A Plague Tale: Innocence was a pleasant surprise when it was released in 2019. A blend of stealth-heavy gameplay, an engaging plot, and the 14th-century war-torn France setting managed to win many fans over. The sequel, A Plague Tale: Requiem, is set to release on October 18, and from footage revealed so far, it looks to continue in the same vein as its predecessor, adding in new gameplay innovations but promising to continue the same engaging story.
A Plague Tale: Innocence had a complex narrative that slowly unraveled throughout the 11-hour campaign. It follows 15-year-old Amicia de Rune, a French girl of noble descent, and her 5-year-old brother Hugo, as they make their way out of Aquitaine and become embroiled in a much larger plot involving a plague and the Grand Inquisitor of France.
A Plague Tale: Innocence's Story Was Gripping
As far as protagonists go, A Plague Tale: Innocence's Amicia de Rune is younger than most, but she more than makes up for this in heart and emotional intelligence far beyond her years. Raised during the Hundred-Year War between France and England, she shares a close bond with her father, which is cruelly severed when French troops arrive at the de Rune estate in search of Hugo, promptly executing Robert de Rune in full view of his daughter. Hugo, who has been ill since his birth, has been kept on his estate by his mother Beatrice, an alchemist, while she has attempted to find a cure for him. After her husband's death, Beatrice helps her children escape, before being captured and presumed dead.
Now alone to fend for themselves, Amicia and Hugo traverse the unforgiving streets of Aquitaine, trying to locate Laurentius, a doctor who may be able to assist with Hugo's cure. On their journey, the siblings have to contend with hordes of poisonous rats, spreading a devastating plague known as The Bite, as well as evading villagers who are searching for them at the behest of the Inquisitors. They eventually locate Laurentius, but shortly after this his farm is overrun by rats, so they escape with his apprentice, Lucas. Lucas explains that Hugo's blood contains something called the Prima Macula, which seems to be supernatural in origin.
The Grand Inquisitor of France himself, Vitalis Benevent, is seeking Hugo out in order to harness the power of his blood, using it to gain control of France. While the siblings are briefly captured by the English, they meet another pair of siblings, Melie and Arthur, who help the pair escape. Amicia manages to retrieve a book called the Sanguinis Itinera, which is said to be able to assist with a cure for Hugo's ailment. Shortly after this, Amicia learns from Arthur that her mother is alive, but imprisoned.
Fearing what Hugo's reaction to this might be, she asks Arthur not to tell her brother this, but unfortunately for Amicia, Hugo overhears. Becoming angry at this, Hugo's symptoms appear to worsen, so Amicia and Lucas take him home to the de Rune estate, where they are able to concoct an elixir that appears to alleviate Hugo's symptoms. Still angry with his sister for withholding the truth though, Hugo runs off on his own, in an attempt to find and save his mother. Hugo quickly joins the Inquisition and finds himself face to face with Vitalis. Believing his plan to be in full motion, Vitalis injects himself with some of Hugo's blood, but thanks to the elixir, he does not fully gain the power of the Prima Macula.
Hugo manages to escape and find his mother Beatrice, who reveals a crucial piece of information: Hugo's power gives him dominion over the hordes of rats, allowing him to control them. With his mother's life again at risk by Vitalis, Hugo, still fueled by anger, fully unleashes his new army of rats on his sister. Amicia eventually manages to convince her brother to reconcile and band with her against the evil Inquisition. Eventually, Hugo and Amicia battled Vitalis, who also managed to control his own army of rats, before finally defeating and killing him.
Three days pass and life looks to be getting back to relative normality, with both the plague and the rats seemingly now gone. Many people remain wary of Hugo due to his newfound power. Amicia, along with Hugo, Lucas, and her mother who is still visibly unwell, depart in search of a new home, setting the stage for A Plague Tale: Requiem to pick up the story.
A Plague Tale: Innocence is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.