First Impressions. A Plague Tale: Innocence
Remember that one section in Dishonored towards the end of the game, where you're sneaking through the sewers and have to throw corpses to distract hordes of rats so you can safely cross a room? Of course you do, that game rules! Now imagine if someone, Asobo Studios actually, took that idea and built a whole game around it. Throw in the sibling dynamic and puzzle solving of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and you have a recipe for something special.
I picked up A Plague Tale: Innocence on Game Pass, and played through the first couple of chapters. With the upcoming release of A Plague Tale: Requiem, launching day one on Game Pass, I wanted to check out the first game to see if it would be worth picking up the sequel as soon as it is available.
From what I've seen of the game, I think I may be doing just that.
The anti-power fantasy in games
In a world of games where the objective is as grand as saving the world or defeating demons and gods, it can be refreshing to find an experience where the stakes are more grounded and human, as well as the tools available to you. Survival is almost the only goal for Amicia and Hugo, and the focus on that helps to heighten the fear and tension.
The lethal threats both human and rat that you encounter, and your relative weakness against them further enhance the fear you feel while playing. Most of the items that you can use are only intended for distraction. You can kill some of the enemies as a last resort, but you get the sense that the game is leading you towards avoiding risky combat wherever possible. This helps the role-playing aspect of the game, playing the part of a frightened child who hates killing and will only do it when there is no other option.
A little too much game in my interactive movie
One criticism I have is that I'm not sure that a narrative-focused game like this really needed resource collecting and crafting mechanics. It felt capital VG Video Gamey in a bad way. It certainly broke the immersion somewhat to stop in the middle of running for your life to sit down and craft a new pouch to hold more rope.
Thankfully the number of times you stop to craft is limited, and the upgrades are relatively minor. Many of the online guides will direct you to every hidden resource throughout the game’s levels, but I've had no issue progressing in the game with the upgrades I was able to collect from my limited searching. As the story progresses you get more use for the resources you collect, which helps to justify it somewhat. I would have preferred any upgrades to be acquired through the story, however.
Children or ninjas?
I did find the stealth elements to be very forgiving at times. Provided a soldier has his back turned and you are crouching, then you can be within touching distance and not be overheard. Which broke the immersion a little whenever it happens. However the paths the game lays out for you mean that this isn't too noticeable.
A spooky, gross, good time all around
Asobo has done a fantastic job crafting an experience where you feel the life or death stakes more strongly than in most games. Both when avoiding death, and dealing it out in desperation. A few minor gameplay concerns aren't enough to stop this from being strongly recommended, especially for Xbox Game Pass subscribers who can get the game for no extra cost.
Playing Innocence has made me more excited for its sequel, Requiem, which will be released in October.
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