A Plague Tale: Requiem is an action-adventure game with stealth mechanics developed by Asobo studio and published by Focus Entertainment, released on October 18, 2022, for PC, Playstation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch. It is the continuation of the story of siblings Amicia and Hugo, which began in A Plague Tale: Innocence, released in 2019. 

With a dense story and remarkable characters, refined gameplay, and amazing visuals, the game is an evolution of its predecessor.

A tale of siblings

The game takes place six months after the events that occurred in the first game. After a period of peace in the siblings' lives, a certain event awakens the Affliction dormant in Hugo. Amicia and her friend Lucas set out to find a cure for the boy, but realize that all their efforts have only contributed to the disease to flourish. The plot unfolds with various conflicts, betrayals, and painful sacrifices. In the end, it is up to Amicia alone to decide what to do to put an end to the Affliction.

The narrative line drawn up for the game is, in itself, worthy of an award. We already realize how engaging the game was intended to be since its tutorial, in which we start the story in a peaceful atmosphere, in the context of children's play between brothers, but that is soon overcome by brutal violence, terror, and anxiety that will remain with us throughout the game.

The narrative elements of the game slowly immerse us in a decadent world of death and hopelessness. And when the rats make their entrance for real, we know that the plague is here to destroy everything and everyone.

I was involved in the story at all times, and an interesting detail that I would like to point out is the contextualization of the chapters. When we close a session and return to play again, the loading screen informs us about important parts of the story to put the player in context.



I'm going to kill you all!

The gameplay, although linear and not very innovative compared to the previous one, managed to bring some interesting elements. Amicia now has a progression system of primary skills that evolve based on your playstyle. Going stealth will give you points in Prudence, while Aggressiveness, as the name implies, will reward a more aggressive style of play. There is also Opportunism, for those who prefer to use elements of the environment to face their opponents.

In this edition, Amicia has also become able to strike back before receiving a fatal attack, being able to stun or even kill the enemy. To kill the target, she will need a knife, an instrument that can also be used to unlock workstations where it is possible to upgrade equipment.

For those who like exploration, the game may end up frustrating a bit, since its linear narrative tends to keep the player in a defined direction. This is not a deterrent to explore and even go in search of collectibles, but know that this is not one of the strengths of the game.



A very impressive evolution is the number of rats, which increased by up to 60x compared to the previous game. In some moments of the game, we are chased away by waves of rodents that destroy everything in their path. It is a breathtaking experience and very exciting at the same time. This upgrade, however, comes at a price, as the sheer quantity of rodents sometimes impacts the game's performance. However, in my opinion, the fun of escaping in a carriage while being chased by these castle-destroying rats is an experience that does not let us see flaws.

Another negative point, but one that is a detail about the greatness of the game, is the movement of Amicia's arms when she runs, and the way her legs behave as we descend stairs. The arms make unnatural movements, in which the character's elbows make much wider movements than expected. And the way Amicia behaves on stairs is also funny since she seems to be half squatting when going down the steps.

However, a positive point to consider is that during my sessions playing A Plague Tale: Requiem, I did not encounter any bugs or experience crashes of any nature.

The island is beautiful, Amicia.

As with the previous game, the settings are a work of art. A few times I stopped to look at very well-crafted, colorful settings that conveyed positive energy. Lively and well-saturated cities, reminiscent of beautiful Renaissance paintings. However, in most of the game what I felt was disgust and sadness. Seeing putrefied animal bodies scattered about, flies swarming across the screen, and puddles of mud and guts set the tone and made it clear that this is a place doomed to ruin.



The development team decided on the graphic quality of the game over performance, since it is possible to notice some issues involving fps, regardless of the card or DLSS mode used.

The music and sound effects, as well as the ambiance of the game, are impeccable. Aurélien Piters, the game's audio director, did an amazing job of getting you caught up in the feelings of the narrative. In moments of loss and melancholy, Piters managed to present his requiem. Without a doubt, his work contributed a lot to the overall quality of the game.

For this review, A Plague Tale: Requiem was played on PC with an Xbox Game Pass subscription.