A Plague Tale: Requiem – Review
Looking down at my controller after finishing A Plague Tale: Requiem, I saw that I had a white-knuckled death grip. This wasn’t the result of a tense action scene or anything like that. The terrifying ups and downs of my emotions were actually to blame.
When compared to the original A Plague Tale, A Plague Tale: Requiem is in a league of its own; it is an exceptional sequel that vastly improves in nearly every way while keeping the original’s distinctive meat and potatoes. To put it simply, it’s one of the most captivating games of 2022, with a story that will hit you right in the feels.
Six months after the events of A Plague Tale: Innocence, Amicia, Hugo, their mother, and the alchemist Lucas continue their search for a new home while also trying to understand the source of the supernatural power in Hugo’s blood. This search leads them to the titular requiem. As Hugo’s Macula begins to take hold, swarms of rats appear and send him and his sister on a journey to a mysterious island that has appeared in his dreams.
Despite its expanded gameplay options, Requiem is still at heart a narrative adventure game, just like its forerunner. This means that the narrative and the story are always the focus, which is appropriate. Requiem wastes no time putting Amicia and Hugo in potentially fatal situations. It’s to the film’s credit that Requiem can effortlessly switch gears between intense action sequences and intimate character moments.
As the campaign lasts for around 18 hours, you’ll have plenty of time to get to know the siblings as well as some great new characters. The story revolves around the strong friendship between Amicia and Hugo, and they gain some useful allies along the way, including the fantastically written Sophia, a cunning pirate captain who is never at a loss for words.
Not only is this story full of surprises and false leads, but it also serves as an allegory for overcoming trauma. Much of Requiem delves into the mental strain that causes, and the way that trauma can dominate our lives and decisions, through the experiences of Amicia and Hugo, two children who have been thrust into a cold and uncaring world.
Writing and presentation improve an already excellent story. Weirdly impressive character animations and stunning visuals make A Plague Tale: Requiem an unforgettable experience. Sadness comes in part from witnessing once vibrant communities ravaged by the plague and reduced to lifeless grey shells. The voice actors should be given special recognition for their outstanding work, particularly Amicia’s performance.
As the story progresses, the gameplay in Requiem is divided into three distinct parts: stealth/combat sections where you must deal with enemies, puzzle sections where you must find your way through hordes of rats, and more open-ended exploration sequences where you must, well, explore.
Once again, stealth plays a significant role: the levels are essentially huge hubs where you can sneak past or kill enemies in a variety of ways depending on the segment. Because of this, Amicia now has a wider variety of proven and experimental weaponry at her disposal than ever before in battle.
Her sling is her primary weapon, and it can kill unarmored foes in a single headshot. She can also create special ammunition with varying effects. Tar can start a fire and drive the rats even further back, and Ignifer can light braziers or be combined with jars of tar to create explosions that engulf enemies in flames.
Alternatively, you can use Odoris to temporarily clear the way by luring swarms of rats to specific locations. Amicia has acquired some new tools, the best of which is a crossbow that can kill with a single shot and be used to carve out hiding places from the rats by firing flaming arrows into wood.
Exploration is essential for stocking up on not only materials for making alchemical tools, but also on crossbow bolts and knives for those instant kills when combat is your only option.
In addition, Hugo’s skills become more significant; if rats are present, you can employ a sort of “rat vision” that reveals enemy positions. Hugo can also use groups of rats he has command over to savagely feast on his enemies.
The most surprising aspect of Requiem’s gameplay, in my opinion, is how important and frequent straight-up combat is. While the game can be played entirely in stealth mode, I had much more fun using Amicia’s crossbow and alchemical tools to systematically wipe out an entire area’s worth of enemies.
In spite of this, Requiem loses steam in its later chapters due to their excessive focus on battle. The combat is competent, but the lack of stealth in the later parts of the game creates a noticeable imbalance and seems at odds with the rest of the game’s aesthetic.
Requiem’s gameplay can be altered by two distinct systems: a fluid skill tree and an equipment upgrade system. Requiem introduces a brand-new skill system that is functionally analogous to games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
Amicia’s abilities can be improved in three different ways: through stealth, through combat, and through alchemy. However, you can only level up her abilities in one of these areas by actively engaging in that play style. If you spend a lot of time sneaking around, you may be able to acquire a skill that muffles Amicia’s footfalls, while engaging in direct confrontation with enemies increases the likelihood of acquiring a skill that allows you to push them into hazards like fires or swarms of rats.
You’re not required to choose just one path, and as you use each play style, you’ll level up in all three areas.
The upgrade system, on the other hand, is much simpler than the one in the Innocence; you can use tools and pieces found in the environment to improve your alchemy storage capacity, as well as Amicia’s sling and crossbow.
Not only are the upgrade materials hidden throughout the different chapters, but there are also a few collectibles to be found. There are several points in Requiem where the game opens up into huge explorable areas packed with little details to find, and these sections are a welcome change of pace overall, especially since Requiem hits the mark with its collectibles by seamlessly incorporating them into the story.
Requiem for a Plague Tale is an exciting sequel that improves upon the original in significant ways. The story is at once heartbreaking and inspiring. It’s never boring because of the wide variety of choices available in the gameplay.
Running from waves of rats is terrifying every time, but there’s also a powerful message in Requiem. It’s not hard to imagine this ranking up there with other great sequels like Assassin’s Creed 2 or Uncharted: Among Thieves.
