A Plague Tale: Innocence (2019)

Just writing something for this game while I finish the sequel. The 4 stars is a bit generous considering some of the gameplay irked me a little. But overall an original experience in my opinion, such a beautiful game.

6 stars for the story and world-building though. Excellent pacing, good voice-acting and amazing soundtrack to go with these. Perfectly sets up the sequel.

This is a game that I was unsure of before playing it. It seemed like the kind of "horror" game where you just run away, and don't actually engage with the enemies.

I was wrong.

This is a game that doesn't have especially complex mechanics, but there are always NEW mechanics, and the way they are blended with others always keeps things feeling fresh. It reminds me of Resident Evil 4 in that way, which is high praise from me.

The main downside of this game is that it never exactly wowed me. There are definitely amazing parts in this game, but it feels slightly like a budget title. That keeps this game from a 4/5, but it is a high 3/5.

I am excited to play the sequel, and see how the story develops.

I had a great time playing this game. A stealth game with some horror-ish/action elements to it, the game has you playing the MC accompanied at times by brother who you must protect/guide and other NPCs. Combat isn't the strong suit here as is the level design and ambiance sneaking through enemies. Soundtrack is great and the characters for the most part make you give a hoot about their backgrounds and struggles. A few heartfelt moments here and there to pause the dread all around. Biggest gripe with the game is the necessary combat sections as the main character can die with 1 hit. You get some abilities that let you absorb one mistake but after that its lights out. Making things worse is some areas are super trial and error making death almost inevitable (I'm looking at you archers). Some mechanics in the game aren't utilized all that well (For example, only in a few chapters do you get tall grass to sneak in - despite the game featuring it as a mechanic to get around). The sling is the biggest problem as the game notes in the beginning to not have enemies staring in the general direction due to detection. That said, certain areas make it nearly impossible to avoid. The final boss of the game is also one of the WORST I've ever had to deal with - back to the trial and error concept. Stealth games have a hard task given that they aren't combat focused (or in some cases, at all) to land a final boss. This game doesn't make a good impression at all given the cheap deaths that can be had at the hands of unsure game design.

That said, I really dug the game up until the last few moments, perhaps that could of been done differently for a much better impression. Recommend? Yes.

A Plague Tale drew me in from the very beginning. It's grim and foreboding scenery is juxtaposed fantastically with the heartfelt emotions of the main characters striving to survive during one of the worst times in human existence, pursued by one of the most ruthless organizations throughout human existence. As far as story-driven games go, A Plague Tale is near the top!

The Story

This is what the game is all about. A world meticulously built around the hundred years' war between France and England, during the time of the black plague, is the setting for this fantasy-infused tale about a boy who has tainted blood, the church that wants to use that blood and the sister that is trying to save him. The writing is top notch, the voice acting is superb and the pacing is spot on. The game moves from chapter to chapter perfectly and never drags or rushes.

The Gameplay

While a stealth game at heart, there are still slight combat aspects, with light resource hunting, upgrading and a few very easy puzzles to solve. It isn't a particularly challenging game and the secrets are minimal, but that's all really beside the point. This is more like a movie that you get to play through, and I found the gameplay secondary to the whole experience. That being said, there are two boss fights in the game, one near the very start and one at the very end, both of which were very enjoyable. It would have been nice to have another one or two included throughout.

The Conclusion

A quality production. If you enjoy story-driven games with a focus on narrative, complete with great characters and world-building, then this is a game for you.

This is a fairly straightforward adventure game in a pretty bleak, though pretty, world. Has a good sense of mystery - the story, graphics, voice acting and sound (in that order) are the best features of the game.

I enjoyed my time with this game despite what felt like some pacing issues (or just my lack of attention span!) in the earlier parts - but I got through chapters 8 onwards much easier, in part becuase you get more tools which are easier to use to make it through the sections guarded by soldiers/rats.

Fairly unique concept and well worth a look, especially if you, as I did, got it when it was free on Epic.

One of Nostradamus' lesser known prophecies speaks of this game, within he states that it is: talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, put it in a blender, shit on it, vomit on it, eat it, give birth to it

Anyways, this was such a nice surprise! I love me a horror-adjacent game, and one with spunky French orphans in the 14th century, alchemy and religious zealotry??? give it to me NOW

Can't wait for the sequel!

an aside: I wrote my UG diss on medieval alchemy so that aspect was of particular interest to me lol

EDIT: After seeing some other reviews I'm pretty surprised people were shocked/disappointed about the revelation that Hugo can control the rats. I called it after the first chapter but the game hints at it as you go along w/ the plague of Justinian mosaic, the conversations between Vitalis and the soldiers etc. As for it ruining the realism... There are RATNADOES in the game come on yall 😭

PS: One day i'll find a new copypasta, today isn't that day x

This was a game that I found intriguing and charming at first and boring and frustrating by the end.

The puzzle/stealth gameplay is fun at first but doesn't really become more challenging except during combat when the sluggish controls are more frustrating than anything else.

Story is nice enough, but in the end it's a poor man's LoU and it loses its way towards the end.

Graphics are very attractive but even for a linear game the environment feels very restrictive - you have to do what the game wants you to do to progress. Voice acting is good but the accents are an odd choice for the setting.

Overall, good enough given its relatively short length and that it's free with PS5 and PS+, but not as good as I was expecting.

PROS

• Successfully mimics the Naughty Dog design formula on what I imagine was a fraction of the budget
• Solid art direction brings the bleak setting to life
• Resilient characters are impossible not to root for
• Continually introduces new mechanisms and ways to interact with the rats
• Action sequences are better than you'd expect in a basic stealth game like this

CONS

• Simplistic mechanics grow a bit tiresome towards the end
• Weird pacing creates long patches of uneventful play time
• Overly linear level designs restrict player options
• Narrative falters in a few places
• Controls can be unwieldy at times

This game is toothless!

I heard great things about this, so I decided to try it out. Unfortunately, it was waste of time.

Plague Tale felt like a mix between Last of Us and Senua, but in the mix, something went wrong.

Everything about it is dull. The story is nice, but characters are forgettable and lifeless. Voice acting is annoying, gameplay gets old quickly, with the lack of depth and replayability murdering any reason to ever touch it again. Really, did anyone ACTUALLY like ANY character? Hugo is the worst kid ever!

The combat and "bosses" were fine, but you don't see a lot of it. Some mechanics felt dumb, like why do you upgrade items with the same tools you need to craft slingers?? Stealth was basic, solid, but lacked any challenge. Puzzles were clever at first, but repetitive later on. The graphics were good and the pacing was decent, but the writing failed to keep me hooked. I couldn't care less about almost anything going on. Also, that ending was VERY bland.

I just didn't get the love for this one. You're better off sticking with Senua or The Last of Us.

I really enjoyed the visuals, the story, and the setting. I hate this sort of game where you are disempowered and have to hide and shit.

But the strong narrative opening and speedy checkpoint reloading made me endure all the late-game nonsense and the especially awful boss experiences.

It is not hard because it is hard, it is difficult because the controls are clunky and sticky. So most of the time the game is rather forgiving to make up for it but there are moments (especially during the boss) where all the technical and mechanical stuff really irritate when I would rather be getting into the story.

I also think they make keep what could be a simple and eventually boring game interesting by changing in small but visually diverse ways what is required of you.

I feel like there is nothing here to ruin the game but everything that is annoying can be VERY annoying and almost ruin it. Still, worth giving a shot, especially if you have GamePass.