Adventure · March 13, 2018

The Council (2018)

trophy42 achievementsextension4 DLCgroup100k–1M ownersrecommend4.1k recommendations
The Complete Season of The Council grants you access to all 5 episodes. The Council is an episodic game like no other. Delivering a fresh new take on the Narrative Adventure, your choices and character growth truly matter. Make hard-hitting decisions, but also develop an array of skills to directly impact how the story unfolds. With permanent, long-lasting consequences, there is no going back. Plunge into a tale of intrigue and manipulation in the style of a classic murder mystery, living with a cast of alluring characters each hiding their own dark secrets. Trust no one while uncovering dire truths – no matter the cost to mind and body. The Council begins in 1793, with players taking the role of secret society member Louis de Richet after his invitation to a private island off the shores of England by the enigmatic Lord Mortimer. Joining him are a number of high profile guests, including Napoleon Bonaparte and President of the newly-formed United States of America, George Washington. The strange nature of this private reception goes beyond just the prestigious guests –Richet’s own mother has recently gone missing on the island, while each and every one of the colorful cast seems to have their own hidden agendas. In a new twist for the genre, the core of The Council’s gameplay comes from manipulating and maneuvering through character encounters using the unique Social Influence system. During confrontations, skills and limited resources can be used to gain the upper hand and achieve the desired outcome. Players will be rewarded for their knowledge of each character’s psychological vulnerabilities and immunities, as well as their preparations made during prior exploration and investigation. Failing an encounter does not mean ‘game over’, and no action can be taken back. The consequences are permanent, and may result in persistent physical disfigurements or mental traits that help or hinder the rest of the player’s adventure. Richet’s numerous skills can be developed to align with your chosen approach to the adventure. Solve issues with diplomacy, delve into occultism to expand your historical and scientific knowledge, or play detective and see what others do not perceive. Your skills will have uses that extend far beyond your conversations with fellow guests. With 15 diverse skills to use and invest in, players are free to uncover The Council’s mysteries how they see fit, with wildly varying consequences depending on their methods. The results will forever alter the life of Louis de Richet, of those around him, and shape history as we know it.

Adventure releases from 2018

73 Adventure titles launched in 2018 — top 6 by review volume.

Peer Adventure titles

Comparable titles in the same genre and review-volume band — ranked by Steam positive percentage.

Community Tag Signals

Tag weights reflect how many Steam users voted each descriptor — larger pills = stronger consensus.

  • Choices Matter · 218
  • Adventure · 216
  • RPG · 195
  • Story Rich · 152
  • Detective · 138
  • Mystery · 102
  • Puzzle · 80
  • Historical · 77
  • Singleplayer · 77
  • Episodic · 68
  • Atmospheric · 67
  • Choose Your Own Adventure · 60
  • Horror · 51
  • Multiple Endings · 51
  • Illuminati · 45

Position in Adventure

MetricThis titleGenre position
Review volume5.3k Steam reviewsTop 43% in Adventure
Positive rating84% positiveGenre average: 87% — this title sits in top 75%
Metacritic67/100Genre average 77 — top 89% of Adventure titles
Engagement hours8 h averageTop 42% for session depth among Adventure

Reception Metrics

Steam community

84%Mostly Positive · 5.3k reviews

4.5k positive · 854 negative

Metacritic

67/100 critic aggregate

Open Metacritic page

Metacritic user score

7.5/10

Curator recommendations

4.1k

Localization Coverage

Interface / Subtitles (6)

  • English volume_up
  • French
  • German
  • Spanish - Spain
  • Russian
  • Italian volume_up

Full audio (2)

  • English
  • Italian

Press Quotes

“A New Era in Adventure Games” 9/10 – Game Revolution “I was hooked by the story, I really need to know what happens next!” 15/20 – Jeuxvideo com “The RPG mechanics really elevate the experience” 8/10 – GameReactor

Release & Availability

Release dateMar 13, 2018
DeveloperBig Bad Wolf
PublisherFocus Entertainment
Base priceFree-to-play
DLC / Add-ons4 released
PlatformsWindows
Estimated owners100k–1M
External linksOfficial site · Metacritic page · Support · [email protected]

Features & Capabilities

Community

  • Steam Achievements
  • Steam Trading Cards
  • Steam Cloud
  • Remote Play on TV

Input & Comfort

  • Full controller support

Other

  • Single-player

Engagement Profile

All-time avg

8h

short (5–15 hours)

Median

3h

Typical completion time

Achievements

42

Steam unlocks available

Editions & Packages

  • Buy The Council