A Plague Tale: Requiem Xbox Series X Review
| Game: | A Plague Tale: Requiem |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Focus Home Interactive |
| Developer: |
A Plague Tale: Innocence may have been a bit of a basic game in some aspects, although because of its story and medieval world, it’s also a very memorable adventure. It’s not surprising that many of us wanted a continuation of the story of brother and sister Amicia and Hugo De Rune, and they have returned in a superior sequel with deeper gameplay options and, rather horrifyingly, even more rats.
A Plague Tale: Requiem picks up six months after the dark events of the first game. Amicia and Hugo are now seeking an island in Southern France that may cure the latter of his deadly blood disease. The island has persistently appeared in Hugo’s dreams. Again, the narrative’s strengths lie in the warm and protective relationship that the brother and sister share as well as its dark and sombre mood.
As I mentioned earlier, Requiem is an improved game over its predecessor. There’s expanded options when it comes to both the combat and the stealth of the game, levels are larger, and the rat tech is even more impressive. The 5000 rats that could fill the screen in the original game has been increased to a staggering 300,000. If you have a major dislike for such rodents, then perhaps this is a game that you should avoid like the plague of the title.
Amicia has a number of tools to deal with the rats as well as her human enemies in Requiem. Her sling makes a welcome return, allowing you to take out helmetless enemies with a single shot, but her arsenal increases with the presence of a bow and arrow. Both the sling and arrows can be imbued with various alchemical properties such as the Ignifier to light up with flames or Extinguis to put them out, and as the game is so much about the use of light, then both of these things prove to be helpful. The addition of tar allows for further-reaching flames, which can help out in plenty of situations. Whether you are hiding or locked in combat, there’s definitely plenty to think about.
The level design in this sequel is once again very well done. The larger and more detailed levels are beautifully realised and it really does feel like a step back into medieval France, and everything from the vibrant towns to the darker, rat-infested moments are filled with atmosphere. The larger levels do lead to a bit of frustration though. Without a waypoint, I sometimes didn’t have the faintest idea as to where I was supposed to be heading next.
Further frustrations come in the form of sometimes feeling as if I wasn’t well enough equipped to deal with the number of enemies in a location, with few lethal options to take them down and a lack of distraction opportunities, leading to me being spotted over and over again. I guess the game is designed this way to make you feel more vulnerable, but, for me, it was the cause of much frustration on a number of occasions.
The other parts that help make up A Plague Tale: Requiem is both the exploration as well as the puzzle solving. Keeping away from the sea of killer rats is once again a priority, and many of the puzzles involve the scuttling rodents, with you having to use light to protect Amicia, her brother and any other companions, as well as to having to make use of it to cause the rodents to scarper. Other puzzles have you making use of Amicia’s sling and crossbow, while exploration leads to secrets as well as crafting materials.
Visually, A Plague Tale: Requiem is a real beauty. Much has been said about the console version being restricted to 30fps, although I didn’t think this was much of an issue when playing, and the game generally retains a smooth frame rate. If 30fps isn’t a deal breaker for you, then as a current generation exclusive, this is definitely a real looker of a game: Character detail is top notch, environments look really smooth and detailed, lighting constantly draws the eye, and the rats, well, the sheer number of them is enough to make the skin crawl, impressing and horrifying at the same time.
A Plague Tale: Requiem is a beautiful and memorable 15+ hour adventure that has much to adore, while suffering from a few key flaws. It’s a bigger and better sequel that has been expanded in all the right areas, resulting in a game that is superior to the original in almost every possible way, but also still having a few annoyances to its name.
