A Plague Tale is a Dark Treat

The Black Plague Is Back

A Plague Tale: Innocence was released in 2019 on the PS4 and Xbox One. It was recently released on the PS5, Xbox Series X/S and the Nintendo Switch on July 6th. You play as young Amicia, whose mission is to protect her younger brother Hugo as you make your way across dangerous lands. Inquisition soldiers and grotesquely large masses of rats will try to kill you both on your adventure. You’ll need to learn to trust one another and solve a litany of puzzling landscapes to find your purpose in a land flipped on its head.

A Plague Tale: Innocence
image credit: Focus-Home

How To Stay Alive

The vast majority of the gameplay will be spent stealthily avoiding Inquisition soldiers and ravenous swarms of plague-infested rats. You’ll also be doing this while literally holding your younger brother’s hand. Occasionally you may let go to have him unlock a door, but he’s pretty much glued to you throughout the game. Much to our pleasant surprise, this didn’t make mission tasks bothersome or a nuisance.

The soldiers (and any other enemy) can take you out in one hit. This means your movement and slingshot aim need to be planned and accurate. Until some of the later missions, you’ll always find better luck avoiding an aggressive push. Sneakily avoiding conflict is much easier to do. The slingshot you possess can create distractions by breaking glass or pottery. It can also be used to knock out a soldier or kill them. Killing a soldier can only be done if they are not wearing a helmet. So coaxing them into removing their armor or avoiding them altogether are your options. The rats are arguably more dangerous.

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To fend them off, you’ll need access to light. This can be in the form of torches or lit sticks. If you run out of light, the swarms are likely to put an end to your adventures very quickly. Amicia is a very resourceful young girl who learns alchemy throughout her journey, granting her abilities to deal with the rats and infantry. The ability to kill a soldier with a sling attack or manipulate the movement of rats will prove very useful.

A Plague Tale: Innocence Surving
image credit: Focus-Home

A Plague Tale: Section 3

The re-release of a Plague Tale: Innocence allows you to play at 60 fps instead of the 30 fps on the original console release. You’ll also get visual updates throughout and a 3D audio experience to further suck you into the world during the 100 Years War. It’s sure not to bore you either with a solid 15 hours of game time safeguarding Hugo through plagued lands. This title is centered completely around telling a compelling story.

Trials and tribulations on levels we can’t truly imagine being brought to the faces of two youths is extremely compelling. As long as you’re not looking for a formidable challenge or something fresh from a gameplay perspective, you’re sure to thoroughly enjoy this game.

Written by Trevor Forrest