A Plague Tale: Requiem Review

A Plague Tale, the sequel to Asobo Studio's rat-infested game: Requiem, continues to raise the stakes and push our young heroes, Amicia and Hugo, through the trials of the 14th century, escaping the battlefields and to a ferocious pandemic that is spreading across the country. But more than that, the new game shows immense growth. It elevates the franchise while maintaining the simplicity and essence of the first game, only adding a new layer of depth and improving on everything that worked so well the first time around.

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A Plague Tale: Innocence was developed by Asobo Studio. It is a survival game set in medieval France during the Hundred Years' War and the Black Death, with folk horror elements. It follows the story of two siblings, Amicia and Hugo de Rune, and their desperate struggle to survive while trying to cure Hugo of his mysterious illness.

The game was published by Focus Entertainment in May 2019 and players quickly became invested in Hugo's story and the breathtaking world in which it is told. With its emotionally resonant storyline, combined with intense and interesting quests involving chase sequences and stealth sections, there is no doubt as to why the well-crafted stealth title became such a big hit.

Fans of the first game were curious about what happened to the siblings after the events of the first game, so when it was announced in June 2021 that there would be a sequel to the award-winning adventure A Plague Tale: Innocence, fans' excitement continued to grow. Now they finally have it and they all hope that A Plague Tale: Requiem is as grounded in reality as the original game was.

Let's take a look at both games and what people can expect when playing Amicia and Hugo's new adventure.

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A Plague Tale: Innocence – What happened in the first game?

In A Tale of the Plague: Innocence, we meet two siblings of noble birth living in Aquitaine at the start of the Hundred Years' War: Amicia, a young teenager whose father (Robert) taught her to hunt, and her little brother Hugo, ill since birth and separated from the rest of the estate while his mother (Béatrice) tries to find a cure. Because of this forced separation, they never really bonded with each other.

Their domain is soon invaded by the Inquisition, who seek out Hugo and massacre everyone in their path. Beatrice helps them escape and, before being killed, tasks Amicia with bringing Hugo to Laurentius, a doctor who may have a cure for her brother's illness. The siblings travel to the village where they learn that the Bite (Black Death) is spread by swarms of rats and that the Inquisition is looking for them, which means they must avoid the villagers.

When they find Laurentius, it turns out that he is sick from the bite. He begs Amicia to finish her mother's work and his house is soon invaded by rats, forcing the siblings and Lucas, Laurentius' apprentice, to leave. Together, they begin a journey to Umbridge Castle, an old castle that once belonged to Rune's family. Along the way, Lucas explains that their mother and Laurentius were trying to create an elixir that would alleviate Hugo's symptoms caused by the Prima Macula carried by his blood (an ancient supernatural curse that has lain dormant in certain noble bloodlines since the Plague of Justinian) and that the Grand Inquisitor of France, Vitalis Benevento, was seeking Hugo for the Prima Macula.

The two siblings are captured, but they manage to quickly escape with the help of Arthur and Mélie (twin thieves). Unfortunately, during their escape to Umbridge's Castle, Arthur is captured. Mélie decides to go and rescue her brother, while Amicia and Lucas continue to try to create the elixir that will help Hugo's curse.

It turns out that Lucas needs to get his hands on the Sanguinis Itinera (a banned book), so Amicia goes to collect the books from the university. She flees after the theft with the help of Rodric, a young blacksmith, and returns to the castle where she finds Mélie and Arthur, who has managed to free himself from her capture.

Arthur reveals to Amicia that his mother is still alive and she tells them that no one should tell Hugo, but his brother overhears the conversation and his anger causes his condition to deteriorate.

Lucas explains to Amicia that to carry out the research, create the elixir and help Hugo's rapidly worsening condition, they will need much more advanced laboratory equipment than what they have at the Chateau. Umbridge. Seeing no other option, they decide to return to Rune's domain.

Once they arrive, they begin searching for Beatrice's research and laboratory, which they eventually find in ancient Roman ruins. The elixir is eventually created and they give it to Hugo, who quickly recovers from most of his ailments.

His anger towards his sister pushes him to run away and join the Inquisition in the hope of finding his mother. Vitalis finally gets his hands on the young boy and injects himself with some of Hugo's blood so that he too can possess the power of the Prima Macula. Unfortunately for Vitalis, the elixir slowed his development.

Hugo escapes and continues looking for his mother, whom he eventually finds. She reveals to him that with Prima Macula in his blood, he received the power to control rats carrying the Black Death. The two men are captured before they can go any further and, to force Hugo's powers to fully awaken, Vitalis threatens Beatrice's life.

