A Plague Tale: Innocence is a gruesome look into the past, this rat infested, a corpse-ridden tale of two siblings desperately trying to survive. Survival horror has found its new evolution.
Set in medieval France You play the young Amicia, daughter to the duke your life is good and you are well-liked by your underlings As you return to your homestead an unexpected Inquisition forces you to leave your home all the while protecting your younger brother Hugo along the way. Death, disease, people burning at the stake, areas full of
Image not recovered: Plague Tale: Innocence. Archived image reference
I really don’t want to spoil the story as that is an integral part of the game, but it’s compelling, although only allowed to play the first three chapters, the general violence of this tale draws you into the story even more. From panic driven sections where death seams imminent, to tricky mild puzzle sections where death is looming all around you, to sections where reflection of deaths play on your mind, each life lost weighs heavily on you.
With the game revolving around the two siblings your younger
brother Hugo’s life hangs in your hands alone, a typical your child, full of
fear, susceptible to temper tantrums he is really well written and the
additional burden he presents really makes a refreshing change to the genre.
With many components of the game having an insta-death mechanic the games very
forgiving check points does not mean your dragged back 30 minutes, and allows
you to continue relatively quickly and adds to the tension as you know your
impending doom is just around the corner.
Image not recovered: Plague Tale: Innocence. Archived image reference
The way the game takes you from forests with light beaming through the gaps in the trees to horrendous hallways filled with corpses and dark horrifying cutscenes, it’s as much a movie as it is a game, you want to watch them you feel a need to see the story infold.
So lets get into the technical parts, the graphics are great
a few minor imperfections with some texture such as hair, but these are minor, the
general level of detail is excellent, the movement system is good very fluid
which just adds to the games appeal overall. One minor bug bear of mine is the
looting system, you often find yourself delaying saving Hugo to pick up some
items for crafting personally I would replace this with a general “finding” the
upgrades after or during key story points but then again putting yourself and
Hugo at risk to explore to get them does add a level of risk vs reward to the
game, and I’m guessing later in the game the upgrades will become more
important to your survival.
I’m not going to score this one just yet as who knows what the remaining chapters will hold, but I am looking forward to finding out and I would recommend this new scary survival horror from Asobo Studios to our readers, there is a glint of how much the deaths take a toll on your self and Hugo and it will be really interesting and I hope they develop this more later in the game.
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