The Emperor's Own: Alpha Teaser
The Emperor’s Own is a story-driven adventure game with RPG elements, set in an alternate universe, inspired by the Russian Empire at the dawn of the 19th century. It features multi-dimensional characters, difficult moral dilemmas, and a mature, branching narrative.
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The Council on Steam
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Experience a Narrative Adventure where your choices and character growth truly matter. As a member of a 1793 secret society, live a tale of intrigue and manipulation on the hunt for your missing mother.
The Council is a choices matter, adventure and rpg game
developed by Big Bad Wolf
and published by Focus Entertainment.
Released on March 13th 2018 is available on Windows, Steam Deck and Steam Machine
in 6 languages: English, French, German, Spanish - Spain, Russian and Italian.
It has received 5,744 reviews of which 4,768 were positive and 976 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.1 out of 10. 😎
The game is free to play on Steam.
The Steam community has classified The Council into these genres:
Choices Matter
Adventure
RPG
Story Rich
Detective
Mystery
Puzzle
Historical
Singleplayer
Episodic
Atmospheric
Choose Your Own Adventure
Multiple Endings
Horror
Conspiracy
Third Person
Violent
Point & Click
Here is the detailed breakdown of supported languages for The Council:
| UI | Subtitle | Audio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | |||
| German | |||
| French | |||
| Italian | |||
| Spanish - Spain | |||
| Russian |
Media & Screenshots
Get an in-depth look at The Council through various videos and screenshots.
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System requirements
These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.
Windows
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
- OS *: Windows 7/8/10 (64-bit)
- Processor: Intel Core i3-2125 (3.3 GHz)/AMD FX-4100 (3.6 GHz)
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: 1 GB, GeForce GTX 750/Radeon R7 360
- Storage: 15 GB available space
- Additional Notes: INTERNET CONNECTION REQUIRED FOR GAME ACTIVATION
Steam Price & Best Deals
User reviews & Ratings
Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.
The Council starts out as a genuinely intriguing historical mystery. I started with the first free chapter and was really hooked so I bought the rest. The first three episodes are easily the highlight - navigating political intrigue, investigating the island, and chatting with figures like Napoleon and Washington felt fresh, and turning dialogue and observation into the core "combat" system is a great concept. The sequence where you follow and reconstruct Lord Holm’s memories was also visually fantastic and fit the narrative perfectly. Unfortunately, the game loses its identity. It sets itself up as a grounded historical mystery, but then pivots hard into heavy biblical themes, demons, and possessions. The middle act gets bogged down in dry, conventional religious tropes, and if it wanted to go full supernatural, it should have committed to that vibe from the start instead of getting stuck in the mud. The social mechanics also feel underutilized - if I put points into Science or Detective skills, why can't I actually conduct proper interrogations or use basic forensic methods? Choices matter to a point, but characters rarely react to your decisions in a lasting way; someone might hate you after a huge fallout, only to act like nothing happened two chapters later. Also, I picked up coins the entire game and still have no idea what the point was. The voice acting ranges from great to serviceable, but the story shift, repetitive mid-game, and half-baked mechanics hold it back. Grab it on a steep discount for the strong opening chapters, but be prepared for a rocky finish.
This was an impressive mystery, it didn't just make me solve murders it made me wrestle with political situations, ethics and psychology of all characters present. I got what I believe to be the "neutral-good ending" I could have got the best ending if there wasn't so many situations that confused me so much! I could not pick up on parts of what the game was telling me and I only realised what was going on near the end when it became much more obvious. I do like the fact the game recognises we're not all perfect puzzle solvers and you can get to the end of the game without being forced to refer to a walkthrough. As a result I felt much more happier when I reached the end despite the mistakes I made, sure I could replay the game perfectly now I know the twists, but it was actually more amusing to let it play out the way it did. There are some twists in this game that I think that Frogwares may have been inspired by as this is an old game, though Focus Interactive I believe are related to this company which would explain some strange elements that I noticed were similar to how the Sherlock Holmes games would play. I think this was a brilliant game if not held back by it's pacing, the game has a lot of backtracking and it can get really frustrating at the end when you just want to figure out what all this was leading to. I really liked this game for it's horror-esk elements mixed in with Greek Mythology and political commentary. Much like Disco Elysium it knows when to use RPG mechanics to make the story elements feel life-like rather than linear driven. I'm not going to pretend it's perfect, but never the less I appreciate how much effort was put into the sequencing of events... it felt cinematic, creative and really tied in to parts of what I like about detective games. If I were to recommend this to anyone it will be to someone that has patience, maybe some hot chocolate and someone that does not mind puzzle solving. It can get quite obnoxious in certain parts where it forces you outright to solve mysteries to progress but in the end, it makes for an interesting story, fun premise and unique approach to typical detective games I've played. If you like the Sherlock Holmes games, you'll find this surprisingly well made despite how long it takes to beat.
