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Usually, we just want to kick back and play video games to relax. But sometimes we all feel that need for something more, for something deeper, something rich. That something is A Plague Tale: Innocence. Through its riveting and deeply touching narrative, it mesmerized players all across the world, won many awards, and put the spotlight on a team of people determined to craft titles that would be remembered as part of gaming's history. So today, let's learn more about how A Plague Tale: Innocence was made, and who better to guide us than Aurélie Belzanne, head of communication at Asobo Studio.



GOG.COM: Hey Aurélie, thanks for speaking to us today. First off, could you introduce the two main characters of A Plague Tale: Innocence and the general setting of the game?
Aurélie Belzanne (Head of Communication): Hi! The two main heroes of A Plague Tale: Innocence are Amicia, a 14-year-old girl, and her young brother Hugo who is around 5 years old. They don’t really know each other at the beginning of the story; they grew up apart because Hugo is sick and very fragile, and their parents locked him up to try to cure him. But a tragic event throws them on their own, in the middle of a chaotic world ravaged by an unexplained disease that kills everyone on its path and personified by huge devouring swarms of rats. The whole story is basically about how to grow up and survive facing one of the most extreme situations that humanity was faced with.

Could you tell us why you chose to set your story in medieval times, and how being based in France helped in creating the landscapes of the game?

The 14th century is a turning point in European history. Major events happened that changed the lives of millions of people forever exactly like Amicia and Hugo, our two sibling heroes. There’s the Hundred Years' War with the Plantagenets and Valois fighting for the French throne, the Inquisition, the Black Death decimating the population indiscriminately, etc. We were looking for a particular context and this one was just perfect for what we wanted to tell: a brutal, grim, yet deeply inspiring tale – just like the folktales we would read or hear when we were young children. Moreover, here in Bordeaux, France, all around our studio, we can still see lots of medieval vestiges. It seemed a good start to explore.



The game was acclaimed for its heart-wrenching narration and the beautiful relationship between Amicia and Hugo. What was the hardest part in creating this deeply human relationship and making it so believable?

It was a mix of lengthy research in narratively intense situations that could be believable, both in terms of feelings and interactivity, and in lovable yet grounded character designs, while also finding a cast that could create a deep connection with the players. It was definitely a risk to choose children, but, in the end, our young actors were fantastic and proved we made the right decisions. All these elements were key to creating strong and moving bonds between the two kids and with the other characters they meet.

Olivier Deriviere composed a grim and emotional soundtrack, how early in the development of the game did the work on its music start and how did both those things influence each other?

Olivier’s creation is definitely something that helped the game find its tone and a way to touch players. He immediately embraced our story and game with as much passion as us, and what it did just magnified our vision. Together with the team, he found how to connect the mood and the player’s actions. Alongside him, we learned things that helped build a grounded and tense atmosphere, blending sound design, instrumental melodies, ambient noises, and dialogues. It is not just a professional partnership between us all, it is something stronger and very rich.



We must admit we're not huge fans of critters, how well did the whole team handle spending their days amidst swarms of ferocious rats?
It was not such a big deal for us, fortunately. In many of our games, there were already one or two rats here and there - maybe it was a sign! The truth is that rats are part of the cast somehow. They are not only embodying the forces of nature, but are also one of the main characters. Of course, it can be something disgusting because we wanted them to feel visceral, massive, and never-before-seen. If they feel that way to the players, it means we took on this challenge in the right way.

