The sequel to the successful video game “A Plague Tale: Innocence” has to live up to high expectations. TECHBOOK has tested the title – and finds it only partially successful.
Asobo Studio landed a surprise hit in 2019 with its stealth adventure “A Plague Tale: Innocence”. The game won prizes and particularly impressed with its unexpected and twisted plot and setting. Among other things, this was a real growth spurt for Asobo; the studio is now well over 200 strong and has accordingly put more resources into the successor. The title also has fans in the TECHBOOK editorial team, which is why there were certain expectations of the successor. We tested A Plague Tale: Requiem on the Nintendo Switch. The conclusion is good to split. “Requiem” can somehow keep up with its predecessor – and then somehow not quite.
This is what A Pleague Tale: Requiem is all about
The action begins six months after the end of its predecessor. So we are still in 14th century France. And still or again the disease-spreading and omnipresent rats are a big problem. This puts Hugo de Rune, who suffers from the rare prima macula disease, in danger again. Although this weakens him, it also allows him to control the mysterious swarms of rats.
When an island appears in Hugo’s dream where there is said to be a cure for him, the de Rune siblings, led by Hugo’s sister Amicia, set off with their mother Béatrice to get there. They are accompanied by alchemy apprentice Lucas, whom we already know from “Innocence”. Thus, “Requiem” again relies on a similar setting and even more on the chemistry between the two siblings, who have increasingly come closer in the first part. But there are also interesting new characters in the form of the seedy Arnaud and his smuggler friend Sophia.
The plot is very straight forward, as is the level design, again with multiple paths leading to the desired goal. You can also fundamentally choose your own style of play. Are you looking for a confrontation with Amicia or do you rely on the beautifully crafted stealth elements? And what really catches the eye positively and literally from the first moment is the great visuals of the game. The setting with the Provence in “Requiem” is also much more colorful and friendlier than in “Innocence”. Running across the lavender fields almost gives you Toussaint vibes – cheers The Witcher 3!
In terms of content, the sequel is more extensive and comprises a total of 17 chapters. By the way, according to Asobo, there will be no third part of “A Plague Tale”. It is not necessary to have played the first part before “Requiem”, but you will find your way into the game system more quickly and understand allusions in the dialogues better.
New weapons and even more rats
As previously mentioned, we had the cloud version of “A Plague Tale: Requiem” on the Nintendo Switch in the test. Unfortunately, it has to be said that the connection was never completely stable, even when the switch was in the docking station and thus connected to the Internet via LAN. Atmosphere and story could therefore not work in their entirety; the problems would probably not have existed on a PC or a more powerful console, for example.
Amicia brings back her slingshot, which is both an important weapon and a useful tool. You can use it to light and extinguish torches, throw fire pots and rat bait, and trigger mechanisms to progress in the game. In addition, the arsenal of alchemical weapons has been increased, which makes solving the levels a bit trickier, but also more entertaining.
The biggest innovation in this regard, however, are the new weapons: Amicia now has a crossbow and a knife at their disposal. As a result, the combat system is a bit more demanding (e.g. due to the quick time events for knife attacks) and the possibilities for completing a section are even more diverse. Crossbow bolts are thankfully rare, so use them sparingly. Unfortunately, this is different with the alchemical ingredients; there is rarely a need here, so you can throw bombs and the ammunition that can be produced accordingly without any worries.
Go Hugo! Go choppy controls…
What scores again is the economical game display. There is no life bar or mini-map. Not even a visibility indicator disturbs the breathless tension during the numerous sneak passages. Only the bright spots on the edges of the display indicate when it is better to put your feet up before your pursuers will yell loudly at you anyway.
Hugo takes on an even greater role in interaction with Amicia because he can now use his abilities in a more targeted manner. All in all, it’s wonderful how much the little brother, as a constant companion, not only NOT bothers. Not a not-at-all-intelligent AI companion like in “TESO” that pulls the opponent out of the carefully placed circle of damage. No pesky Ashley Graham like in Resident Evil 4, who excels at being able to get in the way while spouting loads of nonsense. Instead, Hugo is a really pleasant and above all useful companion for his sister. His ability to control the rats is used more often in “Requiem” and thus more casually. A stamina display shows how long he still has the rats under control to give his sister time to get to another mechanism or to trick the numerous opponents.
Speaking of which: These were – at least on the normal difficulty level – unfortunately no challenge at all. You shouldn’t take too many hits, because sometimes you’re knocked out after the second hit. However, the movement patterns are otherwise very catchy and when sneaking, it is really easy to avoid the opponents. If they do pay attention, they search in an unambitious way, give up quickly and then immediately forget the suspicious noise.
In addition to the easy opponents, the puzzles are not a real challenge either. Once you understand the basic mechanics, the appeal of the game is really only atmosphere and action. And – at least on the Switch – the controls really weren’t smooth in some places. Aiming (and hitting …) with the crossbow, for example, sometimes turned out to be pure gambling.
“Requiem” offers great atmosphere, but less great dialogues
Through the Provence setting we walk through a much more cheerful game world than in “Innocence”, although of course the darkness also plays an important role in “A Plague Tale: Requiem” simply because of the light-shy rats. New locations like medieval Marseille look really nice, and each section is bigger and more expansive than its predecessor. Because of this and because Asobo relies on an in-house engine again, some of the richness of detail is lost or is more noticeable. Because while “Innocence” was able to surprise and convince with the lower expectations and the more economical design, with the increased demands on but also of “Requiem” in the test it is clear that there is still room for improvement in the textile structure. It’s also a pity in this context that there aren’t any major interaction options apart from the options provided for the plot. The game world is very beautiful, but it is difficult to immerse yourself in it.
What makes the new “Plague Tale” part great again is the lasting feeling of tension. You expect a trap around every corner and little is what it seems at first glance. Actions that are actually positive can suddenly trigger the opposite. As in the first part, the sound of the rats won’t let you go completely, even after you’ve finished the game. Together with the atmospheric soundtrack, a very special atmosphere is created. The – partly – not well-written and – unfortunately almost across the board – unambitious dialogues set to music sometimes crash this mood a bit. But that only adds a blemish to the overall work of art that is to be gotten over.
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Conclusion: This is how we liked “A Plague Tale: Requiem” in the test
Like its predecessor, “Requiem” impressed us above all with its atmosphere in the test. The new part has a lot to offer simply because of the level of detail and the larger scope. And despite the not quite convincing dialogues, the sound design also fits in well with the visuals, which are worth seeing. Adding crossbows and knives to the combat system makes sense and fun both in Amicia’s personal development and in the gameplay itself. It’s a pity that the expansion options on the workbenches are again very limited, but it fits the plot and doesn’t really bother – it’s just not a role-playing game.
With a total of 20 to 25 hours of playing time, “Requiem” offers a lot of content, but the game also costs a hefty sum. Unfortunately, 60 euros are now common for A titles, but for this game it’s a bit much. For comparison: the predecessor still cost 40 euros on almost all platforms, which is not a small amount. If you also take into account the connection problems, which we had for the first time in the test with the Nintendo Switch, then the price is really official. It is therefore worth waiting for a corresponding discount campaign.
Regardless of all these factors, it was just nice to know how things will continue with Amicia and Hugo, who you have grown very fond of in “Innocence”. In our opinion, the game cannot quite keep up with the predecessor in purely emotional terms, despite the higher performance. “A Plague Tale: Requiem” is definitely worth playing.