I loved and hated this game at the same time! I loved the setup, the vibes, soundtracks, the story and the characters. As a person who loves playing games where choices matter I really loved the system behind it! It’s not comparable to any other game of the genre I played yet. The graphics are ok if you keep in mind that it’s a game released in 2018. If you like history (and have knowledge about it) and also like art and religious topics, this game will be fun for you! To me it was hard at times as I‘m not really into those topics in real life. The store page says, that the interface is available in other languages besides english, but there was no option to chance the language at all. For a person which is no native english speaker and who is only able to understand basic english the content of this game will be really hard to understand. I can recommend to give this game a try and play the free first episode. If you like it, you should buy the game on sale! The first 3 episodes turned out to be the way I imagined them after seeing the trailers and reading the discription, but episode 4 and 5 are going into another direction which might disappoint most of the players because they simply expect something else, or better said expect the game to keep on going in the style of the first 3 episodes. I personally liked the last 2 episodes too, even though I didn’t expect that outcome.
I love history, secret societies, political intrigue, and mysteries - and this game brings all of that together in perfect balance. The characters are incredibly well-written and multi-layered. Each one has their own motives, secrets, and hidden agendas. As the story unfolds, you realize you can’t fully trust anyone, and that creates an amazing sense of tension. The dialogues are a true highlight: they’re not just about picking lines, but about engaging in real intellectual duels. The puzzles are genuinely interesting. They’re not there just for the sake of it - they make you think, analyze documents, and connect the dots. You truly feel like a participant in an 18th-century conspiracy rather than just an observer. The atmosphere of a secret society is conveyed brilliantly - closed-door meetings, influential historical figures, power struggles, and manipulation. The game skillfully plays with themes of conspiracy and alternative history without becoming absurd. If you enjoy detective stories, political intrigue, and the feeling of uncovering something ancient and forbidden, The Council is absolutely worth playing. For me personally, it’s a rare example of a game where story and intellect matter more than action - and that’s exactly why I value it so highly. This game is exactly the kind of game that went straight to my heart.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, The Council is free to play on Steam.
The Council is not on sale because is already free to play on Steam.
Yes, The Council received 4,768 positive votes out of a total of 5,744 achieving a rating of 8.06.
😎
The Council was developed by Big Bad Wolf and published by Focus Entertainment.
Yes, The Council is playable and fully supported on Windows.
No, The Council is not playable on MacOS.
No, The Council is not playable on Linux.
Yes, The Council is playable on Steam Deck, though it might require a few minor tweaks. Make sure to check the Steam store page and community feedback on ProtonDB for exact compatibility details.
Yes, The Council is playable on Steam Machine, though it might require a few minor tweaks. Make sure to check the Steam store page and community feedback on ProtonDB for exact compatibility details.
No, The Council does not support VR.
The Council is a single-player game.
Yes, there are 4 DLCs available for The Council. Explore additional content available for The Council on Steam.
No, The Council does not support mods via Steam Workshop.
Yes, The Council supports Remote Play on TV. Discover more about Steam Remote Play.
Yes, The Council is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.
You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for The Council.
Data sources
The information presented on this page is sourced from reliable APIs to ensure accuracy and relevance. We utilize the Steam API to gather data on game details, including titles, descriptions, prices, and user reviews. This allows us to provide you with the most up-to-date information directly from the Steam platform.
Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.
Last Updates| Steam data | 15 October 2026 20:56 UTC |
|---|---|
| SteamSpy data | 26 October 2026 20:11 UTC |
| Steam price | 15 October 2026 20:56 UTC |
| Steam reviews | 20 October 2026 21:58 UTC |
If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about The Council, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.
- SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about The Council
- SteamCharts - Analysis of The Council concurrent players on Steam
- ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck The Council compatibility
Game modes
Features
Online players
18
Developer
Big Bad Wolf
Publisher
Focus Entertainment
Release
13 Mar 2018
Platforms
Remote Play
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