Meanwhile, we are sent back to Umbridge's Castle with Amicia and the others, all of whom are still looking for Hugo. A month later, the old castle is suddenly attacked by a brainwashed Hugo, with Nicholas and a horde of rats at his side. Nicholas kills Arthur then orders the young boy to kill Amicia, but she brings Hugo back to him and makes him reject the Inquisition. The two brothers then turn against Nicholas, Hugo letting the rats devour him before leaving to confront Vitalis and free their mother. As they head towards the Bastion, Rodric sacrifices himself to protect them.

When they arrive, Vitalis is waiting for them with an army of white rats that only he is capable of commanding. Together, Hugo and Amicia overpower him and eventually kill him.

After three days, the plague and rats are gone and life begins to return to normal. Unfortunately for the remaining members of Rune's family, people are wary of Hugo and his power. Even Mélie, who decides to move away from the group.

Amicia, Hugo, Lucas and Béatrice, suffering, set off in search of a new life.

A Plague Tale: Innocence ends on a sad, yet hopeful note, with Amicia and Hugo playing with each other as they ride into the distance, perfectly showing how close the siblings have bonded during the game.

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What is A Plague Tale: Requiem?

Cinematic trailer

The new trailer for A Plague Tale: Requiem begins with Lucas, Amicia and Hugo playing in the ruins of an old castle. The optimistic tone at the beginning quickly dips when people talk about isolating Hugo, and Amicia learns that her younger brother has been sentenced to death by the Prima Macula that he still carries in his blood.

We then see signs of the Bite returning and Lucas explains that it's not starting, but spreading. We are led to believe that Hugo is the one responsible, even if it is not intentional.

Amicia is determined to save her brother and believes that if she takes him to an island, she will find secrets there that will save him from his fate and return the world to normal once again.

We then see that the rats have indeed returned, but that they are no longer just small hordes that cover the floors and make areas difficult to cross. We now see them in surging waves, capable of destroying entire cities.

Amicia is clearly going to do everything she can to protect her brother, even kill, and Hugo is going to have to fight the destruction and utter devastation caused by his curse and the hordes of rats that come with it.

It will be an emotionally taxing roller coaster for both brothers and the players, and fans can't wait for the ride.

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The story

Six months after the events of A Plague Tale: Innocence, we are once again thrown into the world of Amicia and Hugo. In A Plague Tale: Requiem, they are both much better and have fun in the countryside playing with Lucas, who quickly excuses himself because he has to return to his studies. Amicia and Hugo continue to play together and meet a young boy named Tonin, who quickly leaves to help his brothers with their work.

They begin to explore the ruins of a castle but quickly encounter problems. Hugo tries to use his powers to save Amicia, but he is thrown into a dreamscape with a phoenix. He follows the bird to a source of water which heals him and removes the darkness that had begun to take over the world around him.

Hugo begins to fall ill again and becomes overwhelmed by his powers, bringing the rats and the destruction they brought with them, although this time they are more devastating than ever. They are told that Hugo will die because of the Prima Macula, but Amicia refuses to accept that this is the end of her brother, so the two set off on a journey to follow the calls of the island and discover a definitive cure for his ailments so that he can finally live a normal life.

They meet a few new characters along the way, some who betray their trust and others they don't really like, but they eventually become the most trustworthy as their adventures progress, and face off against forces of another world with their help.

In A Plague Tale: Requiem, Amicia must deal with the emotional trauma she endures from killing her enemies. She wants to harm the world that harms her brother and she is not afraid to do what it takes to make sure he survives this war.

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Old and new characters

Players will encounter many different characters during their journey through the violent world of A Plague Tale: Requiem and each of them is played by an incredible voice actor who does their best to bring the story to life. Some of them will quickly become friends, others will betray the main characters for the chance at a better life, and a few will end up surprising players with the turn they take.

Amicia de Rune (played by Charlotte McBurney) is the main character of both games. Trained to hunt by her father and having very little contact with her sick brother during their childhood, she is appointed protector of her brother and spends the entirety of the second game doing everything possible to ensure that Hugo survives his illness in the plague-ridden French countryside.

Hugo of Rune (played by Logan Hannan) is the deuteragonist of both games. It is about a young boy who has spent his entire life in isolation and who, as a result, knows almost nothing about the outside world, but who still enjoys traveling through it, far preferring external dangers to those within. ‘he had to endure. When his illness begins to worsen and threaten his entire existence, he and Amicia set off in search of an island that he believes can cure him.

