The Council - Episode 5: Checkmate (PC) Review

What started as a crime mystery that had its feet placed firmly in the ground of orthology quickly entered the waters of ambiguity. Is there something magical going on in here? Is there a logical explanation for all the wacky (or just plain scary) things that happen all around the hero? Enter Episode 4 of The Council, where Louis de Richet learns the awful(?) truth. Yes, the existence of supernatural forces is real, those forces are pulling all the strings behind the scenes, and, as it turns out, he can now be a part of it all.

Few will bat an eye at the revelation, which says a lot at how the, otherwise intriguing, story of this episodic adventure has been handled. Simply put, few will care about what's going on here, about the various characters at hand, and, even worse, about the main protagonist, who, sadly, ends his journey exactly as he started: as a forgettable, walking collection of RPG-esque skills and stats.

Yes, Checkmate was doomed from the very beginning, as one final episode can't really save an array of disappointing mediocrity, no matter how enjoyable it is. At least, is it enjoyable? Well… it is, but it's also the final nail into The Council's coffin, as it doesn't show any signs of remorse for past sins. Graphics engine? Still not optimised. Character animation? At times more robotic than how it started. Puzzles? Still feel more like chores rather than riddles. Any button to skip cut-scenes in order to try different routes a bit faster? Not available, and it will likely never be.

As for what happens in here, without giving much away, Louis will have to help the man he chose to aid in the previous episode, mainly with a bunch of simplistic dialogue "duels," where your acquired skills won't really have to be put to use, then you will have to solve a tiny amount of unimpressive… "puzzles," and then you will end your journey, which, depending on past actions, will be different… but not as much as you expect it to be. In conclusion? Meh…