A Plague Tale: Requiem is a third person stealth action game developed by Asobo Studio and published by Focus Entertainment. Following the harrowing tale of A Plague Tale: Innocence, this sequel brings forth a new adventure for Amicia and Hugo. While Innocence was a harrowing tale, Requiem raises the stakes to a much darker level. Let's discuss.

    Amicia and Hugo are a bit older in Requiem and have had time to process the events of Innocence. While still scarred, they continue their journey with their mother and Lucas, trying to cure Hugo's curse. Still growing within him, the Macula is still the centerpiece of the story Requiem tells. While you head off to new lands and meet new characters, all of it is driven by Hugo's increasingly dire condition. The story lands all of the right notes throughout it's 15 hour runtime, being appropriately paced and not overstaying it's welcome.

    Presentation wise, Requiem gives us a preview of what real next gen will look like. Playing this game on a RTX 3080, Ryzen 3900x, and with 32 GB of DDR4 RAM was a treat. Being able to hit 50-60 FPS at 4k with everything maxed out and DLSS on balanced offered a consistent experience throughout. The game is gorgeous and is certainly the most stunning game I've ever played, striking the perfect middle ground of realism and style. Voice acting and music are also of the highest quality. Due to the phenomenal writing in Requiem, you become quite close to each character and feel for their story. While I admittedly do not have the warmest of souls, the Amicia, Hugo, and the supporting cast made me feel deeply for their struggles.

    Speaking of struggles, the gameplay of Requiem made me do just that, struggle. Not because it's bad, it's actually a good step up from Innocence, but I just suck at stealth. Thankfully, despite the usual sequel amnesia Amicia goes through, your kit gets fleshed out quite quickly and offers a lot of ways to tackle each scenario. Having a more aggressive style, I was only bogged down in a few instances, where stealth was absolutely required. In other instances, I was able to take a bit more of an aggressive approach due to the kit offered in Requiem. In Innocence, I felt that each scenario repeated a good bit throughout the later chapters and level design became somewhat repetitive. While that happens a bit in Requiem, there's enough variation throughout to curb some of that feeling, this is in part due to more open level layouts. I'd love to tell you more, but I don't want to spoil anything, as some of the kit you're given is offered through key story elements. Just know, there's rats and humans, each of which are more deadly than in Innocence.


    If you were hoping for a more lighthearted game, you won't get it here. The game's dark tone is phenomenally displayed through it's excellent narrative, presentation, and soundtrack. You'll feel each beat of the story in the deepest parts of your soul. A Plague Tale: Requiem is one of those special games that you remember for years to come, a masterpiece.


Rating: 9.5/10


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