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Though it took a bit longer than it should've, it seems that the gaming industry is slowly moving away from last-gen consoles for good, allowing PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series releases to truly harness the newer hardware's strength. A Plague Tale: Requiem is one of the games that have foregone last-gen devices entirely, and it is likely to be a better game due to this fact.
The Game Director of A Plague Tale: Requiem, Kevin Choteau, recently spoke about this topic with Edge Magazine, confirming that the switch to new-generation hardware has allowed his team to ignore the previous technical limitations and "push the horizon," of the game much farther ahead. Choteau has suggested massive improvements in visual fidelity and gameplay, as well as providing a key example of what the studio could now pull off.
Rats and rat hordes have been a key element of A Plague Tale from the very start, but with Hugo growing more capable in Requiem, the narrative called for set pieces that would not have been possible on previous-gen consoles. According to Choteau, the game will feature chases with hundreds of thousands of rats rendered all at once, as well as dynamically evolving locales that can now be changed on the fly, depending on what's happening in the story. The game's AI, graphics, and the core gameplay loop have all apparently been rebuilt with the new and improved hardware in mind, allowing Requiem to fire on all cylinders from the very start.
Fans have wanted more gameplay expression in A Plague Tale: Requiem from the very start, and developers needed to leverage the latest generation of consoles not only to facilitate a more active and dynamic experience but also to allow for improved visual storytelling across the board. Choteau compared some of what his team did with Innocence to a "theatre set," which may not have held up under scrutiny. This should not be the case with Requiem, however.
Of course, it may be worth pointing out that A Plague Tale: Innocence's strongest feature wasn't necessarily its gameplay, but its narrative instead. In fact, it has been listed as one of the most emotional video games on Xbox, and that trend is bound to continue with Requiem, too. If the devs can use improved console hardware to deliver better gameplay mechanics along the way, as Choteau has suggested, the game may end up being a smash hit.
Not everyone is thrilled with the notion of getting yet another game where a pair of protagonists tackles the world. Some believe that modern games are overusing the duo formula, and Requiem isn't likely to assuage these concerns. For games who don't mind, however, Choteau's interview spells out great things for the next Plague Tale game.
A Plague Tale: Requiem releases on October 18, 2022 for PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series consoles.