Taylor Bauer
Taylor BauerIn a lot of ways, A Plague Tale: Innocence was low on my radar. Now? I can’t recommend it to enough people, and could very well see it ending up as a top 5 game of 2019.
The linear, story driven titles that filled shelves in the 2000’s are incredibly sparse nowadays, but that’s not to say the good ol’ days are behind us. A Plague Tale: Innocence harkens back to the AAA titles that provided everything you came to expect from similar titles. Of course, there were a few characters, a story driving you through the game, a few unique gameplay features, and a set ending you could work towards. In the open-world age, this sounds a bit limiting. Even games like Square Enix’s Tomb Raider series give you at least a little room to explore and drift off into side missions. To be honest, A Plague Tale: Innocence doesn’t need to give you freedom. This is a story-driven experience, through and through.
The time period in which A Plague Tale: Innocence takes place is all but comforting. In 1348, the world is going through one of its most brutish periods of civilization. Violence and religious order rule all, and now, The Black Plague has arrived to thin out the masses already desperately clinging to life. As if an unstoppable sickness wasn’t enough, you have the Hundred Years’ War and the Inquisition rolling through Europe. When the world gets to the 1400’s, one third of the population will have been killed by some combination of these atrocities. Nevertheless, some survive, and that’s where we start: with two people trying to survive.
The main character, Amicia de Rune, is the teenage daughter of a noble family. When the Inquisition arrives, her family is the exact type that is going to feel the wrath. Her family is murdered, her home is destroyed, and she and her sickly brother Hugo are the only survivors. The Inquisition really wants Hugo, but it’s not clear why, so Amicia seeks to protect her brother as they traverse Medieval France. Hugo is only six or seven years old, so you literally spend the game holding his hand through the European horrors at bay, an element of the game that really drives the point home. These are kids in a living nightmare who just want safety.
The game is puzzle-driven, serving almost as a walking simulator to the different levels of problem solving. The puzzles revolve entirely around light. Plague-sicken rats thrive in the darkness and eat anything they can catch moving in the shadows. That means enemies can be killed by the rats if you eliminate any surrounding light. Likewise, keeping a flame or light source near you is essential to survival. It’s a fun gameplay feature, and fits in perfectly with the story being told. As two young children trying to get through the worst that the 14th century has to offer, the lighting invokes feelings of fear and hopelessness that would make sense given Amicia and Hugo’s situation.
Between the voice acting and the visuals, this game is fantastic. Graphically, this is one of the best looking games of the year. The light shading and textures to the medieval buildings and landscapes feel incredibly photo-realistic, and help you get lost in the story. Finish the game in about 10 hours and you’ll find yourself satisfied with the experience. You may be able to get through it faster, but don’t rush this one. Let it all take place, and enjoy the ride. In an age where these story-driven games are few and far between, this one is done right. Best of luck fighting off death in literally every form imaginable.
A Xbox One review copy of A Plague Tale: Innocence was provided by Focus Home Interactive for this review.
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🔥224A Plague Tale: Innocence
$49.99 USD
Pros
- Great storytelling
- Good use of lighting to drive narrative and experience
- Voice acting and visuals are top notch, some of 2019's best
Cons
- Gameplay stagnates, but stays consistent
- 10 hours and not much replayability
