Info about The Council:

Official game description:
  
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.

Release date: Mar 13, 2018

Categories: Narrative Adventure, Choice-based Narrative, Dialogue-based Puzzle Solving, Character Interaction, Historical Simulation, Puzzle, Dialogue-driven interactions, Story-driven Gameplay

Feature scans:
- Wiki: score 50; verdict: Needs Improvement in Game Design; summary: The analysis of user feedback reveals that a significant number of players rely on external walkthroughs and guides to navigate complex puzzles and mechanics in the game. This dependency on external data sources highlights issues with game design and puzzle difficulty, which can lead to frustration and a diminished gaming experience.
- Proton/Linux: score 10; verdict: Works Well; summary: The game exhibits performance issues, particularly with low FPS, which detracts from the user experience. There are no specific mentions of Linux or Proton compatibility issues in the provided reviews.
- Steam Deck: score 55; verdict: Tinkering Required; summary: The analysis of user feedback reveals several critical issues affecting the Steam Deck experience. Performance issues, particularly related to frame rate, are a significant concern. Additionally, bugs and glitches disrupt gameplay, and localization issues affect non-English speakers. UI/UX issues, such as small text size, also impact the overall user experience.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $1.50 - $25.00
  - Reasoning: The evidence shows that users find the game worth purchasing at sale prices around $1.50 to $4. Additionally, one user explicitly states that the game is worth the full price of 25€ due to its excellent quality. This suggests that while the game is highly valued at discounted prices, there is also a perceived value at a higher full price point.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: 17.0h
  - Story completion: 15.0h
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: The evidence provides direct statements about the time it took players to complete the game. The first quote mentions a playtime of around 15 hours for a detailed playthrough. The second quote indicates a playtime of just over 14 hours for one completed playthrough. The third quote suggests a playtime of 20 hours. These quotes collectively support the playtimeHours values provided.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: The game starts with some fun moments but quickly becomes tedious and suffers from pacing issues, leading to a drop in enjoyment over time.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: N/A
  - Time to anchor: 0h 0m
  - Friction: Pacing issues; Tedious puzzles; Poor voice acting; Repetitive gameplay
  - Unlock drivers: N/A
  - Conditions: N/A
- Player Archetypes:
  - Narrative Enthusiast (buy)
    - Motivation: Engaging narrative and social gameplay
    - Playstyle: Focuses on story progression and social interactions
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: narrative game fan; adventure game fan
    - Reference games: Life is Strange; Telltale Games
  - Completionist (sale)
    - Motivation: Achieving 100% completion and all achievements
    - Playstyle: Replays the game multiple times to explore all choices and outcomes
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: achievement hunter; completionist
    - Reference games: Life is Strange; Telltale Games
  - Mechanics Comparator (buy)
    - Motivation: Exploring and comparing game mechanics
    - Playstyle: Focuses on character customization and gameplay mechanics
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: game mechanics enthusiast; RPG fan
    - Reference games: Life is Strange; Telltale Games; Call of Cthulhu


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- Engaging and intricate plot (weight 0.7): The game features an interesting and well-written storyline with many plot twists, historical figures, and a rich, coherent narrative that keeps players engaged.
- Meaningful choices and consequences (weight 0.63): Players have a wide range of choices that significantly impact the story, relationships, alliances, and outcomes, adding depth and replayability to the game.
- Unique and immersive historical setting (weight 0.33): The game is set in a fascinating and detailed historical backdrop with unique characters and a strong historical and philosophical context.
- Challenging and creative puzzles (weight 0.3): Puzzles in the game are well-designed, starting simple and becoming more challenging, requiring thinking, analysis, and sometimes historical knowledge.
- Immersive atmosphere (weight 0.29): The game offers a great atmosphere with immersive environments, atmospheric architecture, and a compelling setting that draws players in.
- Excellent voice acting and audio (weight 0.24): The game boasts high-quality voice acting, a superb soundtrack, and overall great audio that enhances the immersive experience.
- Engaging and tense dialogues (weight 0.22): Dialogues in the game are substantial, meaningful, and engaging, often feeling like intellectual duels with many alternatives and consequences.
- Deep skill progression system (weight 0.21): The game features an elaborate skill system that adds depth and a unique plus to the genre, enhancing character development and gameplay.
- Well-developed characters (weight 0.21): Characters in the game are well-developed, with detailed character development and interesting historical figures.
- Enjoyable and entertaining experience (weight 0.17): Players find the game enjoyable and entertaining, with an engaging narrative and historical intrigue that keeps them invested.

