A Plague Tale: Innocence (May 14th)

[Ganepark32]

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In A Plague Tale: Innocence join Amicia and Hugo on a grim journey out of childhood and into a harsh 14th century reality they are ill-prepared for. Pursued by the mysterious and deadly Inquisition, hiding from the rats and suspicious, angry populace at every turn, while desperately seeking a safe haven - this is their life now and you must lead them to safety, no matter the danger.

I've seen this cropping up over the last few weeks on YouTube and places and while I initially didn't give it any notice, I ended up watching a trailer for it and liked the look of what I saw. It's the first major title for the developer, Asobo, apparently but fall into that bracket if niche titles that Focus Home Interactive have been good at publishing of late (they published Dontnod's Vampyr last year and while I had my issues with that game, I was still pleased to see a publisher taking a chance one a smaller niche title that ended up working out well, with it selling a million plus copies).

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A new gameplay trailer showcases world-first footage of a brand new level, showing off a little more of what the game has to offer- careful use of the environment, puzzle-solving, and how light, darkness, and the rats are friend and foe in tandem. Amicia must make it to the University, past the Inquisition’s worst and through a town racked with chaos - all to find a glimmer of safety in this dark, brutal world.

This is just a taste of everything that awaits in the full-game, where your wits, your ability to explore, Amicia’s crafting skills, and her partnership with Hugo are all that will keep the pair alive. Hugo is not your own companion on this adventure, with those orphaned by the war and the sickness banding together to try to survive - will everyone manage to see the light of day once again?

I've always enjoyed a bit of stealth gameplay and so this could be right up my street. Interesting setting and some solid gameplay and it could be a bit of a hidden gem. I'm hoping it ends up turning out good as I'm looking to pick it up on release as it's definitely piqued my interest.

Don't know if anyone else will be interested but thought it worth a share as I'm liking the look of it so far. It's out on May 14th on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

Edited May 2, 2019 by Ganepark32

[killthenet]

Hadn't heard of it at all so thanks for posting about it. Only watched the overview trailer but I really like the look of it. Only misgivings I have with it is the voice acting, hoping the developers include the option for French language audio it seems like it would be more immersive and benefit the game to hear the characters actually speaking French rather than English with a bit of an accent.

[Hero-of-Time]

I watched a few reviews for this yesterday evening and the game looks to be one of the surprises of the generation. The fact that it is a nice 12 hour, narrative driven and linear game has certainly piqued my interest. It will be a nice refreshing experience after playing through a few open world games over the past month. I may pick it up for the weekend.

[S.C.G]

Looks interesting at least...

I didn't know this was a £40 game though, just checked on ShopTo and it's sold out on both formats too!

Well, at least it's either doing good on the sales, possibly a low print run or gamers are genuinely starved for good single-player story-driven games.

In any case, it's good to see such a title succeeding, I still can't see myself buying it for full price but I would be tempted to £25 - £30.

[Ganepark32]

I'm very surprised but pleased with how we'll it's reviewed. It's done better than Rage 2 and of the games, I thought it would be this that ended up not being the better title and it seems critically at least to be the opposite.

I've picked up the game but I've been away for a couple of days for my birthday so hoping I can get stuck in over the next couple of days. Looking forward to jumping in as I've been craving a streamlined single player game with a good story and with this supposedly hitting the right notes, then I should be in for a good time.

Kudos to Focus Home Interactive for continuing to publish smaller AA titles this generation. While Vampyr might not have been the best, the idea behind it and the general aesthetic was great (I think it might have benefitted from removing the combat and focusing on the narrative more) and I've seen people talk highly of the likes of The Surge even if it's not my type of game. So it's good to see a steady stream of more niche titles crop up again and long my it continue.

[Ganepark32]

So I managed to wrap this up on Saturday and I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised by the game. I had worried before reviews hit that the game would end up missing the mark but the game was superb through and through and I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finished. It was just so refreshing to play a single player game that didn't throw you into a massive open world but instead focused on creating an engrossing linear experience where there were great characters and a strong story arch.

