A Plague Tale: Innocence

This game started out as very absorbing, with great graphics and a good and interesting story that you could become invested in. As the game progresses though you start to experience the repeated gameplay loops, I suppose in a way like many other game, but being such a linear game it is more noticeable. I really wanted to give this 5 stars, but had to knock a star off for the same almost 'Tomb Raider' same old dame old feeling (yet another tomb and puzzle) you get when you reach half way... It's a game you need to play in stages and come back to every few weeks to keep it fresh.

It's a linear story driven game about two siblings that have not had much contact with each other growing up because of the younger boy's illness, they now have to survive together when a plague is sweeping through the home region. The gameplay is basic but at the same time rich in its own way. Your main tool is your sling & you unlock different ammunition so you can progress the liner story. 99% of the time there is only one way to solve world puzzles & when it comes to fighting enemies you basically have two options, sneak past or kill. With the latter the easiest option. I enjoyed the gameplay but the game is less focused on gameplay mechanics & more focused on story. A good comparison would be the game Hellblad Senua’s Sacrifice. That's also a game that was more focused on storytelling than gameplay mechanics. Many people’s opinion is that Hellblade lacks gameplay. My opinion is that the gameplay it has is very rich if you really learn it. It’s that same thing with A Plague Tale in my opinion. It’s simple but well designed. I loved this game & had to buy the second game straight away.

I liked the game well enough and had no issues, but I did find it a bit gamey at times which can annoy me. **minor spoilers ahead** For example one of the first boss battles had you fight some armoured guy which had to be disarmoured before you could kill him. You could hit him in the unarmoured spots all day and blood sprays out but it does no damage(which would kill any other typical enemy). Or the final boss fight which has you hit someone in the face with rocks which you can get multiple rocks off, but only the first hit counts because he goes invulnerable until the next phase in the fight is reached. I would have given it 4/5 without those issues. The game runs and works fine otherwise and the story is interesting enough.

Narrative: 4 Mechanics: 4 Visuals/Art Style: 5 Audio/Soundtrack: 4 Replayability: 1 Performance: 5 Overall: 23/30 In the sea of post-apocalyptic games, A Plague Tale: Innocence stands above the rest as one of the best in the genre. Taking place in 14th century France during the Hundred Years War, you play as Amicia de Rune trying to save her brother Hugo from an unknown disease that is slowly taking over his body. It is up to Amicia to find a cure while protecting her brother from the rat plague that has overtaken the land and the Inquisition which is in pursuit. A Plague Tale: Innocence takes place during a time in history when religion and science clashed head to head. While there are some cliches in the narrative such as religious fanatics versus heretical alchemists; the writing, voice acting, and mystery of the impending rat plague keep the player engaged for the entire ten hour ride. The game relies heavily on stealth and puzzle solving, which is perfect considering that both Amicia and Hugo are just children. not trained killing machines. The gravity of Amicia's first kill to protect her brother can be felt, as well as the gradual loss of innocence that both siblings go through while trying to survive. A Plague Tale: Innocence is visually breathtaking, and the audio is held to the same level of excellence. Surprisingly enough, these visuals did not come at the cost of performance and the game runs smoothly. The only negative I have is that it ended too soon at around ten hours. I think fifteen to twenty hours would have felt more reasonable for a $40 price tag without overstaying its welcome. Overall, A Plague Tale: Innocence is a must play game for fans of story driven narratives. Just don't expect much reason to play the game a second time as there are no difficulty settings, new game plus features, or various endings.

This game is a lot of fun and does not waste your time with filler or back tracking. I played the whole way through without touching any other games. It is very immersive.