Ready to experience a story about love and survival? Dive into A Plague Tale: Innocence and discover France as you've never seen it before.
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nightcraw1er.488: *snip*
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finkleroy: Everything you just stated is 100% false. There is a lot of combat. A lot of killing. A lot of dying. A lot of puzzle solving. A lot of stealth. A lot of crafting. A good deal of upgrading. You've previously stated that you've only played the very beginning of the game, and it shows. If you'd bothered to actually play the game, you might actually know what you're talking about, but you chose not to play it, so instead you're spouting factually incorrect nonsense.
So the game drastically changes after chapter 3 does it? I was just looking at a walkthrough of the game:
https://www.powerpyx.com/a-plague-tale-innocence-full-walkthrough-all-chapters/
Doesn’t seem to differ to much from what I said, objectives being go here, escape there, run from something, and occasionally pick something up. Perhaps the walkthrough is also false? Anyways, it was my Impression of the game after about 3-3.5 chapters where I removed it. For me it’s a walking sim with pretty graphics nothing more. I had no further interest in playing any further.
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nightcraw1er.488: *snip*
No. It does not drastically change. You refused to find out what the game is like at all, and that's why you're spouting nonsense. You played the intro, then claimed that the entire game is definitely 100% exactly like the intro, and refuse to listen to everyone who has played it to completion when they tell you that your impression of the game is wrong. I only pointed out that you're completely wrong so that anyone who hasn't played the game who happens to read these comments will know that this game is 100% not a walking simulator, and I feel like myself and multiple people who have also completed the game have successfully proven that point. It's just one person who's only played the intro who insists on outright lying about the game who says that it's a walking sim. This thread is officially dead. It's time to move on and ignore the trolls.
Post edited July 16, 2021 by finkleroy
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nightcraw1er.488: *snip*
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finkleroy: No. It does not drastically change. You refused to find out what the game is like at all, and that's why you're spouting nonsense. You played the intro, then claimed that the entire game is definitely 100% exactly like the intro, and refuse to listen to everyone who has played it to completion when they tell you that your impression of the game is wrong. I only pointed out that you're completely wrong so that anyone who hasn't played the game who happens to read these comments will know that this game is 100% not a walking simulator, and I feel like myself and multiple people who have also completed the game have successfully proven that point. It's just one person who's only played the intro who insists on outright lying about the game who says that it's a walking sim. This thread is officially dead. It's time to move on and ignore the trolls.
The only person getting upset is you. I put forward my opinion of the game based on playing the first few chapters. I then proceeded to, after you said it changes, to check the walkthrough, and I do not find anything different to what I experienced in those first few chapters. Calling me a liar is simply being offensive at someone putting forth their option which you do not agree with.
Un excellent jeu. Très agréable à parcourir de bout en bout. Merci à la team Asobo!
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nightcraw1er.488: *snip*
Your reaction to refusing to play the game is nonsense, which you then amplified by again refusing to play the game or watch a full walkthrough or listen to the numerous people who have played the game to completion who have told you that you're wrong and have explained why. You can't be bothered to stop lying about the game. We get it. Move on, troll.
Post edited July 16, 2021 by finkleroy
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nightcraw1er.488: *snip*
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finkleroy: ... We get it. Move on, troll.
'nuff said
Looks like the world in that game needs a good dose of cats.
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Crosmando: Looks like the world in that game needs a good dose of cats.
https://youtu.be/1-sCLN93fSA?t=53
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finkleroy: This is a perfect example of people throwing the term "walking simulator" at games that thoroughly aren't walking simulators, to the point that the term now means absolutely nothing. "Walking simulators" are games that have tons of combat, where you have to kill scores of enemies, there are lots of environmental puzzles, there's lots of stealth, and there's a crafting/upgrade system? That's absurd nonsense. What exactly does it mean, then? A game where walking is simulated, regardless of anything else that happens in the game? By that logic, Apex Legends is a walking simulator. Yeah, that term officially means exactly nothing anymore. SMH
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nightcraw1er.488: Nope. Not at all. I called it a walking simulator as you do very little other than to go from point a where you start to point b where the next event happens. There is no combat, there is no real puzzle solving. There is the occasional thing to be thrown. It means a game where you don’t really do much other than go from point a to point b (don’t know if that frees with everyone else definition). There is no combat, there is no RPG mechanics, there is very little stealth (no using skills/items to douse flames, or change floors), there is very little puzzle solving, no inventory puzzles, there is no unit management, strategy planning, base building, nothing which would put it into another genre. Apologies if there is a better term for it, but it simply has very little depth.
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Dogmaus: it's just being used willingly in a derogatory way. Because "true gamers" don't play that girlie stuff ya know.
Also, there's points in the game that can be solved in different ways. I've played the game twice and I've approached things differently here and there, or tried more than once a section and the course of the fights changed in various manners. And there are more stream-lined zones. But you can't just "walk" them through. Cause it's an action/stealth game...
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nightcraw1er.488: Nope, it’s not being used in a derogatory term at all, it’s simply a description of the game loop. You are aware that games are a simple loop, and are thus defined by the systems they expose. A first person shooter, has the attributes of being from a first person and having the ability to shoot things. This is a walking sim as I describe above. Sure there are exceptions to the rule, doom eternal has a bit where you wander around a space ship with nothing to shoot, does this make it a 4x space strategy game, no.
Cool. Can I try a minimalist description like you do? I wanna do Mario 1.

