There’s no denying that this year’s Game Show Cologne lacked some serious heavyweights. With Activision, Take-Two Interactive, Sony, Nintendo and more all decided to skip the main session. But just because those companies aren’t in attendance doesn’t mean there’s a lack of incredibly exciting games coming up – one of them is A Plague Tale: Requiem.
I must admit, I wasn’t a huge fan of the series until a few months ago, when I finally started playing A Plague Tale: Innocence, and needless to say, it made me very excited and hopeful about Requiem. That’s probably why going into preview — Asobo Studio allowed me to play the entire sixth chapter of the game — disappointment wasn’t really an option. While I would say that the gameplay of this game is slightly different from the first game (mostly for better options), it definitely didn’t disappoint me. But let me explore why.
First, as you’d expect from a game made only for PC and current-gen consoles, and unlike its predecessors, which ditched the PS4 and Xbox One, there are a lot of technical improvements that really elevate A Plague Tale: Requiem “. From bigger levels that make life more challenging for Amicia and Hugo because enemies are harder to sneak, to better lighting, resolution, and all the tricks and doodles that make the game look compelling. Technological advancements are immediately apparent, whether in facial animations or when wandering through lush lavender fields, and it’s a marked increase in quality best described in this unique comparison of A Plague Tale -Rats.
Here is an ad:
After my gaming session, I interviewed game director Kevin Choteau as part of an interview now live on Gamereactor (see above). It’s here, Choteau tells me, that the better technology at Requiem’s core allows the game to render up to 300,000 mice at once, and a maximum of 5,000 mice still makes Innoocence’s sleazy rodent colony look indescribable. Needless to say, there will be plenty of rats again. More than you can perceive.
But back to the gameplay and the changes in this sequel. As we’ve often been told in trailers and gameplay videos, Amicia and Hugo are a bit old in this game. I can add, but just being a little older, you can see the weight of the decisions the couple had to make, they were putting pressure on them and changing them. Amicia is no longer a passive protector, someone who sneaks and runs away from danger. No, now she carries a crossbow that allows her to fight the enemy. The ammo economy does mean that Amicia won’t be able to take down any enemies that get in her way, but she can cut down enemies more easily – what we’re starting to learn is why the brother-sister duo is in another tricky and terrifying situation. Amicia also has some fancy new tools at her disposal, whether it’s tar that causes the flames to expand, or the crafting system has been streamlined a bit, so it’s easy to see what weapons Amicia is using and what ammo is currently loaded .
Hugo also has some new rat-related abilities that allow him to control hordes and direct them to attack enemies directly and precisely, and even gauge where enemies are wandering around (think rat-powered sonar). This all gives new ways to tackle each level, which, as I mentioned before, are bigger and require more patience and planning to pass without being discovered and overwhelmed by many enemies.
Here is an ad:
Generally, this is the subject of game demos. A Plague Tale: Requiem is bigger, prettier, more detailed, and has a much higher production budget. There is no doubt about that. The game is set to be one of the top games of the year, and if the rest of the story can maintain the quality that this unique chapter exudes, it looks like Asobo might just be a contender to have Game of the Year. Needless to say, I’m very excited about this game, which is why October 18 couldn’t have come sooner for me.