Video Game Review: A Plague Tale Requiem

So I bought both Plague Tale games in a bundled packet a couple months ago during my studies on the Black Death. After zipping thru the first one, I found this 2nd one (Plague Tale Requiem) to be a lot more challenging. However the setting, the music, the graphics, and the story are all just as amazing as the first game. Once again it maintains the same structure as the first one, with the key elements of stealth and puzzle solving. But there is a lot more action and fighting sequences in this one compared to Plague's Tale Innocence. In the first game it was kill a guard to get by, but in this game Amicia is much more aggressive and will fight 5 to 10 guards at a time. The setting of France mid-1300s is such a great dive that pairs nicely with my medieval phase. However this game also dives further into a fantasy element. Amicia's brother Hugo is losing grip with his power to control the rats which represent the bubonic plague. 

The Story

The setting is 1349 just six months after the events of the first game where Amicia was able to save her brother, Hugo. Together with her mother Beatrice and alchemist friend Lucas they discovered that Hugo possessed a unique connection to the rats, referred to as the Macula. It seems the rat infestation had settled down, however it re-awakens within Hugo after they are attacked by a band of raiders. Beatrice determines that they must treat Hugo to find a way to remove his Macula connection and control of the rats. They travel to a town in Provence, France to seek an alchemist specialist that may be able to cure Hugo. However the treatment goes bad and Hugo loses control and completely destroys the town with his summoning of the rats.

Beatrice then decides to take her children to Marseille, however the young heroic Amicia starts to disagree with her plans. Amicia has a closer connection with her brother Hugo and begins to listen to his recurring dreams of an island. She then decides to break away from her mother and take Hugo to this mysterious island of phoenixes known as La Cuna. Along the way they are disrupted by mercenary soldiers, however one in particular named Arnaud is able to save them. He makes a deal with Amicia and Hugo to help them reach La Cuna. He shows them to a smuggler gypsy named Sophia who agrees to sail them to the island of La Cuna.

Things get quite surreal on this island of La Cuna where it seems to be a cult-like society that has completely detached from the world. The islanders are led by Count Victor and his wife Emilie who worship a pagan child referred to as the Child of Embers. When Arnaud sees Victor he calls upon Hugo to summon the rats so that he can have vengeance on this wicked count who killed his son. However Amicia quickly stops her brother from wreaking havoc on the town and Arnuad is arrested. Amicia, Hugo, and Sophia then carry on exploring the island for answers on Hugo's condition. Eventually they make it into a heavily guarded temple where they discover the corpse of the Child of Embers who was once the Macula source of the Justinian Plague, which has now passed on to Hugo. 

Amicia, Hugo, and Sophia escape the temple after it is devoured by rats and make their way to the count's castle. There they reunite with Beatrice and Hugo who are both held captive by the wicked Count Victor. At this point Count Victor and Emilie reveal their motives to adopt Hugo as their new Child of Embers and kill Beatrice as a sacrifice. A fight ensues and once again Hugo summons his rat army to devour the castle and kill Count Emilie. Amicia is then able to save Arnuad, and they regroup with Sophia and Lucas to escape from the island. However Count Victor chases them on sea and rams into their boat. Another fight ensues where Arnuad bravely sacrifices himself, so Amicia can kill Count Victor. 

Hugo however has finally taken matters into his own hands, thinking his sister is dead. He accepts his role as the Macula and completely unleashes his full power on the world. Amicia, Lucas, and Sophia journey to Marseille where Hugo has completely destroyed the city with his powers (symbolically representing the spread of the Black Death). Amicia eventually accepts with the spiritual guidance of her brother Hugo, that the only way to stop the Macula is to kill her brother. She journeys with Lucas to the core of the Macula, where she finds her brother and kills him with her slingshot. A year later it appears the plague has ended and Amicia looks upon the gravestone of her brother. A sad ending but also a resolution to the pandemic.   

The Review

The gameplay was fairly similar to the previous one, linear in movement. However there are certain areas, such as the island of La Cuna where Amicia and Hugo have a little more free reign to explore. She carries her preferred weapon of the slingshot with the add-ons of flame, extinguisher, tar, and odoris (which distracts the rats). However she acquires some new weapons in a dagger (which gives her a melee chance to defend herself) but also the crossbow. The crossbow becomes the new weapon of choice in this game, ideal for killing soldiers, however the arrows are scarce to come across. There are also various degrees of armored soldiers that require additional gimmicks to properly kill them. Some of the battle sequences require running, scavenging, taking cover, and firing at the given moment. This new format had an exciting rush to it, similar to open world battles. While there were some moments of peace it was for the most part non-stop intensity. 

I definitely felt this game was much more on the fantasy side then the previous one. While set in a historical medieval period, Hugo is losing grip on reality. The majority of the game takes place on this cult island of La Cuna that seems other-worldly. Instead of a plague, everyone is hiding from a monster (which is the infestation of the rats). I guess this is a creative and symbolic way to display the terrible plague that killed 50 million. I also enjoyed the reference to the Justinian Plague of 541-549 as well as visiting a ruined Marseille. I would have preferred a little more historical or factual details, but still an incredible setting.    

I think the real appeal of this game series is the writing. Just like in the first game, this truly feels like watching an interactive movie. It has real emotional character development, where you can feel the bond between Amicia and her younger brother Hugo. She plays not only a protector role but also a motherly role. I was somewhat disappointed that her look had changed a bit, but I supposed that was just a graphical enhancement and I got use to it. I think another important theme of the game is companionship where everyone works together (Amicia, Hugo, Lucas, Arnuad, and Sophia). It's actually quite a sad ending, but sometimes those are the best stories if they can build that emotion. I think that's no doubt a credit to the game developers, added with incredible graphics and a musical score. While I probably enjoyed the first game a little more, I still really enjoyed this one, and will continue with the series when the 3rd game is released.