Video Game Review: Plagues Tale Innocence

As I jumped into a study on the Black Death, I needed not only a good book but also a good video game to dive into the historical epidemic. I discovered the game Plague Tale: Innocence (released in 2019) as a critically acclaimed video game set during this period. I had never heard of the game before, however saw that it had great reviews. Upon further research I learned that it was set in France and the graphics looked pretty impressive. The only catch was that it was not my preferred open-world format. However the emphasis on stealth and survival appealed to me as a core feature of the Assassin's Creed series. It took me about three weeks to beat the game, and I found it surprisingly quite entertaining. 

Historical Setting

The year is 1348 at the height of the Black Death in the rural region of France known as Aquitaine. The Hundred Years War between England and France is in it's Edwardian Phase as the English invade northern France. The young noble girl Amicia discovers the outbreak at her estate, which is carried by swarms of deadly rats. However the plot is much more complex than a simple escape from deadly rats. There is a larger enemy at work involving the French Inquisition. Amicia's brother, Hugo has a mysterious condition and for some reason the French Inquisition is hunting him. The inquisition soldiers kill Amicia's father and capture her mother leaving Amicia to flee with her brother.

Amicia and Hugo must then navigate thru the plague infested towns and countryside of southern France. They must not only circumvent the rats, but also avoid the deadly inquisition soldiers that are hunting them. Amicia later meets some friends along their journey including an alchemist apprentice named Luca, two young bandits named Melie and Arthur, and a blacksmith's apprentice named Rodric. The group of young kids work together to survive in this apocalyptic setting. They find refuge in an abandoned castle for awhile but it is eventually overrun by rats.

It is later revealed that Hugo has a magical power that can control rats, referred to as the Prima Macula (which dates back to the Plague of Justinian). Hugo is eventually captured by the Inquisition where he learns how to use his powers from his imprisoned mother. Hugo is eventually able to escape the Inquisition and reunite with Amicia and their friends. They launch a full on assault to the Inquisitors cathedral (which looks like Notre Dame and an abandoned Paris). Arthur and Rodric bravely die during the fighting. Amicia eventually faces the evil Grand Inquistor and defeats him with the help of his brother and mother.   

Game Format

As I mentioned this is not my preferred open-world format but more of a linear game structure. Although there was definitely some lack of freedom, the graphics were very impressive. The whole thing felt like watching an interactive movie with top quality cinematics. And it also had quite the element of thrill, shock, and sometimes disturbing horror. One might think that a game where kids are the heroes might be a little less gory, but that was not the case. Rats devour human beings, and the kills scenes were often quite vicious and unforgiving. The game was by no means meant for children, and I'd say it was very on the adult side.

As someone who usually prefers melee combat (sword-and-arrow), this game was very different. It was all about the stealth and puzzles. I suppose it was a nice change of pace, and something I was familiar with from the AC series or the many puzzles in Zelda. Amicia was by no means a common damsel-in-distress however. She was quite deadly with the slingshot as her primary weapon. She also gained new skills as the game went on including projectiles such as rocks, deadly gas, fire igniters, fire extinguishers, and even the ability to manipulate the rat (thru Hugo's powers). She was quite the courageous hero always holding on to her young brother, Hugo.  

Most of the stages seemed to alternate between puzzles escaping from the rats or stealth missions escaping from the inquisition guards. Each chapter was basically nonstop intensity for the characters. It would have been nice to explore a little more and maybe even do some trade but that was definitely not the case of this setting. This was an apocalyptic setting where Amicia and her friends were constantly on the go. There were items and resources to collect which could be used to upgrade her slingshot or inventory pouch. There were also collectables within the each stage (even though it was a limited map terrain). I always like a game that has proper resource/inventory management. 

Game Review

I think I put in about 20 hours into this game (which I know is nothing compare to the 100+ I put into Elden Ring, AC Shadows, or Kingdom Come Deliverance. It had a total of 17 chapters (stages) which was actually more than I had anticipated. I think I caught on fairly quickly with the gameplay and really came to admire the courage of Amicia. I also really enjoyed the historical setting and the story overall. I thought it was exciting how they turned the rats into these demonic monsters (a very creative and metaphoric way to describe the Black Death). Even though it was mostly humans spreading the sickness, the root of the plague came from rats and fleas. I also learned quite a lot about the Inquisition in general which seemed to be quite the villainous branch during the medieval age. 

I'd say for the most part the gameplay was fairly easy and I got thru each chapter without too much trouble. That is until the end. The game got extremely challenging at the final few segments. There were 3 parts in particular that took up the most time for me. One was a puzzle with Amicia and Arthur at their refuge castle, where we had to use fire cauldrons to escape the infestation. Then there was the stage with Rodric pushing the cart that I kept dying on. Also the final boss against the Grand Inquisitor was very difficult. It took me a while to get familiar with the chaos of these particular stages. The game would have been mostly a breeze had it not been for these final challenges that took up considerable time and frustration. I suppose however it's beating a hard challenge that makes the game all the more reward (such as with Elden Ring).  

Even though it was a limited world, the graphics were incredible. Each setting had amazing detail whether in afflicted French towns, the war-torn countryside, or abandoned churches and castles. It would have been great to truly explore this medieval region with a little more freedom. However it still provided me what I was after, which was a full immersion into the historical setting of the Black Death. I also enjoyed the fictional story, and the characters (especially the cute French accents of Amicia and Hugo). The whole game had quite the exhilarating and dark feel to it all, especially accentuated by it's eerie violin music. I actually bought both games at once, so I won't be wasting much time to dive into part 2: Plagues Tale Requiem.