When A Plague Tale: Requiem launches later this month, it will be able to display a staggering 300,000 rats on screen at one time. A Plague Tale: Requiem is the highly-anticipated sequel to the hit game A Plague Tale: Innocence, continuing the story of Amicia and Hugo as they attempt to survive a world ravaged by vicious plague rats.
One of the defining characteristics of A Plague Tale: Innocence was its swarm of rats. Throughout the game, players encounter massive rat swarms that are capable of stripping humans to the bone in a matter of seconds. Besides serving as an obstacle for players to get around, these rats are also incorporated in the game's puzzle-solving elements, as players have to utilize them in various ways to take out enemy guards and progress through the story.
According to Nicolas Becavin from Asobo Studio, A Plague Tale: Innocence could showcase around 5,000 rats at a time. However, A Plague Tale: Requiem increases that number to a jaw-dropping 300,000 rats at once. Becavin revealed as much in a recent interview with Xbox, where he also explained how the rat swarms will move differently in the sequel. This time around, the rats won't appear swirling tornadoes, but rather a "giant wave," with Becavin likening the creatures to a "tsunami of rats."
Part of the reason why Asobo Studio has been able to dramatically increase the number of rats on-screen, while also improving their AI, is because the game is a next-gen only title. A Plague Tale: Requiem won't be held back by older hardware when it launches on October 18, as it's only coming out for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X, with a Cloud version available for Switch owners to try. This makes the game one of the only true next-gen only games available, which is saying something considering the new consoles are nearly two years old at this point.
A Plague Tale: Requiem trailers have shown that the game is certainly boosting the visual quality when compared to the original, and there will likely be various other improvements for fans to look forward to when the game launches later this month. Those with Xbox Game Pass and a Series X console handy should note that A Plague Tale: Requiem is coming to Game Pass on day one, so they are free to check out the sequel without paying anything more than their usual subscription fee.
A Plague Tale: Requiem launches October 18 for PC, PS5, Switch, and Xbox Series X.