A Plague Tale: Requiem series has always reminded me of Uncharted, which I didn’t expect. But since Uncharted, I haven’t been so fascinated by a work, an adventure, that I linger in places longer just to not let them end. Since the Uncharted game, I haven’t seen so many spectacular sights in so many spectacular places that I never imagined before. As it turns out, Requiem is a game about uncovering lost legends and their secrets. This is a treasure hunt. Only here is the treasure you are looking for a cure.
A Plague Tale is a series inextricably linked to the plague, the Black Death that ravaged Europe in the 14th century, apparently killing as many as 200 million people. This is the plague, infamously, spread by rats. As such, A Plague Tale is also a series about mice — both fantastic and creepy.
More specifically, it’s a series about a little boy named Hugo who has something called a macula in his body, a supernatural connection to mice. It’s the kind of bond that people try to exploit and control – powerful people in powerful, shady commands – if you, his teenage sister Amicia, don’t find a cure, that bond also will kill him.
That’s how Requiem – much like A Plague Tale: Innocence 2019 – began. For a while, things calm down and you, Hugo, your mother and her apprentice apothecary, Lucas, head to a new city to start a new life. But it doesn’t take long for you to run into trouble again and find yourself being hunted down again by murderous adults. Then came the rats and the plague. All of a sudden you’re surrounded by death and disgusting blood, and you’re really caught up in it.
As before, the exact details of the game are hidden. This isn’t a reckless gunfight game like Uncharted, it’s about carefully traversing areas while taking down an enemy or two (and sometimes more) that get in your way. But you don’t knock them down like you would in another stealth game – there’s a stealth knockdown but it’s very situational and loud, so it’s not used very often.
That’s because you, Amicia, are a teenager, and the game keeps reminding you that you can’t easily beat an adult soldier from head to toe in combat. Instead, the main tool you’ll be using is the trusty sling, throwing rocks at them – killing enemies without helmets – or creating distractions.
Amicia’s family’s background in herbal medicine also means that she can create special kinds of ammunition that can be used to light or extinguish them or attract rats. Why would she do this? Because the rat can work as much as possible for you. Light is key: stay in a well-lit area, whether in the sun or a fire, and mice won’t come near you.This means that if you extinguish the enemy’s torch, the rat will go find them.
Requiem has gone a step further with several new tools. The most powerful of these is the crossbow, which is a downright killer as long as the enemy is unarmored. But bolts are rare. You also now have companions, some of whom, like soldiers, will fight and kill for you. Meanwhile, Hugo has direct control over swarms of mice. So peers are very helpful. But they won’t be with you all the time. Think of them more as variants rather than tools that are gradually layered.
This is the hidden side of the game that I care most about. I found it frustrating in recent preview builds of the game when I was dying over and over. It’s too rigid for me and too fond of punishing me when I’m not doing what it wants me to do. The game is most annoying when the enemy spots you and warns all other enemies in the area, making you either sprint desperately hoping you can find an exit from the scene, or make an amazing counter-attack (you can stab the enemy, but It will use up a knife, knives are rare). But a lot of times, this ends up piling up, and when an enemy attacks and eventually kills you, you’re locked in place with a forced animation. A lot of times, it feels like once you’re spotted by more than one enemy, you’re dead. Two or three sections in particular, I didn’t write well in my notebook, to put it mildly.
But after playing the full game, I’ve softened a bit. One reason is that I have a better understanding of the options offered to me here, and there is usually always something you can do in a pinch. There’s also more leniency in the formula than I realize. For example, you have a buffer period before the enemy properly notices and catches up to you, and it’s actually possible to run away and hide again. With that in mind, it’s much easier to enjoy stealthy battlefields and curious enemies who can climb under tables and watch the long grass.
Another reason is that throughout the game, there are far more changes in Innocence than before, which means you get more reprieve from stealth. Chapters usually contain just one, maybe two, stealth sections, then revolve around some puzzling (often involving manipulating mice), some exploration and dialogue, and then some very impressive endless run-style climax where you flee Doomsday rat torrent.
This structure also provides more room for the stronger parts of Requiem: the scenery, the story, and the characters that drive it. The companions in particular are fantastic – well rounded, credible and well behaved.I especially like the inclination of games no Overacted and swept up in melodrama. And the undisputed champion, who is also the star of the show, is Amicia, the game’s adherent. Charlotte McBurney’s wide-ranging performance, while managing to remain endearing and compassionate, is impressive. And she was only 20 years old. I hope she can be recognized for that.
It was in Amicia’s intense love for Hugo, and their attachment to each other in a world that separated them and even killed them, that Requiem was struck most powerfully. Amicia’s desperate attempt to save Hugo underlines everything. You are the protagonists, but are you doing it right?
You can feel the game questioning you, questioning your actions. Really, Innocence is a game about escape and hiding, perhaps as the title suggests. But Requiem has a more vengeful side, where you feel the consequences of your killing as your companions are shocked or even ostracized by you. This is a deep and moving exploration of love and fear.
It gives the game a substance that lasts long after its spectacle. It’s spectacular. Asobo’s insight into period details is captivating, whether it’s on crumbling masonry buildings or worn clothes, or simply recreating everyday life in 14th-century France in front of you. It combines dramatic weather effects, massive landscapes and sets – and an incredible array of atmospheric sound effects and music – to create stunning results.
All of this comes together into a beautiful quality package, and a game that stands side by side with the game’s other cinematic spectacle giants. Simply put, Requiem is one of the best adventures out there.
