The Council of Hanwell

About

The Council of Hanwell is a single player action adventure game with a horror theme. It was developed by Steel Arts and was released on March 14, 2018. It received neutral reviews from players.

Discover the secrets of the terrifying major locations in Hanwell and make your way to The Council in this story driven psychological horror. Come face to face with your worst nightmares and confront the enigmatic man known as The Doctor.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

55%

Audience ScoreBased on 31 reviews

graphics6 positive mentions

gameplay3 negative mentions

The game features impressive, visually appealing graphics that enhance the horror atmosphere, with comparisons made to Resident Evil 7 and Outlast.
It delivers effective jump scares and a creepy, moody atmosphere that kept players engaged and on edge.
The linear structure and removal of open-world elements make the game more accessible and straightforward, appealing to those preferring a shorter, story-focused experience.

The combat system is poorly designed, with unclear hit detection, frustrating final boss fights, and mechanics that impede gameplay such as enemy push effects.
There is no save feature, forcing players to restart levels if they quit mid-episode, which causes frustration especially during backtracking or longer levels.
Technical and design flaws including slow player movement, annoying flashlight mechanics with long recharge times, lack of key rebinding options, and predictable jump scares reduce the overall quality and enjoyment.

story
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
68%
16%
The story is generally described as vague, nonsensical, and lacking clear motivation, with minimal plot development due to a shift from open-world exploration to a more linear structure. However, the narrative is supported by decent voice acting and an eerie atmosphere, making it somewhat engaging for fans of classic horror. Some players appreciate the more focused storyline in this version, though many find it hard to follow or uninteresting.
- “This version gives you all the major story parts and is set up in a more linear experience but it is a noticeable improvement.”
- “It's been a while since this game was released, but just as 'Council of...' was a noticeable improvement to 'Welcome to...,' I am pretty confident that all they learned will go into 'Hanwell 2.' I'm excited to see what happens, and recommend those interested in the storyline try this version of the original game.”
- “In this to-the-point release, players are ushered through the six 'major' locations of Hanwell, cutting out all of the open-world elements of its predecessor in favor of a more linear, story-driven focus.”
- “There is no plot and it is so boring.”
- “The story is also pretty nonsense and hard to follow, and your motives are bizarre.”
- “Unfortunately, with much of the open-world exploration cut out, so is much of the story.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
10%
30%
The game's graphics are widely praised for their quality, with some comparisons to photorealistic visuals seen in titles like Resident Evil 7 and Outlast. However, the resolution options are oddly limited, restricting customization despite having impressive graphical fidelity. Overall, the visuals significantly enhance the horror experience, though some settings lack flexibility.
- “The most impressive thing about The Council of Hanwell is its graphics, which are deeply enjoyable and border the photorealistic quality seen in Resident Evil 7.”
- “This game was an absolute treat; it definitely checks all the boxes I'm looking for in these types of horror survival games. The visuals are really good too.”
- “Graphically, in my opinion, it looks very good.”
- “While the graphics look okay, the developer weirdly decided to lock the number of resolution options available. If you have a modern GPU, you'll probably get a bunch of superresolution options (rendering the game at higher than your monitor's resolution) as the only choices because the developer removed the ability to scroll through all resolutions.”
- “Only graphic settings could be changed, which is unfortunate since I had to manually adjust sound and mouse sensitivity on my own through software settings.”
- “Almost comparable to the graphics in Outlast but not quite the same.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
38%
49%
13%
The game delivers a strong, eerie atmosphere enhanced by decent voice acting and effective sound design that creates suspenseful and thrilling moments. While some repetitive elements can detract from the experience, the overall mood remains moody and creepy, successfully keeping players engaged.
- “While this game is not a triple-A title by any means, it has an intense atmosphere that will leave you on the edge of your seat.”
- “Game feels a bit unfinished, but still quite atmospheric with good music and voice.”
- “The story is pretty much nonsensical but the voice acting isn't bad and it has a moody, creepy atmosphere.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The gameplay primarily revolves around finding keys and codes to unlock doors and safes, with an emphasis on collection tasks. However, the combat system feels weak and poorly integrated, and certain mechanics like enemy pushbacks and the flashlight are considered frustrating and poorly designed. Overall, gameplay is moderately enjoyable but hampered by repetitive objectives and annoying mechanics.
- “Gameplay is mostly enjoyable but all levels require stuff to be collected/passwords gained.”
- “Oh btw those enemies could teleport too, which is not that bad, but their abilities that push you away are literally a very, very, very badly designed game mechanic because it impedes gameplay.”
- “If there's one thing I hate, it's dumb flashlight mechanics, horror game or not.”
- “The gameplay is finding keys or codes and using them to open doors and safes.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The music in the game is praised for enhancing the atmosphere and complementing the jump scares, with good sound design overall. However, some users find the music a bit too loud at times.
- “The sound design and music are very nice.”
- “Game feels a bit unfinished, but still quite atmospheric with good music and voice.”
- “Played a little over three hours on the game and enjoyed the jump scares and music.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is compromised by several game-breaking glitches, leading to a buggy experience. While some users find value in the content, significant improvements and bug fixes are needed for smoother gameplay.
- “It's a bit buggy but I paid 79 cents for it and got 3 hours out of it.”
- “Improve the combat (which is trash) and fix some of the game-breaking glitches.”