I think what stood out so prominently for me was that playing as Amicia, with her little brother Hugo in tow, was such a different experience to a lot of the games hitting the market these days. You're not some Amazonian warrior capable of chopping your way through guards, you're just a teenager caught up in the world where everything is going wrong while trying to protect your younger brother. Getting caught means death more often than not and while having such a limited skill set for surviving may be a turn off for some, I thought it was brilliant and lends some real tension to sections where you just manage to squeak past guards.

That relationship between the two main characters, Amicia anf Hugo, and how it progresses throughout was handled so well and that innocence in both the title and in the game was such an interesting aspect to explore. Hugo is characterised as this wide eyed 5 year old whose been kept away from the world and so him chirping up and talking to pigs, chasing after frogs and his general bewilderment to the world around is a marked contrast to everything that's happening around you. The war with England, the plague and the rats all make for a hellish landscape yet Hugo's innocence is a beautiful touch and those interactions with his sister where she breaks away from the horrors around her are at times touching.

The game is predominantly a stealth based one and though the chapters are linear, with only one way to get through encounters, it still felt great getting the timing right, distracting a guard or even breaking their lanterns to let a swarm of rats devour them. It's not as in depth as say Dishonored or Hitman by any margin but what's there is tense and really well done. The different types of ammo for your sling, created as you progress through the story, helps to add some flair, making things slightly more manageable but it never alleviates the tension of being caught because with a sling, you'll never win in close or quick combat.

There are puzzles interspersed throughout, mostly to do with moving lit torches or braziers to clear a path through rats, and these are generally simple but again I felt added to the tension of some instances.

The rat swarms were such a harrowing foe. While you are more or less safe from them, the times where you have to have to just run for it in unlit areas are terrifying. One wrong move and you and your companions are done for. As you progress though, the late game moments with the rats are so much fun and the last 2 chapters with their boss fights are stand out moments for just looking and feeling great.

For such a small team, the game looks phenomenal and the soundtrack is pitch perfect for the settings in how hauntingly beautiful it is. I'm also amazed at just how well it all ran. No frame rate issues, no graphical issues or anything.

Asobo Studios have outdone themselves in my eyes, especially when you consider they've never worked on a game of this calibre. The attention to detail, the story and characters and gameplay were brilliant. I definitely agree with those who've said they see it as this year's Hellblade or Vampyr and if it wasn't for Metro Exodus and my love for that franchise, this would be my favourite game of 2019 so far. As it is though, it's my second favourite and I loved it. Sad to see the end of it.

I will say that the game won't be for everyone. The linear nature of things, lack of replayability and the stealth based gameplay will undoubtedly put some off. But if you want a great AA title, with great characters, a fantastically realised setting and a good story, then look no further than this. It's certainly going to be one of those gems that will hopefully be remembered. And hopefully we'll see more of this quality from both Asobo Studios and Focus Home Interactive.

Now to sit and patiently wait for Control to release as there's nothing else that really takes my fancy for the next couple of months. Hopefully THQ Nordic will announce a date for Biomutant soon enough to fill the AA gap.

[Hero-of-Time]

I started this last night and managed to get through the first 4 chapters of the game before I called it a day. Great stuff so far.

I love playing as Amicia, while protecting little Hugo.  The relationship between them so far is an interesting one. She's obviously wanting what's best for him but she gets frustrated with him for being so innocent and naive. I think the game pulls off the older and younger sibling interactions very well and it reminds me a bit how my older siblings used to treat me.  

I was very surprised just how dark the game is at the start and how quickly it turns into a very depressing ordeal. From the reviews I knew the game was a dark a dreary experience but I wasn't expecting it to be like that pretty much from the get go.

The game is so intense. With it being a one hit kill/seen and your dead kind of game, every enemy encounter is to be feared and taken seriously. The sense of relief when you get through an area filled with guards is very real. It's a real stealth game through and through.

I'm floored by the quality of the visuals and the voice acting. This is a game by a very small studio but it honestly puts a lot of higher budget developers to shame.

