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A Plague Tale: Innocence

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Be sure to stay in the light.[src]
Launch trailer

A Plague Tale: Innocence is a narrative-driven, action-adventure survival horror stealth video game developed by Asobo Studio and published by Focus Entertainment.

Amicia de Rune, in her early teens and living in Aquitaine through the early years of the Hundred Years' War, is the daughter of a powerful French lord. Her younger brother, Hugo, who seems to be about four or five years old, has long suffered from a mysterious illness that has kept him isolated from the rest of the estate. Their mother has worked hard to cure him, with no success.

One day, a group of soldiers from the Inquisition storm their house, accusing the de Runes of heresy and murdering everybody in sight. Only Amicia and Hugo seem to escape, and very quickly realize they have to avoid not just the Inquisition, which seems to have a personal vendetta against them, but also the English soldiers invading France and the swarms of rats spreading the Black Death throughout Europe.

The player controls Amicia, using a combination of stealth and limited tools to hide from, distract or knock out soldiers, evade rat hordes, and solve puzzles, incorporating elements of survival horror games.

On April 3, 2019, A Plague Tale: Innocence had gone gold,[1] meaning all development of the game had been completed and mass manufacturing had begun. It was released for Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in May 2019. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S versions of the game were released in July 2021, alongside a cloud-based edition for the Nintendo Switch and a release on the Amazon Luna game streaming service. The game was a critical and commercial success, owing to its character-driven story, mature exploration of dark subject matters, and visuals; however, the gameplay department polarized critics.

A sequel, titled A Plague Tale: Requiem, was released on October 18, 2022 for Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and Cloud Version on Nintendo Switch.[2]

A remastered version was released for the PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S in July 2021, alongside a cloud-based edition for the Nintendo Switch.[3]

Plot[]

Synopsis[]

Follow the grim tale of young Amicia and her little brother Hugo, in a heartrending journey through the darkest hours of history. Hunted by Inquisition soldiers and surrounded by unstoppable swarms of rats, Amicia and Hugo will come to know and trust each other. As they struggle to survive against overwhelming odds, they will fight to find purpose in this brutal, unforgiving world.

Summary[]

In late 1348, Amicia de Rune is a young girl of noble descent who lives with her family in Aquitaine, which has been invaded by the English Army during the Hundred Years' War. Her younger brother Hugo has been ill since birth; their mother, Béatrice, an alchemist, has sheltered him in their estate for years while trying to devise a cure. While hunting with her father Robert in the forest, Amicia encounters an unusual substance on the ground, and her dog Lion is gruesomely consumed by an unseen entity. Inquisition troops led by Lord Nicholas arrive at the de Rune estate in search of Hugo, executing Robert and slaughtering the family servants. Béatrice helps her children escape and instructs Amicia to take Hugo to a doctor named Laurentius, before she is killed by Nicholas.

The children flee to a nearby village, where they learn that hordes of ravenous rats have been spreading the black plague—known as the Bite. The two are wanted by the Inquisition and have to evade the villagers; Amicia and Hugo eventually reach Laurentius' farm and find him severely ill with the plague. Laurentius implores Amicia to finish her mother's work seconds before the farm is overrun by rats; the siblings flee with Laurentius' apprentice, Lucas, to seek the Château d'Ombrage, which once belonged to the de Rune family. As they cross a battlefield occupied by English soldiers, Lucas explains that Hugo's blood carries a supernatural evil called the Prima Macula, which has lain dormant within certain noble bloodlines since the Plague of Justinian. Béatrice and her mentor Laurentius had been trying to find an elixir that would mitigate Hugo's symptoms, while Vitalis Bénévent, the Grand Inquisitor of France, seeks Hugo for the Macula. Hugo and Amicia are briefly captured, but escape with the help of sibling thieves Mélie and Arthur; Arthur is captured as the others escape to Château d'Ombrage.