Lucas (voiced by Kit Conner) was first Laurentius' apprentice and now Beatrice's apprentice. He spends a lot of time helping Amicia find a cure for her sick brother and becomes a good friend to both siblings.

Beatrice de Rune (voiced by Lucy Briggs-Owen) is the mother of Amicia and Hugo. She is an alchemist who married into the nobility and spends a lot of time trying to find a cure for her son's illness.

Arnaud (voice of Harry Myers) is a former knight. He leads a group of mercenaries during the Hundred Years' War. Amicia doesn't fully trust him at first, but he becomes a good friend in the end.

Sophia (voiced by Anna Demetriou) is a pirate leader who Amicia and Hugo befriend during their journey. She helps them bring Hugo to his island and looks for a way to get away from his pirate life.

They are accompanied by Victor (voice of Alistair Petrie), Emilie (voice of Ellie Heydon), Vaudin (voice of Anthony Bryne), Joseph (voice of Ruben Crow) and Milo (voice of Joplin Siptain).

Like the previous game, each character brings an interesting new dynamic to A Plague Tale: Requiem, as well as their own story. If players are crying over their favorite characters at the end of the game, it’s because the developers did their job well.

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The gameplay

In A Plague Tale: Requiem, you play as Amicia in the third person and face soldiers, mercenaries and rats. The experience is similar to A Plague Tale: Innocence, but the combat system has been expanded to include a variety of weapons. Amicia can now use her slingshot, as well as a knife and a crossbow to easily defeat her enemies. She also has a variety of tools and alchemical blends that allow her to overcome the environmental puzzles that come her way.

She will no longer die after a single hit and her stealth has been slightly improved. Players can learn skills and become more efficient in their preferred approach to the game. Those who prefer stealth can develop and improve their stealth skills, allowing them to more easily sneak past enemies and traverse different areas, while players who prefer a more lethal approach can improve their combat skills and eliminate enemies in different ways.

As in the previous game, rats again play an important role in the gameplay. They still have an aversion to light and Amicia is still able to manipulate rats and use them to her advantage, driving them away with light to solve puzzles and clear paths or luring them towards her enemies. Hugo's ability to control rats is also useful as he can command them to overwhelm an enemy and his connection to the plague allows him to use the “Echo” ability, through which he can discover the location of different enemies , even through walls.

Players can discover their own path through the different quests given to them and the new locations they encounter.

The story of Amicia and Hugo is heartbreaking. Both characters go on an emotional journey that leads them to difficult decisions and unfortunate losses. It’s beautiful to see the love of two siblings resist the indifference of the world around them.

Players will be able to take part in this breathtaking journey in 4K on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. A cloud version of A Plague Tale: Requiem will also be available for Nintendo Switch users.

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A Plague Tale: Requiem Game Review

There is something very close to The Last of Us in A Plague Tale: Requiem. Those who have played Sony's PlayStation exclusive will notice a feeling of familiarity here.

From the first chapter, we are immersed in a game of hide and seek with Amicia and Hugo de Rune in the context of France in 1349. It is a very intelligent way of introducing the characters and teaching players the game of hide and seek. Stealth survival needed to survive in the world. But like The Last of Us, just as you get used to the controls, the game takes a dark turn. You'll need to quickly use the skills you've just learned to survive threats from vermin, villagers, patrolling guards, and other dangerous situations. It's an apocalypse from another time, and instead of hordes of zombies, you have to face a sea of ​​deadly rats.

And that’s not where the similarities between the two horror games end. Both are rich in story, both are filled with puzzles, both require you to craft weapons and collect ammo, both have a way of drawing you into the menacing world, and both have endearing, sad characters who you can't help but feel compassion for – they are the life and soul of both titles. Additionally, like The Last of Us, Requiem focuses on how acts of violence changed and affected Amicia.

However, considering the different setting, different weapons, and Hugo's rat-controlling powers, A Plague Tale: Requiem isn't just a copy of The Last of Us.

If you like games that feel like movies, you'll feel at home here. The 18-hour campaign plays out like a well-produced television series, and Asobo displays his historical artistry with aplomb. Everything is alive and wherever the camera moves, the beauty is breathtaking or the settings are nightmarish. For good or ill, 14th century France seems very real. Asobo brought him back to life – the illness, the poverty, the dirt, the struggles and everything in between.

In short, A Plague Tale: Requiem is great. And while some may find the gameplay quite difficult and unforgiving, it makes up for the arduous challenges by rewarding players with a gorgeous soundtrack, realistic cutscenes, well-written dialogue, and a gripping narrative that you'll want to see through to the end. .