We played about thirty minutes A Plague Tale: Requiemthe sequel to one of the most significant video games of recent years.
Released in 2019, either in the world before, A Plague Tale: Innocence is a video game that has made an impression for a multitude of good reasons. Personally, I expected absolutely nothing from this title mixing adventure and narration, published by Focus Home Interactive. The surprise was all the more immense: the Bordeaux studio Asobo managed to offer us a well-written experience, carried by a duo of super endearing heroes (a brother and a sister who must flee). Rightly adored by critics and the public, the game was awarded the very first Pégase in video games.
Buoyed by this necessarily motivating success, Asobo is ready to tackle the perilous exercise of the future. Amicia and Hugo will therefore return to A Plague Tale: Requiem, a project that should raise ambitions, without betraying the solidly established bases. We were able to play it at gamescom 2022 for half an hour. We clearly did not shun our pleasure in finding the two characters who, in order not to change, must still flee. A very fragile destiny for children who suffer from their environment.
A Plague Tale: Requiem left to ensure a good continuity
Whether A Plague Tale: Requiem allows us to look again at the emblematic duo, the visual atmosphere is no longer the same. Six months separate the events of the two video games, which takes us from winter to summer. This change of season is a real treat for the eyes: no more cold decorations, hello much warmer tones. We will even hear Amicia marvel at flowers with very flashy colors, a brief enchanted parenthesis before she is quickly caught up in the harsh reality. In this case, Amicia and Hugo must find a boat to sail to an island, while soldiers are always after them. In short, it is not because the world is prettier that it has become less brutal.
The gameplay has also changed in a good way. In A Plague Tale: Innocence, the displacements were a little heavy. In A Plague Tale: Requiem, the developers have reworked the camera, animations and movements to make the feeling more pleasant. Just play 5 minutes to appreciate how much better everything is when you control Amicia. As a bonus, Asobo did not fall into the trap of excessive action, a development that one could fear as the heroine gains in thickness and maturity. The objective is not to transform her into a warrior who no longer fears violence, but always to question her relationship to said violence (especially in relation to Hugo, who is still very young).
Everything is better when you control Amicia
Therefore, when you come across enemies in A Plague Tale: Requiem, it is best to avoid them and/or eliminate them discreetly. To do this, Amicia has several means of defending itself (example: a slingshot) and diverting attention. Hugo is also much more active, since he has some very useful powers to help his sister. A small concentration shift reveals the position of the opponents, which allows him to better plan his approach, while he can simply take control of a swarm of rats. Rodents are always afraid of light, but are capable of swallowing everything in their path. Be careful, the use of these special skills will not be without consequences…
Beyond the few contributions expected from the gameplay side, A Plague Tale: Requiem captivates much more thanks to its writing and the way the screenwriters make Amicia and Hugo interact. The little boy is still so cute and naive, which forces him to ask questions about just about everything (he wonders, for example, if his mother might scold them after crossing the sea). He is also much more concerned for his sister, proof that the two members of the same family are closer and closer after being so far apart. We are now looking forward to October 18 to discover everything about this sequel planned for PS5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X and PC.
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