It took three years Asobo Studioto prepare a highly anticipated sequel to his story of a plague, a little boy, and his brave sister. Using the experience of the original, the authors of the project take us back in time a few months following the end of the first part of the game. Amicia de Rune, her brother Hugo, their mother and the young alchemist Luca spend their time carefree far from the devastated cities and the defeated epidemic. Green meadows, transparent streams and abandoned castles excite their young imagination, pushing them to adventurous deeds. And it is one of them that revives the dormant filth inside Hugo – Macula. So the new place gradually turns from a cute provincial paradise into a hellish nightmare. Now Amicia and Luca, with the support of the master of the secret order, are trying to stop the growing epidemic …
A Plague Tale: Requiem uses the techniques from the first part with the unhurried development of the narrative and the transition from carelessness to the collapsing world around, but the authors are constantly experimenting with mechanics and environments. Education in a colorful introduction is one of the highest quality and native I have seen in the last few years. The game does not impose new mechanics, but makes them a natural part of the exploration of the world around. Stealth elements, which in the original took up a significant part of the game time, are now at the center of the story. You avoid enemies through the flower fields of a still calm world, hunt lone guards, hide in shelters and behind massive boxes, make your way through thin ribbons of light, and use rats and fire to progress through new stages of the game. Amicia’s already legendary sling returns with several types of projectiles. The heroine can throw stones with her hand, luring or distracting guards, throwing stones at the unprotected heads of enemies, using fire, extinguishing and tar projectiles, as well as placing them in collected pots for a larger area of destruction. A little later, Amicia also receives the coveted crossbow for bloody hunting for armored guards and knights, but a small amount of ammunition will make such fights episodic. Even rarer are disposable knives that can save you from direct confrontation with protected opponents.
With a sling, you solve simple puzzles, putting out torches and fires and opening up space for carnivorous rats, or vice versa, using fire projectiles to escape the creeping catastrophe. Combinations of alcohol and resin at some stages make it possible to create whole lakes of fire, and throwing a black clot into a fire causes a bright flash that scares away rodents. All the components necessary for crafting shells are located in numerous chests, openly scattered or hidden hidden throughout the levels. The authors do not forget regarding the secrets and collecting, which come down to vivid memories and collecting flowers and feathers for the Hugo collection.
Against the backdrop of stealth and action, the authors do not forget regarding the bright chases, which are implemented here a little better than in the original, but still bring confusion to the unhurried rhythm of the game. It is clear that the creators really wanted to bring a few scenes in the style of Unchartedand sometimes it really works. For example, running through the streets of a city collapsing under the pressure of rats looks incredibly impressive, but all the sores of the original with getting stuck on corners have not gone away. Rare moments of interaction of heroes, when one spins the wheel or runs through the fields with rats under cover, create excellent dynamics and proper variety.