THE COUNCIL: EPISODE 2 —HIDE AND SEEK Review for PlayStation 4

After an engaging first episode, round two is a bit of a letdown. THE COUNCIL: EPISODE 2 —HIDE AND SEEK loses the pace that the first installment set up so well.

Unlike the challenging, yet fairly swift puzzles we experienced in The Mad Ones, episode two falls short. Puzzles are tedious and drone on for far too long for far too little reward. Filtering through random sections of biblical text sends you back to Catholic school more than moves the story along. These sorts of puzzles lack direction and instead of weaving a deeper layer into the storyline, they seem like busy work as you click on options and wait far too long for Luis de Richet to stop talking. Very seldom do I encourage the use of walkthroughs to get through a game, but for these puzzles I deem it necessary unless you want to spend an hour on getting less than a handful of clues.

THE COUNCIL: EPISODE 2—HIDE AND SEEK has lost its footing in figuring out what exactly it wants to be. It is easy to get stuck in this episode—literally and metaphorically. The lack of direction within your specific tasks makes for a frustratingly slow progression through this episode. Example: ’Find clues about your mother’s disappearance,’ is a broad task—yet, even after you have examined every painting and read every letter, you are still locked in the room you came to explore. Something, somewhere, is waiting for discovery, but don’t expect any help from the narrative. This was the most frustrating part of gameplay for me. What I most appreciated about the first episode was the logical way that decisions and discoveries string together. Not too far into episode two, I found myself scratching my head, failing to see how reciting verses from Genesis to Revelations brought me any closer to figuring out the mystery of the disappearing mother—and this is from someone who went to Catholic school. The clues appear to be more wedged into random pages than actually aligned with the text. I love a good puzzle, and episode one produced such excellent brain teasers, but episode two instead serves needles in haystacks. These are the moments I advise consulting a guide from someone who has made it through.

Like the first episode, HIDE AND SEEK has plenty of options when interacting with other characters and objects, but unlike its predecessor, all options have to be exhausted to lead to the same place. The upside is that you have more opportunities to engage characters that were screen filler in the first episode. My favorite example of this: the masked servant transforms into an excellent resource for gameplay enhancing items. Be rewarded for sharpening your manipulation skills on him!

I expected better from THE COUNCIL: EPISODE 2—HIDE AND SEEK. The series has a great deal of potential. It is because of this that I am willing to give the developers the benefit of the doubt and chalk it up to ‘the sophomore slump,’ but the next installment needs to return to its roots.

Rating: 5/10

Watch The Council Episode 2: Hide and Seek Launch Trailer:

The Council Episode 1 is now available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.

Related: The Council Episode 1 Review for PlayStation 4