Review: A Plague Tale: Requiem explained to parents

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What parents need to know

Warning: A Plague Tale: Requiem is the sequel to A Plague Tale: Innocence.

A Plague Tale: Requiem is a survival horror, action and adventure game. We are projected into the sixteenth century in the middle of the Hundred Years War in Aquitaine, France. It is 6 months after A Plague Tale: Innocence that we embody again Amicia, a reckless and loving teenager, who will do everything to protect her little brother Hugo, endowed with supernatural abilities.

Given the century and context of the Middle Ages, this game is realistic in the face of misery and death. Many corpses appear, blood or explicit violent situations. Amicia (the player) will not hesitate to kill in certain situations to protect her brother.

Principle of the game

Character
  • A Plague Tale: Requiem takes up the mechanics of its prequel. We play Amicia in third person always equipped with her sling (a weapon to throw projectiles). The combat system remains similar but slightly improved. It is possible to take knives to stab enemies, which disappear after use, to create fire, powder to extinguish the fire or even spread it.
  • In addition to all this, it is also possible to improve some abilities with a workbench (see capture of the game just below). The player will have to choose his strengths in priority (here, the improved slingshot).
A Plague Tale Requiem Screenshot 1 Screen Share
Enemies
  • Remaining in the context of the Black Death, the main enemy is: rats. With them, no chance of getting by. If you get caught, it’s the end of the game. Fortunately, their weakness is light. The player has the ability to light fires in the right places, extinguish it, or lure rats to strategic places with meat. The key is to manage the puzzles well.
  • In addition to the rats, the French Inquisition is on their heels. It must be said that the characters infiltrate forbidden places, where soldiers will not hesitate to attack. On top of that, Hugo, the little brother, has supernatural abilities that frighten. He manages to control rats thanks to La Macula, a concept studied by his family and the Order.

Details

Release date : October 18, 2022

Developed by: Studio Asobo

Published by: Focus Entertainment

Available on: Nintendo Switch, Playstation 5, Windows, Xbox Series X/S.

Type of game: Action adventure and survival.

Average length of a game: According to the desires.

Estimated total game time: 17 hours, approximate.

Themes: Black Death, Inquisition, Middle Ages, supernatural.

Business model: Full purchase

Number of players: 1 player

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Violence, fear, nudity?
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As explained earlier, we are in the context of war, plague and the Middle Ages. Death, violence and disease are omnipresent. Sometimes even some paintings can make you nauseous.

Minimum reading level required
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The dialogues are all said out loud, even during gameplay phases. An attentive person, does not need to read to understand and play.

Language level used
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Surprisingly, the game has no vulgar language, except for the jargon of peasants and soldiers of the Middle Ages. The main people do not swear.

Positive message
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The positive message retained remains that fraternity and fidelity come first. Loved ones protect each other in the face of many obstacles. Everyone can interpret their message themselves. There is also the message of plague and war being denounced.

Difficulty
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The game has three levels of difficulty. We tested the in-between and the difficulty is not the most present. It can happen to fail a few times and this is normal. The key is to think carefully about the puzzles and to execute your actions well. In addition, Amicia, the player, can make up for it after being attacked by a human.

Minimum controller execution level required
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The key is to know where the different capabilities are on the controller. It is a game designed for controller and is very well suited for. It is also much more pleasant than the keyboard and mouse.

Additional costs ?
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No additional cost is required to play and finish the game. There is, however, an optional cosmetic pack available.

Our opinion

A Plague Tale: Requiem gives us a powerful and emotional experience. The theme remains very interesting with a touch of the supernatural adding to the whole a part of mystery. We want to continue the game to know its story and the final process.

In addition to having an interesting narrative, the levels in the game are very well done. The player does not get bored looking for his way for a long time, without being taken by the hand. The mechanics of the game are few and extremely well exploited. It is possible to throw fire with his slingshot, or whatever, in key places or even burn enemies, extinguish their torch remotely so that they are caught by rats and still full of interesting possibilities.

We recommend this game for adults fond of narrative experiences and survival games.

On the other hand, for children under 16 years old it is more delicate, if not recommended at all. Death, blood, disease are recurrent in the game and can offend their sensitivity. The visual is very explicit and some scenes project us so much, that high hearts can intervene. It is a little bit to each his sensitivity to these subjects.

We recommend it even less for people who are very sensitive to dirt, which can make the experience very unpleasant.

Official website of the game: https://www.focus-entmt.com/en/games/a-plague-tale-requiem

About Sharon Ribeiro

Game Designer diplômée et dans l'industrie, j'ai su que je voulais faire des jeux vidéo mon métier depuis l'âge de 14 ans. En plus d'avoir cette passion pour la conceptualisation de jeux, j'aime apprendre à tous ce domaine passionnant.

View all posts by Sharon Ribeiro