Lucas needs a forbidden book called the Sanguinis Itinera to complete the elixir that may help Hugo. Amicia infiltrates the University to retrieve the book while Mélie rescues Arthur. Amicia recovers the book and meets a young blacksmith named Rodric, who helps her escape. Back at the château, Arthur reveals that Béatrice de Rune is still alive, but imprisoned. Amicia insists they not tell Hugo, but he overhears the conversation, and his condition deteriorates. Lucas soon realizes that the research requires a more advanced laboratory equipment than the one available at the Château d'Ombrage, and with Amicia, they return to the de Rune estate, looking for Béatrice's research. In a hidden laboratory, concealed within ancient Roman ruins, they complete the elixir, and administer it to Hugo to alleviate his symptoms. Angry at his sister for not telling him the truth, Hugo runs away and joins the Inquisition to find Béatrice. Vitalis injects himself with Hugo's blood so that he can possess the power of the Macula, but Lucas' elixir has delayed its development.

Hugo escapes and finds Béatrice. Before their recapture, she reveals that the Macula gives him the power to control the rats. Vitalis threatens Béatrice's life to force Hugo's powers to fully awaken. Back at the Château d'Ombrage, the children are still searching for Hugo's werebouts when, a month later, the castle is attacked by a swarm of rats guided by a brainwashed Hugo, who is still angry at Amicia. Nicholas, who is accompanying him, kills Arthur and orders Hugo to kill his sister, but she convinces her brother to reject the Inquisition, and they work together to battle Nicholas until the rats consume him. The children decide to confront Vitalis.

As they fight their way to the Bastion, Rodric sacrifices himself to protect Hugo and Amicia. Vitalis awaits their arrival, having bred thousands of white rats that only he can control. Hugo ultimately overpowers Vitalis and Amicia kills him. Three days later, both the rats and the plague have disappeared and life begins to return to normal; many remain wary of Hugo and his power, including Mélie, who parts ways with the group. Amicia, Hugo, Lucas, and an ailing Béatrice leave in search of a new home.

Characters[]

  • Amicia de Rune (Charlotte McBurney) – The protagonist. The eldest child of the de Rune household, trained by her father in the art of hunting, who has had little contact with her brother while they were growing up, though Amicia knows little of what his illness even is. Following the incursion of the Inquisition into their home, she and her brother are forced to flee through the war-torn, plague-ridden, and rat-infested countryside of France.
  • Hugo de Rune (Logan Hannan) – The deuteragonist. Amicia's junior by ten years, who suffers from a congenital malady and has lived the entirety of his five years of life in jaundiced isolation. Hugo has little knowledge of the outside world, but he prefers its dangers to his previous confinement. When catastrophe has struck, it falls on his sister to seek a cure for his "illness", while the Inquisition hunts him down.
  • Vitalis Bénévent (Stéphane Cornicard) – The leader of the Inquisition, his investigations and experimentation led him to discover that an ancient power has awaken in the blood of the de Rune family. Pragmatically motivated by self-interest, he has the institution capture the carrier, Hugo, with the aim of gaining this power through blood transfusion and creating a new world order.
  • Robert de Rune (Alec Newman) – A nobleman and retired knight in service to King Philip IV, he is the husband of Béatrice and the father of Amicia and Hugo.
  • Béatrice de Rune (Katherine Pageon) – An alchemist and noblewoman by marriage, she is the wife of Robert de Rune and mother of Amicia and Hugo.
  • Lucas (Edan Hayhurst) – An apprentice to Laurentius, who taught him alchemy and medicine. When his ailing mentor is killed in an accident, he aims to cure Hugo himself.
  • Nicholas (Mark Healy) – The Captain of the Purple Guard, he is a high-ranking member of the Inquisition and the right-hand man of Vitalis Bénévent.
  • Rodric (Max Raphael) – The son of a blacksmith who was tortured by the Inquisition. Starking as a ram, he has a penchant for breaking down doors and can tackle foes from behind to eliminate them.
  • Mélie (Tabitha Rubens) – Arthur's twin sister and a competent thief and young looter, who has a particular penchant for picking locks to chests or doors. After being thoroughly fed up with their abusive father, she and her brother ran away and since then have been living on the run, turning to thievery to survive.
  • Arthur (David Knight) – Mélie's twin brother and a competent thief and young looter, who has a knack for causing distractions, allowing for ease of escape. After being thoroughly fed up with their abusive father, he and his sister ran away and since then have been living on the run, turning to thievery to survive.
  • Laurentius (Mark Healy) – A doctor and alchemist who worked with Béatrice in pursuit of a cure for her son's illness. Bedridden with the Bite, he instructs Lucas to take the siblings to the Château d'Ombrage, a safe refuge away from prying eyes of the Inquisition and ravenous rats.
  • Clervie (Caroline Loncq) – A resident of a village located near the de Rune estate, she offers transient shelter to the de Rune siblings.
  • Conrad Malfort (Jonathan Forbes) – A resident of a village located near the de Rune estate, he leads a mob to kill anyone that spreads the plague.
  • Father Thomas (Mark Healy[4]) – A monk and the head of a church in a village near the de Rune estate.
  • Gauthier (Philippe Spall) – An archbishop who has come to investigate claims of heresy amongst the Inquisition.

