A REMINDER OF WHAT WE LOST
Also for: Windows, Windows Apps, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Xbox Series
Why has everyone been so secretive about this masterpiece? Had
A Plague Tale: Requiem been released on the PS3 it probably would've
been celebrated as one of the finest story-driven experiences of all time. Granted, The Last of Us was first, and without that game to inspire it, Requiem would probably never
have seen the light of day. But the way this linear and cinematic concept can feel so fresh and clean in today's gaming landscape says something about our times.
It's a continuation of 2019:s A Plague Tale: Innocence, also created
by Asobo Studio, which was a good first entry. As Amicia de Rune, you
have to guide your little brother, Hugo, through the troubled times of
plague-stricken France in the mid-14th Century. The little kid is afflicted
by a strange blood disease, called the Macula, that is somehow connected to the plague itself.
This story details the origins of the disease, which seems to have come and
gone for centuries. The journey can essentially be described
as a medieval thriller.
The plague is quite a spectacle. Veritable floods of black rats erupt from the ground, protected by
the dark of night or the shadows of the underground, and devour everything in their path. Only light can make them go away. Wherever Hugo goes, they follow in his wake, increasing in numbers the worse
he feels. But it's not only the vermin - even the surroundings reflect the
state of Hugo's mind. It's heartbreaking to see the environments go from
springtime lush and green, to dark and lifeless the closer you get to the
end.
Hugo's importance makes him the target of religious fanatics, power-hungry
warlords and superstitious peasants. Amicia tries to protect him to the best
of her abilites. Other companions tag along for awhile, but are constantly
replaced as the story relentlessly brushes them aside. As Amicia, you have
your sling and, at a later stage, your crossbow as means to fend off
enemies. Alchemical ingredients combine to make explosives, tar or smelly
substances that can enhance your combat capabilities as well as create paths
through rat infestations.
What I'll remember most about A Plague Tale: Requiem is its writing. It is
poignant beyond belief. Amicia is among the best player characters I've ever
seen, totally up there with Joel Miller (The Last of Us) and Arthur Morgan
(Red Dead Redemption II), not least due to the voice performance of
Charlotte McBurnley. She acts with such authenticity and range that I
occasionally don't register that the facial animations don't always match
her emotions. And the same quality extends to the entire voice cast.
A Plague Tale: Innocence suffered the problem of Hugo being poorly written.
His temper tantrums and shenanigans got Amicia into quite a few bad
situations, which turned into frustrating gameplay segments. This took the
edge off the relationship between the siblings, and was detrimental to the
impact of the story. In Requiem this is infinitely improved. Hugo is a great
character who's still temperamental, but this time it's well motivated. By
the end I was moved almost to tears by all his endeavours.
Requiem contains supernatural elements, but is grounded in realism. This is
true of everything, from movement and combat to dialogue and character
psychology. Some players don't enjoy "slow" controls, but in this case they
feel natural. The story resembles an extended nightmare. It reminds me of
the Russian movie Come and See (1985), a shocking depiction of war,
and this is mirrored in the characters' behavior. A great burden weighs on
their shoulders. In one gameplay moment Amicia suffers a mental breakdown,
and it hits hard.
Combat is also painfully slow and realistic, adding to the stress of seeing a heavily armored soldier coming your way. Reloading your
crossbow or swinging your sling takes time. You need to look out for
opportunities to detonate explosive canisters or ways to stun enemy
soldiers. Only unarmored body parts are valid targets, so you might need to find ways to knock off armor parts. Both Amicia and the enemy
die in one hit, but on normal difficulty you automatically avoid one attack.
The next one kills, unless you survive a cooldown period.
But mostly you sneak around in tall grass or behind cover, planning,
thinking and observing. Chests contain alchemical ingredients and upgrade
materials for your weapons. The enemy AI isn't great, which might be called
a blessed glitch. Sometimes a soldier can get stuck on debris as he deviates
from his patrol route to investigate some distraction you made. Amicia
levels up automatically in three different categories, depending on your
gameplay - stealth, combat or alchemy.
The puzzles blend nicely with the story and game mechanics. Using your sling
or crossbow, you can cause temporary fires or lures that create pathways
through the visually impressive floods of rats. Overall, the gameplay has
improved a lot since the first game. Every area is big enough to warrant
some experimental problem solving and exploration. Hugo has a fascination
for birds, and I liked the kid so much that I went to great lengths to find
rare bird feather collectibles. Alas, I failed to find them all.
And as if all the above wasn't enough, the game is a technical marvel with environmental
design of the highest order. It ranks among the prettiest games on the PS5. The choirs
and strings of the soundtrack perfectly captures the dread of this place in
time. A careful attention to lighting raises the tension further. The
mental anguish of the characters is reflected in the gradual corruption of
the world. Everything looks unreal but feels painfully authentic, like any
nightmare should.
These days, when triple-A game development cycles range from six to eight
years, we need games like A Plague Tale: Requiem to remind us of what we
lost. After the success of the first game, it only took three years to
develop. They learned from their mistakes and expanded upon the original in all the right ways. The relatively small scope of the game allowed them to polish every part to perfection. It's still not a short game. It took me 19 hours to beat.
All aspects of the experience serve the story. Every second of gameplay
feels emotional, going from bliss to dread, from hope to despair. A Plague
Tale: Requiem doesn't exist for you to escape reality - it elevates it. When
certain side characters met their end, I caught myself screaming "No!" in
anguish. It can hardly be called "fun", because it's so much more powerful than
that.
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