REVIEW: Horror and beauty go hand in hand in A Plague Tale: Requiem

“This game is too beautiful!”, “I want to stay still and enjoy the scenery” – these were some of the messages I received when sharing on my social networks that I had started playing The Plague Tale: Requiem. Yes, the fantastically well-designed views and landscapes, with the maximum level in terms of scale, are a delight for the eyes in the first few minutes.

However, the avalanches of rats, enveloping darkness and imminent violence that take over the environment, always preceded by a specific sound – a warning that something horrible is about to happen, they counteract the experience with depth.

For these and others, the Asobo Studio proved that he is terribly talented, managing to give an almost perfect sequel to the award-winning A Plague Tale: Innocence. Check out the full review!

The calm before the chaos

It all starts very calmly and between games of hide and seek, six months after the events of A Plague Tale: Innocence, in which Amicia and Hugo struggled to survive the Inquisition hunt amid a plague that swept through XNUMXth century France. As much as the pair of brothers are still looking for a way to remove the curse from Hugo's taint, a safe city seems to have provided moments of peace. Together with his mother, Beatrice, and alchemist-in-training Lucas, they find a tiny, secluded place to live in tranquility. Which doesn't last long.

The serenity full of colors gives way to dark scenarios, in moments, the waves of rodents are back. Like its predecessor, this is a Stealth game with a lot of tension and brutality,​ in a bigger world and with new mechanics. Thus, Amicia and Hugo continue in the fight to survive unimaginable horrors, that is, more dangers and continuous traumas. The world and Asobo are cruel to the From Rune.

To deal with this, we literally take death wherever we go looking for a cure for little Hugo, as rats are directly linked to cousin macula in the boy's blood. It is possible to draw some parallels between Amicia and Ellie in The Last of Us Part 2, as both follow an obstinate path towards violence. Several new and old characters appear to accompany our travels through the countryside, and as we go along, beautiful and peaceful cities are reduced to rat-infested cemeteries.

In this way, the Requiem's ​​narrative is one of the highlights of the moment in video games and even in other media, with honorable mention for wonderful performances by lead brothers Amicia and Hugo. When playing the protagonist, Charlotte McBurney delivers pure ferocity to one of the characters that promises to have a historic place in the world of games. Other names like Kit Connor (from heart stopper from Netflix), Lucas and Logan Hannan as Hugo are voices that guarantee great performances and create the atmosphere of the game.

With 6 hours more than the first title, totaling around 20, it's an over-the-top attempt to deliver a far greater experience than it should be. The need to make plot twists at the end ends up generating heavy combat scenarios that make the entire line of stealth learning forgotten. However, the end of this journey does not fail to take the breath away of those who are involved up to their necks in the plot.

More than a story about the bond of brothers and helplessness in a horrible world, it is a dark reflection of humanity, which is inherently cruel. Here, you are the rat being forced to dash, chase and eat wildly – ​​even if it hurts you.

A world infested by evil, but also of surprising beauty

We have already seen that life in The Plague Tale: Requiem it's difficult. While all the suffering and hardship in the world is incessantly imposed on these children, Requiem graces the player's eyes and ears. It's impossible for the sound design to go unnoticed, even more so if you're going through this breathtaking headphone experience. There are striking steps, shuddering breathing and all kinds of sounds that can be emitted when moving in a puddle full of blood, guts and slurry.

But there is also beauty in this world! Aside from the general visual quality, it's the little things that were able to mesmerize me – from the brick ceilings to the gardens with diverse flora, everything is surprisingly beautiful. Oh, and rain! It's beautiful to see how a city changes according to weather conditions – torrential, water falls in the most realistic way possible. Happy, boisterous crowds also lend an air of charming medieval tourism before evil ravages the city.

The graphic beauty is not only in the sunny fields and mountainous horizons, but also in the ruins. Whether it's deeply disturbing settings or extremely rich in detail, it's great to explore and enjoy every detail of what Requiem has to offer. Still exist collectibles to discover, secret chests e small souvenirs. The game makes it all worthwhile!

Okay, now let's talk a little bit about the terrible rats. In Innocence for PS4, it was already impressive to have 5 meat-hungry rodents on the canvas. The experience became more suffocating and harrowing in Requiem, as there are 300 rats at once on PS5, flowing like tsunamis through narrow streets. We observed a lot of dedication to storytelling, historical details and visual fidelity – but since nothing is perfect, some flaws lurk in front of us.

Stealth and violent experience

the developers increased Amicia's arsenal and, consequently, its ability to kill. It is at this point that additional mechanics dialogue with our protagonist's moral: what happens if you embrace violence? In many moments, Lucas repeatedly asks you to just be stealthy, don't leave a trail of death behind you. Well, I confess that I returned his pleas with “boring guy, let me kill this bunch of imbeciles in peace”.

And it's also at this point that the game fails a little to create a relationship between what the player is doing and how the work wants you to feel. In my opinion, the goal is for the player to feel bad about all the violence that Amicia chooses, but taking the more aggressive path is faster and easier, excluding the parts where you must be stealthy almost obligatorily. And I know that at the end of the day, the path I "chose" does not directly affect the young woman's destiny. This way, no regrets!

Seeing how the world hurts Amicia, it's easy to understand her determination to hurt him back. That's why, for better or worse, the weapon repertoire now has knives and crossbows.

O leveling system that increases Amicia's skills based on how the player deals with “adversity” (soldiers ready to kill you) it's a great hit, because it's with him that the game manages to reward those who choose the stealth path. With me, for example, I happened to gain a lot of XP in Aggressiveness, increasing the slingshot's damage and bashing time. If you choose stealth, it's the Prudence that will grow, bringing quieter steps.

A light remains one of the player's best friends. In addition to the classic torch, which is not readily available, alchemical recipes along with other items that amplify the flames help us keep evil at bay. Speaking of alchemy, it also has a recipe for somewhat sadistic moments - it serves to extinguish an enemy soldier's torch and deliver him to the darkness (in other words, become a mouse snack).

A Plague Tale: Is Requiem Worth It?

The Plague Tale: Requiem is an excellent game, where the story, graphics and gameplay provide an amazing experience, its biggest sin being unnecessary length. Even so, Amicia and Hugo's journey, amid constant trauma, should be a source of pride for Asobo, which has built something captivating and depressing at the same time.

A narrative resonates emotionally and the flow, which alternates between stealth, horror and exploration, keeps the player engaged. This is a big sequel, bigger and better, for Innocence.

The Plague Tale: Requiem is available for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X (Gamepass) and PC via Steam.

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