Gameplay[]

In A Plague Tale: Innocence, the player assumes control of Amicia de Rune from a third-person perspective. For the majority of the game, players need to utilize stealth to avoid hostile encounters, as enemies will kill Amicia instantly if they catch her. Amicia is equipped with a sling that can throw rocks to break chains, create distractions, or stun guards long enough for the rats to ambush them; she can also kill enemies with a headshot if their head is unprotected. Her sling also has the ability to throw a variety of homemade alchemic substances, some of which can start fires, put out fires, or attract rats to a certain location.[5]

The game consists of a series of survival puzzles, mostly of methods to scare away or distract the hordes of hungry rats in order to gain access to new areas or direct them towards enemies. The primary method of warding rats off is fire, as they will seldom enter within a radius of burning torches and braziers. Amicia can craft special ammunition and supplies, which include fire-starting sulfur stones that ignite braziers, stink bombs that attract rats, or fire suppressants to extinguish torches carried by enemies.[6] Amicia's younger brother, Hugo, can be directed towards specific tasks when Amicia is busy. However, this is risky, as Hugo will start to panic if left alone and can attract unwanted attention. Later in the game, the player can assume control of Hugo, who cannot craft items but can control rats and sneak through small spaces.

Production[]

Development[]

The game's development was led by Asobo Studio. It is their first original title since the team created the racing game, Fuel, and the company wanted to create a narrative-driven experience inspired by The Last of Us and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. The main theme of A Plague Tale: Innocence is "family" and how the characters' relationships are challenged during adverse circumstances.[7] Another important theme is "innocence".[8] Hugo, in particular, will observe the player character's behaviors and slowly transform from an innocent boy to a ruthless individual.[9] Child actors Charlotte McBurney and Logan Hannan provided their voice for Amicia and Hugo respectively. The two also participated in the writing process by suggesting changes to dialogue and alternative takes.[10] Up to 5,000 rats can appear on-screen simultaneously. To ensure the game can handle rendering so many enemies without sacrificing performance, the team introduced four layers of details when rendering the rats, in which rats furthest away from the player character exist as a "background, non-animated mesh", whereas the rats closest to the player are animated in detail.[11] The game's environments were inspired by landscapes in Gironde (around Saint-Émilion), Limousin and Dordogne, and classic paintings such as those by Claude Lorrain.

A Plague Tale: Innocence was announced in January 2017 as The Plague. A first look at the trailer appeared at the 2017 edition of the Electronic Entertainment Expo.[12] The game was released worldwide for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on May 14, 2019.[13] The game was also released on July 6, 2021 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and Switch, the latter of which is a cloud-based version.

