The Council - Ep. 3: Ripples

Two months ago, when we last checked in with The Council, I was already starting to have serious doubts that the series had enough momentum to carry it through to the end. The second episode was a real drag, as it decided to push the mystery to the side in order to focus on a series of puzzles that were more frustrating than fun. The good news is that this third episode, Ripples, is a lot more compelling and goes a long way to right the ship. I still have my concerns, but this is everything the last episode should have been.

If you've been waiting for some concrete answers, then this is the episode for you. This is where we finally learn what the council is up to, what all the occult stuff was about and the status of the missing mother. In a lot of ways, this is the episode I needed to stay engaged, because it finally gives us a glimpse at the bigger picture and how we might fit into it. That's important, because so far Louis de Richet has felt a bit passive as a character, mostly just observing what more powerful people have been up to.

This episode revolves around the complicated politics of a land negotiation, which I promise you is a lot more interesting than it sounds. This really forces you to investigate each of the suspicious council members, constantly waiting for them to screw up or show their weakness. Finding ways to blackmail and manipulate these famous historical figures is most of what I like about this series, and Ripples didn't let me down. A majority of this episode's first two chapters focus on stealthy investigation and tense discussions.

This is a wise move, since the puzzles have largely been The Council's weakest link. For the most part, the brain-teasers are pushed to the very end, when we go on an illuminating scavenger hunt around the mansion. In some ways it's an excuse to revisit a lot of the locations from the last episode, but it also gives us a chance to see these hidden rooms and passages in a different light. There are some big revelations here, and I like that the game gives us some time to accept them before abruptly ending on a cliffhanger.

From a storytelling perspective, this has been the most intriguing episode yet. At the same time, it's also where things start to go off the rails. I found some of the more, shall we say, supernatural explanations to be just the right level of goofy, but I can see some being put off by this sudden swing. Part of my frustration with this series is that it has always felt too restrained, and this episode goes a long way to suggest that maybe we're in for a crazy, over-the-top final act. If that's where this is headed, then I can't wait to see what happens next.

Click For the Full Picture Archive

Although this episode still suffers from a lot of the same problems that plagued the first two parts, I am happy to report that one of my main criticisms has been addressed. At no point did the game put white text over a white background, which is something we saw a lot of in the last episode. It also felt like Ripples ran a bit smoother than previous episodes. It's still a little hard to get around the mansion, the gameplay is clunky, the graphics are hit or miss and the animation is a mess, but I certainly see improvements over episodes one and two.

One thing I need to call out is the voice acting. For the most part, I have gotten used to Louis' stiff delivery and the cartoonish accents coming from the supporting cast, but there's one voice in this episode that I couldn't get accept. The problem this game has is in the casting, especially when it comes to giving us voice actors who can sound old. The elderly characters here sound too young and lack any kind of authenticity, which is something that took me out of the moment every time. Their energy is also mismatched. The performances lack the kind of urgency you would expect from a situation like this, and if you're going to dive head first into goofy supernatural territory, then you're going to want the voice acting to match.

While I'm still a little iffy that The Council will be able to stick the landing, episode 3 quells some of my fears. This is a story-heavy episode that does an excellent job of answering a lot of the biggest questions, while simultaneously leaving us more confused. Best of all, the puzzles are fun here and I had a good time with the scavenger hunt. If the developers can work out some of the gameplay issues and the voice acting improves, then we'll be in for a real treat as The Council wraps up. Ripples is the best episode yet.