There were a couple of technical hiccups with the game. There was a lot screen tearing and weird effects happening on screen at the start of the game. I disabled the HDR and the game ran fan after that. Some of the voice acting, while great, has some weird echoing going on at times. It's not often but it can be distracting. I also had to adjust the speed of the camera when controlling it with control stick. It just felt off but once I lowered it everything worked well. 

I'm looking forward to playing more of this and seeing where the intriguing story takes me...

[Aneres11]

So I have had this downloaded on my Series X for ages, but I finally started it yesterday. 

I've been in a gaming 'lull' for what feels like a loooong time now.i keep starting games, getting so far in, losing interest and not going back to them. Whether it's the game, or me, I don't know. It's likely me! 

So I felt like I needed something with substance to keep me invested and hopefully, get me out of my rut. 

I'm up to chapter 4, and I'm really enjoying the game so far. There's a real 'Last of Us' feel about this game. A tragedy to start, a growing relationship as events play out, and lots of stealth. Stealth play isn't my favourite, but so far it's punctuated with other gameplay elements that is keeping it all feeling quite fresh. 

The game looks lovely in parts, and I must admit what made me finally play this was seeing some screenshots of the upcoming second game in the series, which also looked amazing. 

The rats have just started to become a 'thing' now, and it's pretty gross shooing them all away with the fire / light. Anyone with a rat phobia needs to steer clear of this one. 😁. 

Fingers crossed I stick with this and it keeps my interest. 

 

[Aneres11]

I'm up to chapter 6 now, having played a little more today. 

I'm really enjoying the game. I definitely feel like I'm playing a Last of Us clone, though, like I already said! 

It's not a bad thing, but you can see exactly how the developers have tried to create a similar experience. Even down to the solo guitar instrumental that plays every now and again. 

As I say, no bad thing. I personally think it plays better then TLOU, as that relied heavily on its narrative and it's more what people remember than the actual gameplay. That's how it is for me, anyway. That game got repetitive quickly, and that's without the grind bore fest that TLOU2 turned into. This keeps things fresh enough to feel exciting and different, and with new recipe crafts being unlocked as you progress, it prevents the game from feeling too samey. That could all change as I get further in of course, but for now I'm having a blast. 

Im intrigued to see where the story takes me and why Hugo is wanted so badly. Hopefully those questions are answered. If I had my way I'd throw him to the rats and crack on alone. Whiney little bugger.

Edited June 26, 2022 by Aneres11

[Aneres11]

I'm on to chapter 11 now so 5 chapters left. 

This game has definitely taken me out of my gaming rut. Thoroughly enjoying it. 

The story is ticking along nicely, and I'm pretty invested now in the siblings. At first I thought Hugo was just a whiney little shit and there was actually nothing wrong with him! Turns out there clearly is something up with him :D. 

I know I said it already, but the game really does look stunning in places. The lighting effects in particular are stunning. 

What I like the most with this game, is there are no traditional 'weapons'. Sure, there are items that you can craft to use at your disposal but I find those elements much better than just providing the character with a gun or a dagger which probably would have been quite easy to do. 

I also love how you have the threat of the rats, but the game sees you using them to your advantage. A really clever mechanic. 

One more thing I'm impressed with, is how the puzzle sections are not at all challenging. Some may see that as a negative, but I feel like some games chuck puzzles in that can stump you for ages and it breaks up the flow of the story / chapter. With this game, they're simple but a welcome addition. 

All in all, top stuff so far, and I'm so glad I finally started it. It's just what I needed to break me out of my gaming lull. Can't wait to get through to the end and see what happens. 

 

[Aneres11]

Chapter 13... Wow! Amazing stuff. 

That's a game chapter I'll remember for a while. So so good. I'm almost sad I'm nearing the end!! 

[Aneres11]

Finished the game up last night. 

Loved it.i

I'll admit, the last chapter was a little frustrating and a bit of trial and error before I worked out what I needed to do. It moved away from the puzzle element to quite close combat which didn't really fit as well IMO. 

Still I thought the game was an easy 9. Great story, didn't drag on too long and the abilities you unlocked as you progress really kept things feeling fresh. 

Can't wait for the next game. Glad I finally played it and glad I got out of my gaming rut at last! Just picked up The Quarry from LAME so on to the next one!