A Plague Tale Requiem, the preview
A Plague Tale Requiem
A Plague Tale: Innocence turned out to be a small and surprising jewel, a game well packaged in terms of themes, atmosphere and remains aesthetic, accompanied by an interesting gameplay despite some small smudges and game design choices very in line with the characterization of the characters - enough think of Hugo who, if left alone for too long, starts complaining, attracting the attention of any enemies nearby.The relationship between him and his sister Amicia was the fulcrum of an overall excellent narrative, remarkable in the way he described a France devastated by the plague, going to get lost a bit in the finale (the boss fight it was a good idea, but the realization was not the best) and leaving us an open window on the future of the two brothers; future that materialized during the Xbox and Bethesda showcase at E3 2021, where A Plague Tale Requiem was announced.
The game continues Amicia and Hugo's journey into the unknown, in search of a place to call home again: instead, the same brutality from which they have already fled once will be waiting for them, in a world now close to collapse.
Let's find out how their relationship has evolved in the preview of A Plague Tale: Innocence.
Nightmare without end
We do not yet know where the next events will take place, how much time has passed and what the two brothers will face, just as we have no idea of the threats (beyond those posed by the war itself) or by allies on whom they can rely. The trailer presented was above all evocative, in terms of images and soundtrack, alternating what appears to be a potential large-scale disaster generated by Hugo himself, with more rapid scenes in which we also catch Amicia in front of a mosaic - the glimpse of which suggests it is related to the Macula. Everything then closes with a detachment right on Hugo who starts, almost as if everything we witnessed was just a premonition or a daydream. In the background we notice a setting with strong Mediterranean references that could be a clue on the path taken by the two brothers.For now we can only speculate, relying on the words of Amicia who explains how the horror they are experiencing (in the form of the rat invasion) comes from "what we did to them", referring to Hugo, adding who in spite of everything is his brother and would die for him. It is plausible at this point to believe that the child has lost control for reasons as yet unknown, or that the curse itself has returned and there was no one to help him. The hypotheses are endless, the only apparent certainty is that this time Hugo could prove to be a more concrete threat, to the point of turning himself into an enemy - thus testing that deep and beautiful bond between him and Amicia told in the first chapter.
Our expectations
A Plague Tale Requiem, Amicia in front of a mysterious mosaicThe original A Plague Tale, we wrote it, turned out to be a great game in spite of some flaws in the gameplay: the stealth was "limited" by the presence of Hugo, an element that prevented from going too far with some potential approaches, and the enemy artificial intelligence was not always at its best - that instead of her little brother she was perfect. The variety of upgrades was overall well balanced, although some were useless, and we liked the fact that we couldn't upgrade everything in a single match. We greatly appreciated the logic behind the game, recognizing its intended limitation and for this reason in A Plague Tale Requiem we would not want a more of the same.
If Amicia really grew up as she seems, becoming even more decisive and, in some ways, ruthless than she already was towards the final stages of the game (where innocence gave way to the need to survive and save Hugo ), then it is plausible to expect from A Plague Tale Requiem a step forward in its approach to danger: hopefully the iconic slingshot remains, it is still a distinctive trait, but already from the trailer we could see a crossbow. It would also be interesting if the concept of stealth and silent killing were also extended to the use of weapons such as daggers and / or throwing knives, while still remaining the main core of the experience. We do not expect, nor do we want, that Amicia becomes a warrior able to stand up to experienced soldiers, it would break the credibility that even in a dark fantasy context the previous game she had been able to offer. In short, we would like A Plague Tale Requiem to stay true to her heritage.
A Plague Tale Requiem, a new ally on the horizon? We are also curious to understand if the rats will in turn be improved, both when they represent a threat and when we can control them. Having no idea of the plot of the second chapter, nor of Hugo's role in all of this, we find it difficult to imagine what these animals could become. Their presence, however, was one of the cornerstones of the experience and we would like it to be strengthened even more, without leading to the excess of the final boss fight. The beauty of this threat was precisely that it manifested itself in a subtle way and then increased in danger: it will be interesting to understand if and how Asobo will want to manage it in this case, avoiding distorting it. the atmosphere. They were able to blend perfectly with the tone of the story and if the developers were to keep even just on the same page, that would be just fine. The same applies to the soundtrack, another pillar of the experience. This is an element that has made some situations even more immersive than they already were. We therefore expect a further step forward but we would not be disappointed at all if we were to replicate, in terms of effectiveness, the work done with A Plague Tale: Innocence.
A Plague Tale Requiem is not an unexpected sequel to per se, because the conclusion of the first chapter left room for a continuation, but we were surprised to see it during the Xbox conference and Bethesda - ready to be launched on the Game Pass despite the launch window is still a generic 2022. The premises of a potential conflict between Hugo and Amicia are interesting, as is the possibility of seeing both more mature than in the original game (just see the difference between the key art of the first and the second): if Asobo managed to polish some of the old imperfections and broaden previous gameplay without distorting it, therefore without letting oneself be tempted by a more action-oriented drift, there is ample room to find yourself in front of a respectable sequel.
