The Council Episode 3: Ripples
Game Reviews | Aug 13th, 2018
Platforms: Xbox One, PS4, Windows (Reviewed on Xbox One)
Developer: Big Bad Wolf
Publisher: Focus Home Interactive
Genre: Episodic Adventure/RPG
Rating: Mature (17+)
Website
Some strange things have been going on since your arrival on Lord Mortimer’s private island.
“Ripples” is the title of the third episode of the episodic RPG by Big Bad Wolf. It is a fitting title as the ripples of your choices in the earlier episodes lay the path for what happens next. Whose side do you take regarding the debates and arguments that have occurred so far? Who can you really trust? And can what your mother told you really be true and how is it possible?
In “Episode 2: Hide and Seek” the game took a turn from many of the fun, interesting and compelling aspects of the game such as the speech encounters and the ability to quickly read people. Episode 3 resumes those aspects all the while adding a layer of the supernatural and other worldly elements all with a heavy dose of puzzle solving.
There is a shocking revelation that is revealed about halfway through the episode that leads to a great cliffhanger that finds me already anxiously awaiting the next episode to find out how this tale will unfold. There is much more character growth as well as some surprising character twists to go with the major plot twist. Some of those that you once deemed allies and enemies may not be what they seem to be.
This added a layer of suspense when trying to deal with certain NPCs all the while invoking a foreboding lack of faith and trust in those you’ve befriended. Not only does this do well to move the story forward in an interesting manner but it also adds a new layer of depth to the game as you have to decide through your actions in game, the route that your character would take. Will you blindly follow the ally that you had so much in common with or were those haunting words from an enemy actually a cry for help? These layers of mystery highlight the excellent storytelling and only help to amplify what makes the Council so good so far in at least two out of three episodes.
It amazes and excites me that we are only three episodes into the five planned episodes so far and the Council has been able to engross me like it has. Secret council conspiracies have been around since the dawn of time, but the Council has been able to provide a fresh and interesting take on them since the first episode by adding a new dimension to its historical players like George Washington and John Adams. When you begin to see the clues of something unnatural playing a part in the Council’s actions, it makes it all the more intriguing and engrossing. The best part about it is that we still have two more episodes to go…and I can’t wait!!!
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