Screenshots & trailers
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (Metacritic) | – | 67 | 20 |
| Creator reviews (1 tracked) | – | 97 | 1 |
| All-time Steam reviews | – | – | 0 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Xbox store ratings | – | 67 | 52 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | – | – | 0 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 0 reviews sampled · 0 total reviews in window · weighted 0 up / 0 down · computed 5h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (14)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 60
“The overarching story of The Council remains as eerily enjoyable as before, but the tedious puzzles that drive Hide & Seek ignore what made the first chapter such a delight to play through.”
read full review ↗ - 75
- 74
“The Council Episode Two brings a lot to the excellent first episode, but some of its experiments don't pay out like they should have. The story is on point, but the puzzles needed a little more work.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“All in all, if you played and enjoyed Episode 1, you should nab Episode 2 whenever you can. It's got a little less dialog and a few more puzzles, but you're still growing into your character the entire time and delving deeper into the overall mystery. After all, you have one hell of a game of Hide and Seek to play!”
read full review ↗ - 55
“A lack of technical polish will likely be a persistent problem for The Council.”
read full review ↗ - 55
“After the strong start with The Mad Ones, I can’t help but feel disappointed with Hide and Seek.”
read full review ↗ - 80
“Despite a small handful of flaws, The Council Episode Two: Hide and Seek places an exclamation point on one of the cleverest narrative adventure games on the market.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“It’s not all bad for Hide and Seek, though, as it truly puts on an exciting, engrossing experience that The Mad Ones did before it. But for The Council to put itself back on course, it needs, and must, hammer out the technical issues holding back this unique episodic gaming title from flourishing.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Hide and Seek, second of five episodes of The Council, tells a better story and creates more suspense. Some game moments are frustrating and many technical issues are still there: in two months, the frame rate is worse and the game remained the same.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“The mix of story-driven game, history and RPG gameplay elements is working pretty well but The Council Episode 2 : Hide and Seek is never surprising nor impressive, for it is riveted to its base formula.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“The rollicking romp in a historical setting continues apace. This episode is a tad short though and is probably better value if you have the season pass.”
read full review ↗ - 85
“For a second time, the developers of The Council have proven that there’s life and spirit in Interactive Movie genre, making the most elaborately interactive entry the genre has seen. Of course, since this is only the second entry in a five-part series, players can expect it to end at a point designed to leave them desperate for more, and it does. The third installment can’t get here fast enough! ”
read full review ↗
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