Hello everyone, hope you're all doing well and welcome to my review of A Plague Tale: Innocence! When I first saw this game it didn't really strike me as anything I'd be interested in and it was relatively under everyone's radar. But soon after it's release I started to hear a lot of good things, so I decided to take another look. In many ways this is a very unique game, featuring some subject matter and some game mechanics that I don't think I've ever seen before. Although it's story is very dramatic and narrative driven, there's also elements of survival horror mixed in as well, giving everything a dark edge to it. By the time I finished playing through all seventeen chapters I felt like I'd been taken on a real journey with these characters. So let's dive in and I'll tell you all about it.
A Plague Tale: Innocence is an action-adventure stealth game developed by Asobo Studio. The game takes place in France during the year of 1349 and tells a grim tale of a deadly plague that is sweeping across the land. You play as Amicia, a young girl who is part of a wealthy family, until the day that everything changes. It all starts out pleasant enough, with Amicia and her father out hunting one afternoon with the family dog. When you begin to head back home you have a very strange encounter out in the woods, hinting that something truly awful is about to happen. Back at the house Amicia's mother and younger brother Hugo are waiting for her. Hugo has been ill since birth and has had very little interaction with the outside world.
Your mother has been trying to find a cure for little Hugo, but has so far been unsuccessful. That evening your house gets attacked by Inquisition soldiers who want to take your brother away for some unknown reason. They destroy everything and kill anyone who gets in their way, forcing you to take Hugo and run for your life. As you frantically try to escape with the Inquisition right on your heels, suddenly huge swarms of rats start spilling up from the ground overtaking your pursuers. You're barely able to get away, but now, unable to return home, the real journey begins. Amicia must try and keep her brother safe and look for a cure to his illness, while being hunted by the Inquisition. That's only the very first chapter, so much more happens after that, but I don't want to spoil anything.
This is a very dramatic game and a strong, narrative driven experience that can get pretty dark sometimes. Everything starts off in such a shocking way, with some emotional moments that really hit you. It was a little too much at first and I was worried that the whole game would be this heavy, but things quickly smooth out when the gameplay actually starts. The main characters, Amicia and Hugo, really grew on me as the game went on and I was quickly invested in their story. It certainly helped that they behaved like real people and had excellent voice acting that made them believable. The developers did an especially great job with your little brother Hugo, who's with you for most of the game, by capturing that innocence and wide eyed wonder that a little kid would have.
This is a linear game with some larger open areas here and there, where you're constantly traveling to new places. The graphics were surprisingly good, whether you're in a sunny meadow, or a dark, dank castle, everything is beautifully detailed. Character models and environments are very well done, but the most impressive thing was definitely the massive swarms of rats. These things will terrorize you everywhere, spewing up from the ground, killing you almost instantly if you touch them. You're only safe if you stay in the light, turning most rat encounters into puzzles that can usually be solved in multiple ways. The rats also have a supernatural quality to them that keeps ramping up as the game goes on.
You control Amicia, while Hugo holds your hand most of the time, so direct combat is pretty much out of the question. The game encourages you to use stealth, making distractions and sneaking past Inquisition soldiers. Luckily, you do get an offensive weapon to use to break up the gameplay, which works really well. Amicia is equipped with a sling that can fling rocks. This can be used to distract enemies, or if their head is exposed, can take them out completely.
At first you can only throw rocks, but eventually you get access to all kinds of different projectiles that open up many more options for handling combat situations. In fact, just as you're getting used to your latest new form of ammo, the game surprises you with another one. This made me feel like my character was developing and getting stronger as the story kept unfolding. There's a good mixture of stealth, combat, story and puzzle solving that helped keep things moving at quick pace.
Scattered around each new environment you'll find plenty of materials to pick up that can be used for crafting precious ammo, or upgrading your character and sling. There's only so much of it though, so you'll want to use your ammo wisely in order to save some materials for important upgrades. You can also find three different kinds of collectibles hidden throughout each chapter that will give you a good reason to fully explore each new area you enter.
I was surprised by how much I ended up enjoying this game, although it did have a couple issues. The story got pretty grim in a couple places. Not spooky grim, but depressing and heart wrenching grim. I wasn't prepared for that and it put me off a little. The stealth and combat are well done for the most part, except you really have no way of defending yourself if you get caught off guard. If the soldiers reach you, or the rats touch you, it's basically an instant death. These things might bother some more than others, but there's no penalty for death, so it doesn't matter that much.
Anyone who likes a sprawling, heartfelt story, that takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions, will definitely not want to miss this game. Not only does it have a compelling narrative, but it also has some unique mechanics and a good variation of gameplay. As the tone got darker and darker, traveling through beautiful and perilous locations, I just wanted to keep playing to see what would happen next. The ever present threat of the Inquisition and the swarms of horrible rats keep the tension high, creating a fantastic atmosphere. I really felt for these characters, becoming invested in their crazy journey of trying to find a cure for this plague and Hugo's illness. This was a great game that I would certainly recommend and I'm going to give A Plague Tale: Innocence a grade of.................................
B
Thank you for reading my review of A Plague Tale: Innocence, I hope you enjoyed it!
