A Plague Tale: Requiem
Release date: 17 October 2022
A Plague Tale: Requiem is a follow up to the critically acclaimed A Plague Tale: Innocence (if you’ve never played the first one, we highly recommend doing so before trying the sequel – players may otherwise find the story fairly confusing). Based on its introduction and opening sequence, this game is definitely a slow-burner – and one which requires definite patience from players not used to this narrative style.
The game is set in an alternate-history version of 14th Century France, particularly during the Hundred Year War.
The opening mission introduces us to Amicia and Hugo through a fun hide-and-seek mission. Seemingly innocent (for the purposes of the story), what comes next is a thrilling adventure of using your environment, puzzle solving, relationship building with your companions and avoiding danger.
At its core, this is a Horror-Survival game which relies heavy on creating bonds with your various NPC companions. Personally, we grew to love the relationship between Amicia and Lucas – their ability to work together to overcome many of the games obstacles is but one example of the importance of said bonds. In fact, this was done in such a way, that it draws comparisons with the Uncharted series – it’s great to know that puzzle solving can still play a crucial role in modern gaming, and it’s one thing which (we feel) has been missing from recent titles.
Our lead character, Amicia, is bag of mixed emotions (then again, aren’t we all?) – and this is what makes her great. Whether being cautious, sensitive, filled with anger or rage (although the latter don’t play out so well), there’s an element of relatability to her, which lends itself well to the immersion-factor of the game. Taking control of her can be frustrating at times (Amicia has a habit of biting off more than she can chew – her health bar is agonizingly low), and players may find themselves replaying combat moments more often than they’d like.
The game does, however, feature one of the best skill trees presented by a video game in modern times. Rather than follow the conventional formula of letting players pick upgrades at random, it learns and adapts to your playstyle to do this for you. Stealthy players, for example, will see those skills automatically grow and evolve. Likewise, those who prefer a more head-on combat approach will soon find their upgrades adapting accordingly (although, it must be said – the low health of our protagonist DEFINITELY makes us recommend a Stealthy approach). That being said, there is room for improvement on the Stealth mechanics – but it’s more than enough to keep you coming back for more.
In terms of weaponry, Amicia carries a slingshot and crossbow to assist her – but in-game ammo is VERY limited, so use it wisely. Whilst you are able to craft your own ammunition from resources found in chests, this never feels like enough to adequately equip you for high-combat scenarios.
Overall, if you’re looking for a game that challenges you, forces players to think outside the box, requires variety in combat and just looks good, you’re in luck (plus, the story mode truly pulls at your heartstrings). Plague Tale: Requiem may be exactly what you’re looking for – although we still recommend trying the Prequel first.
Review written by @TheIdiotsGuideToGaming