Common complaints:
- Confusing and illogical story (weight 0.42): The story becomes confusing, illogical, and convoluted as it progresses. Characters behave inconsistently, and the plot can be difficult to follow, leading to a less enjoyable experience.
- Difficult and confusing puzzles (weight 0.38): Many players find the puzzles in the game to be overly difficult, non-intuitive, and sometimes frustrating. These puzzles often require specific cultural knowledge or guides to solve, making them tedious and time-consuming.
- Underwhelming and rushed ending (weight 0.36): The game's ending is frequently criticized for being disappointing, rushed, and unsatisfying. Players feel that it leaves many questions unanswered and does not provide a satisfying conclusion to the story.
- Outdated and poor animations (weight 0.28): The animations in the game are often described as stiff, dated, and lacking in quality. This can detract from the overall visual experience and immersion.
- Poor technical performance (weight 0.24): The game suffers from various technical issues, including poor optimization, low-quality textures, and bad performance. These issues can affect the overall gameplay experience.
- Poor voice acting and writing (weight 0.19): The voice acting and writing in the game are often described as poor, uninspired, and lacking in quality. This detracts from the overall immersion and enjoyment of the game.
- Inability to skip dialogues (weight 0.17): The game does not allow players to skip dialogues or animations, which can be frustrating, especially during replays. This lack of option can make the game feel slower and less enjoyable.
- Lack of subtitle language options (weight 0.11): The game lacks subtitle options in several languages, including Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish. This can make it less accessible to non-English speaking players.
- Decline in quality after first episode (weight 0.1): The game's quality and story decline significantly after the first episode. Players feel that the subsequent episodes do not live up to the standards set by the initial one.
- Weak later chapters (weight 0.1): The fourth and fifth chapters of the game are criticized for being weaker and less enjoyable compared to the first three chapters. Players find these chapters to be less engaging and of lower quality.
- Unbalanced and irrelevant skill system (weight 0.09): The skill system in the game is not well-refined and can be unbalanced. It may also become irrelevant as the game progresses, reducing its overall usefulness.

Gameplay feedback:
- Story-driven and choice-based gameplay (weight 0.64): The game emphasizes a narrative-driven experience with interactive storytelling and decision-making gameplay. Players engage in a suspenseful and atmospheric environment with multiple narrative paths and consequences.
- Impactful choices and consequences (weight 0.58): Player choices significantly impact the story, with decisions having lasting consequences and affecting interactions and outcomes. The game features many alternate choices and branching storylines.
- Episodic narrative adventure with RPG elements (weight 0.41): The game combines episodic storytelling with deep RPG mechanics, including investigation, decision-making, and point-and-click puzzles. It offers a mix of adventure, RPG, and narrative-driven gameplay.
- Skill system affecting dialogues and interactions (weight 0.4): A unique skill system influences dialogue choices and interactions, allowing players to open new dialogue paths and affect investigations. This system adds depth to character interactions and plot development.
- Historical and narrative-driven gameplay (weight 0.31): The game is set in a historical context with political intrigue and occult mystery, featuring narrative-driven gameplay with investigation mechanics. Players interact with historical figures and engage in intricate plots.
- Puzzle-solving mechanics (weight 0.29): The game features a variety of puzzles based on biblical and mythological themes, requiring players to gather clues and solve mysteries. These puzzles are integrated into the gameplay and exploration.

Performance notes:
- FPS and performance issues (weight 0.42): Many players report low FPS, performance issues, and lack of optimization. The game struggles to hold a stable frame rate, with frequent drops and inconsistencies.
- Technical issues and bugs (weight 0.25): There are numerous reports of technical issues, bugs, and glitches. These include clipping issues, minor glitches, and general bugginess.
- Poor graphics quality (weight 0.21): Players have noted low-quality textures, poor anti-aliasing, and overall poor graphics. There are also issues with rendering and visual bugs.
- Animation problems (weight 0.17): The game suffers from outdated and poor facial animations. Many players have pointed out issues with animations being lacking or of low quality.
- Interface and resolution issues (weight 0.06): There are reports of interface problems, resolution issues, and fullscreen scale problems.
- Loading times (weight 0.05): Players have experienced long and frequent loading times, which can disrupt the gaming experience.
- V-sync issues (weight 0.05): There are reports of V-sync glitches and issues with the V-sync option in the video settings.
- High system requirements (weight 0.05): The game has high system requirements, including fast PC requirements and high GPU usage.
- Lack of graphics settings (weight 0.03): Some players have noted the absence of graphics settings, which limits their ability to customize the visual experience.