Music[]

The music from the game is written by Olivier Derivière and marks a reunion between the composer and French video game publisher, Focus Entertainment; Derivière composed the music for the studio's The Council and Vampyr. The 26-track regular release of the album can be purchased at online stores as a digital download. The 38-track expanded Bandcamp deluxe edition can also be purchased.[14]

Downloadable Content[]

The "Coats of Arms" DLC is available for all the three platforms, and came bundled with the pre-order version of the game. It adds three alternate skins for Amicia and Hugo's outfits and coats of arms. The additional content is cosmetic in nature.[15]

Reception[]

A Plague Tale: Innocence was the ninth best-selling retail game in the United Kingdom in its week of release.[16] In July 2020, Focus Entertainment announced that the game had sold more than one million copies.[17]

Critical Response[]

A Plague Tale: Innocence received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[18][19] The story received praise for its exploration of its themes of family and tragedy. Many also praised the atmosphere, music, and narrative. The main negative points are directed towards a few animations, as well as certain sequences considered to be too commanding.

Robin Burks of ScreenRant called it "the perfect combination of storytelling, action, and gameplay that proves that the world needs more single-player games".[20] Shawn Zipay of Total Gaming Network concurred, giving high praise to the game's soundtrack and wrote that "without a hint of hyperbole here, I think A Plague Tale: Innocence is looking to be a great contender for one of the best games of 2019".[21] TheSixthAxis' Tuffcub praised its visuals and graphics, which "have similarly been inspired by classical painters with the soft, almost fuzzy palette resulting in some truly breathtaking images" and concluded that "we're talking Naughty Dog levels of gorgeousness here with some vistas looking like they are painted rather rendered by a game engine".[22] Similarly, Shubhankar Parijat from GamingBolt expressed that the game "feels very much like a Naughty Dog game, if Naughty Dog didn't have blockbuster budgets and endless resources to work with". Parijat also felt that Amicia and Hugo "are well written and acted, and their relationship is developed very effectively".[23] Destructoid's Chris Moyse found Hugo's childish inquisitiveness to be "realistic, not corny". Furthermore, Moyse considered the cast's performances, particularly those in the French language, to be "touching and nuanced".[24]

The combat gameplay and puzzle elements polarized critics. Steven Petite from IGN wrote praise regarding the dynamic between the siblings, calling the vicissitudes of their relationship "the star" against the game's grim setting, though did criticize the puzzles that must often be solved in the manner imposed by the script. Petite noted that the "puzzles are always visually intimidating and pretty gross, but they aren't nearly as demanding as they look". As a concluding guide to his review, Petite says: "the story stands out as a result, but there's not a lot of freedom to experiment or consequences for reckless decisions".[25] Khee Hoon Chan of GameSpot criticized the intelligence of enemies, who "can be hilariously oblivious and obtuse at times, which tends to break immersion". Ultimately, Chan remarked that the game is "an emotive story of resilience against harrowing odds ... despite flashes of predictability".[26] Twinfinite's Keenan McCall felt that a few supporting characters lacked development and were "purely vehicles for gameplay mechanics".[27] Others, such as Rachael Fiddis from DualShockers, noted that certain facial animations contrasted with the emotional narrative, making it difficult to empathize with the characters.[24][28]

Accolades[]

A Plague Tale: Innocence received six awards at the first ceremony of Pégases on March 9, 2020, including those of the Best Game, Best Artistic Design, Best Sound Design, Best Game Design, Best Game Setting, and Best Character.[29]

Year Award Category Outcome Ref.
2019 Golden Joystick Awards Best Audio Nominated [30]
Titanium Awards Game of the Year Nominated [31]
Best Art Nominated
Best Game Design Nominated
Best Narrative Design Nominated
Best Adventure Game Nominated
The Game Awards 2019 Best Narrative Nominated [32]
Steam Awards Outstanding Story-Rich Game Won [33]
2020 New York Game Awards Big Apple Award for Best Game of the Year Nominated [34]
Off Broadway Award for Best Indie Game Nominated
Herman Melville Award for Best Writing Nominated
NAVGTR Awards Animation, Artistic Nominated [35][36]
Animation, Technical Nominated
Art Direction, Period Influence Won
Camera Direction in a Game Engine Nominated
Control Design, 3D Nominated
Costume Design Nominated
Direction in a Game Cinema Nominated
Gameplay Design, New IP Nominated
Game, Original Adventure Won
Lighting/Texturing Nominated
Original Dramatic Score, New IP Nominated
Performance in a Drama, Lead (Charlotte McBurney) Won
Performance in a Drama, Supporting (Edan Hayhurst) Nominated
Performance in a Drama, Supporting (Tabitha Rubens) Nominated
Sound Editing in a Game Cinema Nominated
Sound Effects Nominated
Use of Sound, New IP Nominated
Writing in a Drama Won
Pégases Awards 2020 Best Game Won [29]
Best Artistic Design Won
Best Sound Design Won
Best Narrative Design Nominated
Best Game Design Won
Best Game Setting Won
Best Character Won
SXSW Gaming Awards Excellence in Narrative Nominated [37]
16th British Academy Games Awards Technical Achievement Nominated [38]

