Big Bad Wolf has announced that its episodic and historically-focused narrative adventure game, The Council, will debut later this month.
Set long ago, The Council will drop us into the shoes of one Louis de Richet, who’s visiting Lord Mortimer’s island in order to figure out what happened to his mother. There, he’ll come face to face with some of history’s most notable characters, including Napoleon Bonaparte and the first President of the United States, George Washington. The game’s interesting guests will play a role in the character’s quest to discover his mother’s whereabouts, after she went missing on the island. They’ll all have their own agendas, too, as one would expect.
For more information, check out the following excerpts from The Council‘s press release, as well as its just released developer diary.
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.
The first episode of The Council, which is subtitled ‘The Mad Ones,’ will debut on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC on March 13th. The entire season will last five episodes, all of which are expected to release this year.