tone is off. The main character, Louis, is called to a private island of some shadowy nobleman because his mother who was there, had gone missing. The entire first episode 1 'The Mad Ones' has you finding clues and such to her whereabouts.
The problem is that there are no hints of grander things to come, and the missing mother is not much of a motivation or lure. You meet with some other high profile people (like George Washington) but there isn't a sense of any conspiracies or happenings to look forward to.
The character models for the most part are really creepy (wrinkly faces and dead eyes). Voice acting isn't as great as it could be to provide the tone. I feel that this episode lacked a clear direction on giving the player some reason to care about Louis' story. I'll check out Episode 2, but so far this is a pretty forgettable game. I don't recommend it, but I don't regret it too much. The Duchess Emily is sexy.
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PlayStation 4
The Council
off the a rough Start
The council is a narrative focused episodic adventure game, this game will eventually have 5 episodes, but at the time of this review there is only one.
Episode 1 the mad ones took me around 2 and a half hours to complete and is a very slow start.
The game starts in the year 1793, you play a Louis de Richet, a member of a secret society...
You’re invited to a private island off of the shores of England, but your mother is nowhere to be found...
You spend the game trying to get information and find her.
In hindsight, this is a pretty intriguing story being set up...
There’s a secret society… historical figures like my homie George Washington are around, you have these crazy that’s so raven visions where you’re looking through the eyes of different characters that will randomly hit you..
There’s tons of mystery and historical artifacts and paintings... creepy and intriguing characters…
it’s just the delivery of this game is so slow, that instead of feeling like you’re immersed in history...
You feel as though you’re immersed in a history lecture...
The game doesn’t start to get exciting until its final chapter in this episode...
The other chapters are so sluggish and boring.
The gameplay features pretty light adventure aspects, I enjoyed these short breaks to solve a puzzle, theyre not hard enough to make you look up a guide, but enough to make you stop and think... and stopping to think is important as every action made in this game has consequences...
For example I was trying to decipher a code and by trying everything I could, I ruined half of a clue, so I had to do a later puzzle in the game the hard way, with logic and trial and error…
There’s also an effort system in this game...
Effort depletes by mental and physical choices within the game
There’s a high focus here on psychology, it’s all about manipulation, deceit, and attention to detail…
You’ll get points based off of actions you complete during a chapter and at that chapters end you can dump your skill points in different skills to unlock more dialog choices during a confrontation, our youll have the ability to unlock doors and boxes, or level up your skills so that your choices consume less effort,
You have to choose carefully when to go for a statement or question that consumes a lot of your effort as it is limited in each chapter.. Though there are consumables to partially refill it…
But some situations and confrontations might not be as important to you as others...
so you’ll choose to let information go and save your refills for later if you need them…
Characters also remember your choices from earlier, so you’ll have a penalty while speaking to them, making it hard to squeeze info out of them.. But things can be made easier by making observations during dialog scenes or conversations... as you can find a psychological weakness or immunity... the dutchess for example like most women is immune to logic. And the butler characters has a weakness when it comes to being questioned.
The system here sounds pretty complicated, and it kind of is...
it almost takes you out of the moment as you’re trying to shift conversations but thinking of consumables and how much effort you have left...
It makes it hard to pay attention to a story that by itself is so slow at the start that it’s hard to pay attention to on its own..
But by the end the characters started to pull me in and I’m decently excited to see where this story goes... though I’m not dying for the next episode.
Though depending on your choices, other characters might be.
I give the council Episode 1 the mad ones a 6/10
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PlayStation 4
I was surprised to see so many high ratings for this game as I found it utterly droll and slow, the mechanics certainly don't feel new or innovative as I was lead to believe and the character models my god i've seen better on the playstation 1, it feels rushed like minimal effort was put into the design and look of the game, character and it's world. I cannot help but feel that maybe the very positive reviews on some sites are coming from people either paid off or given the game for free simply so that the fact they didn't have to pay for it didn't influence their decision with it not coming from their own pocket. Honestly would not recommend to any fan of any genre as I am honestly flabbergasted that this game isn't around the 2 or 3 out of 10 range... some reputable sites even giving it 4 out 5..... really? laughable. I've never given a zero before but this time it is well deserved, sorry but it was just awful.
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PlayStation 4
Summary The Council is a unique episodic game. Delivering a fresh take on the narrative adventure, your choices and character growth truly matter.
Rated M
for Mature
Platforms:
- Xbox One
- PlayStation 4
- PC
Initial Release Date: Mar 13, 2018
Developer:
- Big Bad Wolf
Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
Genres:
