Game Review: A Plague Tale: Requiem (Xbox Series X)

Bigger. Bolder. Better. The three Bs of a sequel. A Plague Tale: Requiem nails all three. Delivering a bigger world, a bolder story and a better overall experience. One that is often spectacular and deeply moving. Everything great about the original game has been taken, dialled up to eleven and given even more depth. You won’t feel happy playing through the game but you will remember it.

A third-person action\adventure game with stealth mechanics, A Plague Tale: Requiem is the sequel to the surprise sleeper hit of 2019, A Plague Tale: Innocence. Set in an alternate version of 14th century France during the Hundred Years’ War.

Players reprise the role of Amicia, the older sister of Hugo. The latter, suffering from a blood disease known as Macula. Set six months after the events of the first game, the siblings have left their home province of Guyenne in the hope of finding a cure for Hugo. The rat-driven plague is out of control and the Macula within Hugo is expanding. With it, Hugo’s mysterious powers increase, threatening to overwhelm the child.

Amicia and Hugo’s mother believes the Order, an organisation of alchemists, can help but the siblings aren’t too sure. Especially as Hugo has been dreaming of an island, where the water in a pond cured him of the disease. As the world around them descends into chaos and the plague spreads, the pair set off to find this island and hopefully save Hugo.

That’s the story condensed but it’s got a lot more depth than it first seems. A Plague Tale: Requiem is an exhausting story of destruction, loss, pain and suffering. Where you’re hammered with constant chaos and unending horror. A Plague Tale: Requiem is unrelentingly grim but the story is told in such a captivating way, it’s impossible to turn away.

Much of which comes from well-written and likeable characters. Building on their experiences from the first game, Amicia’s resilience is wonderful to experience and Hugo’s innocence, adorable. Again, just like the first game, it’s very easy to care about them and what they go through.

Though this time, they’re not completely alone. A Plague Tale: Requiem introduces new characters who will accompany the pair along the way and add a lot to the experience. Even if they’re not always friendly.

The gameplay elements of A Plague Tale: Requiem are very similar to those of the first game. Threats split between enemy soldiers, slavers and guards, and the plague rats. The former is where the stealth elements come into play, as the ‘insta-kill’ enemies require you to plan out how you will overcome them. It’s a gameplay mechanic that A Plague Tale: Requiem does fine, even if these moments are often the least exciting parts of the game as, aside from some minor changes, it’s all very familiar.

Whereas the rats are where the puzzle elements come into play. The tsunami of ravenous rats overcome by using light sources, alchemy crafting and sometimes, with human enemies too. Some of the puzzle areas can be a lot of fun to overcome but the puzzles rarely stretch the brain matter too much. A Plague Tale: Requiem takes the rats and ups the ante in ways that Innocence didn’t though. In particular, how they affect the landscape now.

In addition to all of this, A Plague Tale: Requiem introduces more ‘open-world’ sections where you’re given some freedom to explore. Finding side-quests, collectibles and other items that enhance the world the characters exist in.

It all comes back to the story though. Something that his enhanced by jaw-dropping visuals, stunning music and some of the best voice-acting you’ll hear in recent times. To say that all of this gives A Plague Tale: Requiem more life is to understate just how fantastic it all is.

The game has around 15-20 hours of content with a New Game+ available after the end credits. One that increases the difficulty while letting you keep all your upgrades and items.

It’s one of the best games of the year even with some niggling issues. The occasional momentary freeze and odd crash when there was just too much on screen. A glitch that saw a solider walking into an object constantly, rendering progression impossible (fixed with a restart) and an end of chapter where a boss died without anything being done. Minor issues that didn’t harm the experience even if they momentarily break the immersion.

Bigger, bolder and better than A Plague Tale: Innocence in every way. A Plague Tale: Requiem is a spectacular experience. One that will stay with you long after the end credits have rolled.