"You jump on blocks and pipes and grab some mushrooms, you just have to go right until you reach a castle. Oh and there are some turtles you jump on them and that's it. 0/10 pure trash walking simulator wouldn't waste another minute on it after the 5 I won't ever recover."

APT:I is a fine game. Maybe not the masterpiece the title claims it to be, but good enough to spend time with in these times of so many games/books/movies requesting a slice of your limited leisure time.
Post edited July 16, 2021 by joppo
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joppo: Cool. Can I try a minimalist description like you do? I wanna do Mario 1.

"You jump on blocks and pipes and grab some mushrooms, you just have to go right until you reach a castle. Oh and there are some turtles you jump on them and that's it. 0/10 pure trash walking simulator wouldn't waste another minute on it after the 5 I won't ever recover."
our minds are something alike because I thought of the same example but I was too tired of this to put it on words. And I could imagine the reply being somethig like "that's a run and jump simulator, not a walking simulator" lol
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Dogmaus: our minds are something alike because I thought of the same example but I was too tired of this to put it on words. And I could imagine the reply being somethig like "that's a run and jump simulator, not a walking simulator" lol
Lol I stand corrected. Jump simulator it is.

But yeah, if you remove the "soul" of any game it's pretty easy to reduce it to a couple instructions like "go to a certain place", "press a button"... . It turns the game into nothing more than a mechanical exercise and that is definitely incredibly boring. If you're making food using those astronaut dehydrated food pills instead of regular ingredients you're never going to impress a food connoisseur. Only in our case the chef and the food critic are both the same person.
Post edited July 16, 2021 by joppo
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Dogmaus: our minds are something alike because I thought of the same example but I was too tired of this to put it on words. And I could imagine the reply being somethig like "that's a run and jump simulator, not a walking simulator" lol
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joppo: nothing more than a mechanical exercise and that is definitely incredibly boring
as an arid description of the act of gaming yes, but if you think about the hard work of a speed runner, or a musitian that has played a piece until they can reproduce it quickly without mistakes, it's also a fascinating mind/body coordination. And you can describe what a music genious is doing as "they're just moving their fingers on the keyboard in order according to the signs on the piece of papar in front of them". Playing music is just a finger exercice if you describe it coldly and leave THE FUN (and the emotion) out of the equation!
Post edited July 17, 2021 by Dogmaus
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joppo: nothing more than a mechanical exercise and that is definitely incredibly boring
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Dogmaus: as an arid description of the act of gaming yes, but if you think about the hard work of a speed runner, or a musitian that has played a piece until they can reproduce it quickly without mistakes, it's also a fascinating mind/body coordination. And you can describe what a music genious is doing as "they're just moving their fingers on the keyboard in order according to the signs on the piece of papar in front of them". Playing music is just a finger exercice if you describe it coldly and leave THE FUN (and the emotion) out of the equation!
I couldn't have said it any better.
It's free on Epic now.