A Plague Tale: Innocence Review (PS4)

The same developers that brought you The Crew and The Crew 2, as well as games based on lovable animations such as Wall-E, Ratatouille and Garfield now bring a gritty story based on a dark chapter from Europe’s history.

A Plague Tale: Innocence tells the story of two children that have to face a world ravaged by the bubonic plague as well as the human hysteria that ensues.

Question your sense of morality

Whenever you think of the dark Ages when Europe was ravaged by the bubonic plague, you most likely realize for yourself that the entire land wasn’t exactly the most pleasant sight to see. The land was scattered with the corpses of the dead, the smell of decay engulfed the air, and the few left alive were left to scavenge and prey on each other like wild animals. That’s exactly the type of grim picture that A Plague Tale: Innocence tries to paint, as it never tries to sugarcoat anything. If you are in any way squeamish or are afraid of rats, this may not be the best stealth game for you to try. You’ll see burnt corpses, blood, gore, people you get to know will eventually die, you have to sacrifice others to survive, using them as bait while you make a run for it.

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Say goodbye to innocence

Now normally such a backstory wouldn’t be all too impressive if you’re a veteran gamer, especially if you like the post-apocalyptic genre. However, using subtle dialogue between characters, you will be forced to experience everything through the eyes of children.

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You play as both Amicia and Hugo de Rune, the heirs to the De Rune estate as they both try to survive in a mad world where everyone is out to either capture them or kill them. Since you'll be playing as both of them, you will feel torn between the decisions of the much older Amicia and the morals of the innocent and gullible Hugo, as one tries to make the other understand that the world is not all sunshine and rainbows.

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No one expects the French Inquisition

The fact that you control two children throughout the entire journey pretty much dictates most of the game’s mechanics. First of all, there is no actual combat involved, since you play as a pair of children that are scared out of their minds. Amicia does have her trusty slingshot and she can indeed kill people with it, but she can only do this from stealth, since getting exposed even for a few seconds will result in an unavoidable and gruesome death. The problem is that even this isn’t a mechanic that can be exploited, since she can only kill opponents if she lands a headshot, and she can only land a headshot if the opponent she is targeting isn’t wearing a helmet. Because there is no way you can face opponents head on, distracting them and sneaking around will be what you will be doing pretty much the entire game. You do have your occasional boss fights, but they usually involve Amicia outsmarting her opponent more than anything else.

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You'll smell a rat

Anyone who’s ever picked up a history book or accidentally looked at a history documentary probably knows that the bubonic plague was caused by rats. A Plague Tale: Innocence takes this little detail and turns it into an utter nightmare. Within the game’s lore, the entire idea of rats carrying the plague and spreading it is blown out of proportions, as supernatural elements are also thrown into the mix. Besides the armor clad soldiers, you will also have to face swarms of rats that will eat you alive unless you stay within the radius of a light source. They move around attracted by anything that breathes, swarming almost like a malevolent black liquid waiting to drown anything that touches it. Amicia will have to use her wits yet again, using jambons or other enemies to distract the rats, or carrying burning sticks and lighting torches to keep them away.

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Be resourceful

Since the entire world has gone to the dogs (or in this case, to the rats), resources can be found pretty much anywhere. Strips of leather, saltpeter, string, cloth, all of these can be collected and used to upgrade some of Amicia’s tools, such as her slingshot, her carrying bag, or even her clothing to make herself more stealthy. The game provides plenty of resources for you to survive, so you don’t have to worry about ever ending up in front of a puzzle without the necessary tools to pass it.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion