If you’re looking for an episodic narrative adventure game to plug the time between now and the final Walking Dead season or the new Life is Strange, Big Bad Wolf and Focus Home Interactive have you covered, as they’ve just announced The Council.
Taking place in 1793, which sources tell us is in the past, you take on the role of Louis de Richet, a member of a secret society who is attending a fancy soirée on an island off the coast of England held by one Lord Mortimer. Guests include the likes of Napoleon and George Washington, meaning this isn’t some smart casual affair. However, Richet’s own mother went missing on that island, and the guests all seem to have their own hidden agenda. It won’t be long before things begin to escalate out of control.
The main gimmick of The Council is the Social Influence system, which Focus Home describe on their website like so: “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.”
In practical terms, this will likely mean kissing the ass of egotistical characters or using a character’s hot headed nature against them to win confrontations. Essentially, don’t make jokes about Napoleon being small and you’ll be okay. Yes, I know he wasn’t actually small, but you get my point: don’t piss off Bonaparte.
Louis de Richet also boasts unique skills, which you can invest in to help you investigate the mysteries of The Council how you see fit. You could try to use diplomacy to get fellow guests to work together, or work on your best Hercule Poirot impression and start looking for clues around the island.
The Council is aiming to blend the tried and tested method of episodic narrative adventure with what appears to be some new, almost RPG-like elements. Here’s hoping the skills in question actually help change the adventure in meaningful ways, as that would give The Council massive replayability. Plus, the late 18th Century setting alone should give the game enough to stand out from the pack.
Episode 1 “The Mad Ones” launches in February. What do you think about The Council? Watch the trailer and leave a comment below.
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