Recommendations:
- Ideal for story-driven RPG fans (weight 0.33): This game is highly recommended for fans of interactive stories, detective games, and RPGs with a focus on dialogue and deep lore. It features complex plots, moral choices, and the ability to influence events, making it perfect for those who enjoy narrative depth and decision-making.
- Not for action or open-world seekers (weight 0.22): This game is not suitable for those seeking dynamic action or open-world gameplay. It focuses more on narrative and puzzles rather than fast-paced action or exploration.
- Great for detective and history enthusiasts (weight 0.2): The game is recommended for fans of detective stories, political intrigue, and historical settings. It includes elements of history, politics, and mysteries, making it ideal for those who enjoy tense detective stories and historical tales with a touch of mystery and occultism.
- Worth trying despite flaws (weight 0.17): The game is recommended despite its shortcomings and flaws. Many players find it worth trying, especially for its unique gameplay and story.
- Highly recommended by some (weight 0.1): Some reviews highly recommend the game to everyone without hesitation, calling it a hidden gem and even suggesting it as a Game of the Year candidate.
- Good value for money (weight 0.1): The game offers good value for money and is often available at deep discounts. It is recommended to buy on sale or wait for more chapters to be released.
- First episode is free (weight 0.07): The first episode of the game is free to try, making it easy for new players to get a taste of the game before committing to purchasing the full experience.
- Unique gaming experience (weight 0.03): The game is recommended for those seeking a unique gaming experience, combining elements of narrative depth, puzzles, and interactive storytelling.
- Not for achievement hunters (weight 0.03): The game is not recommended for achievement hunters, as it may not offer the type of challenges or rewards that appeal to this group of players.
- Backup saves suggested (weight 0.03): Players suggest making backup saves while playing the game, indicating that there may be points where progress could be lost or where decisions have significant consequences.

Other player notes:
- Pricing transparency needed (weight 0.03): Players are asking for more details regarding the pricing structure of the game.
- Ukrainian localization requested (weight 0.03): There is a demand for the game to be localized in Ukrainian to cater to a broader audience.

Emotions:
- Disappointment (weight 0.21): Players feel let down by the game's technical issues, such as performance problems, poor voice acting, and facial animations. The story quality declines significantly after the first few episodes, leading to an underwhelming ending and weak character development, which fails to meet the expectations set by the initial episodes.
- Frustration (weight 0.16): Players are frustrated with the game's technical issues, including performance problems, low FPS, and graphical rendering issues. The game's mechanics, such as frequent autosaves, difficult puzzles, and the inability to skip scenes, add to the frustration.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.13): Players enjoy the game's engaging story, interesting characters, and unique gameplay mechanics. The detective genre, historical aspects, and challenging puzzles contribute to a fun and enjoyable experience despite some flaws.
- Excitement (weight 0.11): Players are excited about the game's engaging story, unique gameplay mechanics, and interesting historical setting. The mix of political drama, detective elements, and moral dilemmas creates an immersive and captivating experience.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.09): Players are satisfied with the game's engaging story, unique gameplay mechanics, and impactful choices. The game's atmosphere, character interactions, and narrative depth contribute to a positive and satisfying experience.
- Admiration (weight 0.03): Players admire the game's unique setting, detailed environments, and complex narrative. The game's aesthetic, atmosphere, and unique RPG mechanics are particularly appreciated.
- Engagement (weight 0.03): Players are engaged by the game's captivating story, interesting characters, and complex narrative. The challenging puzzles and decision-making mechanics keep players immersed in the game.
- Enthusiasm (weight 0.03): Players are enthusiastic about the game's story, complexity, and unique mechanics. The game's challenges, replay value, and overall experience generate a high level of enthusiasm.
- Positive (weight 0.02): Players have a positive experience with the game's engaging story and gameplay mechanics. The game's depth, immersion, and high ratings in various aspects contribute to a positive overall impression.
- Appreciation (weight 0.01): Players appreciate the game's depth, complexity, and unique nature. The rich and coherent plot, well-written characters, and impactful choices are particularly valued.
- Interest (weight 0.01): Players are interested in the game's intriguing plot, historical setting, and complex puzzles. The combination of good narrative and interesting characters keeps players engaged.
- Happy (weight 0.01): Players are happy with the game's originality, beauty, and engaging story. The puzzles, historical themes, and investigation mechanics contribute to a joyful experience.
- Impressed (weight 0.01): Players are impressed by the game's depth, narrative richness, and unique mechanics. The setting, music, graphics, and story all contribute to a highly impressive experience.
- Engaged (weight 0.01): Players are engaged by the game's interesting narrative, character development, and storytelling. The story keeps players engaged from the start and pays off in the end.
- Excited (weight 0.01): Players are excited about the game's unique gameplay mechanics and interesting story. The combination of engaging narrative and mechanics generates a high level of excitement.
- Surprise (weight 0.01): Players are surprised by the game being better than anticipated. The captivating story and unique elements exceed expectations.
- Love (weight 0.01): Players love the game's unique and enjoyable experience, atmosphere, and music. The combination of these elements creates a deeply loved and memorable experience.}