A Plague Tale: Innocence will surely be remembered as the "rat game" in the future, which will bring it the recognition that is drying up in the video game world.
About the game
By its structure, "the play with rats" is designed as a linear survival with a clear focus on sneaking, bypassing, or silently eliminating threats along the way. At its core, however, the play is primarily concerned with the narrative and storytelling of the tormenting but also an inspiring epic of several young people in times that were as difficult as an anvil around the neck for adults. All this is additionally and artfully intertwined with the imaginative, semi-fantasy motifs and harsh reality and real qualities of the period and climate that the game describes.
Given this setting and the author's desire for storytelling to run smoothly and continuously, the elements of gameplay are relatively poor, with the absence of greater freedom to choose how to solve a problem. The main "tools" that you will most use are the stones you collect along the way, with which you can do some distracting actions.
Gameplay
The mainstay of all your actions concerns the aforementioned rat attacks, around which several successful gameplay mechanics are built that are constantly intertwined. Rat attacks are, first and foremost, extremely sensitive to any light source, whether it is a suspended lamp, a torch to be taken off a wall, or a burning rod that will temporarily provide light. If you inadvertently "get off" the tracks that are safe or suddenly find yourself in the dark, you have literally a second and a half to get hold of security, as tireless rodents will overwhelm you like piranhas and expressly send you to Reload checkpoint screen. This also applies to your opponents, which you can actively use against them (by breaking a handy lamp they carry with them for example), crossing over ham or hanging corpses (which attracts rats), or otherwise directing rodents (light beams you can to rotate, for example). While playing, you will encounter different types of slingshot ammo, opening up an additional array of ways to move forward: flammable pebbles that activate extinguished torches or burners, exploding which eliminates rats within a limited radius, solution for lulling guards, toxic missiles that will force opponents to take off their helmets. substance-coated projectiles that attract rodents and the like.
The visual and sonic play evokes its design and is a testament to how much attention the authors have taken to creating compelling sites that exude strong historical authenticity (in terms of architecture, quality of textures, details, special effects and more). Particularly effective are the rats themselves, which protrude from every possible orifice, boiling in the distance when you see only their outlines and shaky eyes because of the darkness, constantly trying to bite you if you are careless, or scream and panic if you chase them, swinging a torch... Audio processing is outstanding, whether it's ambient sounds, the murmur of furry monsters in the dark, or dramatic tones if guards catch you looking like a game of Shadow Tactics, and here it is highly advisable to include the original (in this case French) language of the characters to be advertised.
Conclusion
Should you give this game a go?
If you're a fan of titles like Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons or The Last of Us, where the goal of the trip is as important as the trip itself, A Plague Tale is more than a good choice for something that may not have the potential to keep coming back to it, but it definitely belongs to the group of games that you will enjoy every second of its duration.
Reviewer: Michael
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Survival Gameplay
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Story / Quests