Sequel[]

A sequel, titled A Plague Tale: Requiem, was released on October 18, 2022 for Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, and Nintendo Switch.[2] The story takes place directly after the events of the first game; Amicia and Hugo return, with players controlling Amicia. Dedeine and Choteau returned as game directors, while Renard returned as the narrative writer.

Television Series[]

A television series adaptation to be produced by Mediawan in association with Asobo and Focus Entertainment was announced in March 2022.[39]

Gallery[]

References[]

  1. ↑ focus-home.com – "A Plague Tale: Innocence has gone gold - rats swarm on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC May 14" by Focus Entertainment. Published April 3, 2019. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 IGN – "A Plague Tale: Requiem Announced - E3 2021" by Skrebels, Joe. Published and retrieved June 14, 2021.
  3. ↑ GamingBolt – "A Plague Tale: Requiem Coming in 2022, Launching Day One on Xbox Game Pass – Rumor" by Sinha, Ravi. Published June 11, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  4. ↑ Tumblr – "Hello, I noticed that the voice actor for Father Thomas is uncredited. Do you happen to know who it is, given that you have worked alongside the production staff?" by unpetitrat. Published January 24, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
  5. ↑ GameSpot – "A Plague Tale: Innocence is here to make you realise how much we've become used to death in video games" by Delahunty-Light, Zoe. Published February 16, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  6. ↑ Game Informer – "Watch Eight Minutes Of New Gameplay From A Plague Tale: Innocence" by Favis, Elise. Published April 28, 2019. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  7. ↑ Variety – "How 'A Plague Tale: Innocence' Makes Diseased Rats So Terrifying" by Valdes, Giancarlo. Published June 19, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  8. ↑ Variety – "Survive The Black Death In A Plague Tale: Innocence, Coming This May" by Ramée, Jordan. Published January 25, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  9. ↑ GamesRadar+ – "A Plague Tale: Innocence will have up to 5,000 man-eating rats simultaneously on screen... but you're the real monster here" by Delahunty-Light, Zoe. Published February 16, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  10. ↑ PC Gamer – "A Plague Tale: Innocence video tells a tale of orphans in the time of the Black Death" by Chalk, Andy. Published January 25, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  11. ↑ PlayStation.Blog – "A Plague Tale: Innocence video tells a tale of orphans in the time of the Black Death" by Belzanne, Aurélie. Published May 9, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  12. ↑ Rock Paper Shotgun – "A Plague Tale: Innocence has gaming's best rats" by O'Connor, Alice. Published February 15, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  13. ↑ Game Informer – "A Plague Tale: Innocence Launches This May" by Reiner, Andrew. Published January 24, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  14. ↑ Wordpress – "A PLAGUE TALE: INNOCENCE – Olivier Derivière" by Rogers, Alan. Published June 14, 2019. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  15. ↑ store.steampowered.com – "A Plague Tale: Innocence - Coats of Arms DLC on Steam". Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  16. ↑ GamesIndustry.biz – "UK Charts: Rage 2 is No.1 but fails to match original" by Dring, Christopher. Published May 20, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  17. ↑ GamesIndustry.biz – "A Plague Tale: Innocence reaches one million sales" by Handrahan, Matthew. Published July 1, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  18. ↑ Metacritic, CBS Interactive – "A Plague Tale: Innocence for PC Reviews". Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  19. ↑ Metacritic, CBS Interactive – "A Plague Tale: Innocence for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  20. ↑ ScreenRant – "A Plague Tale: Innocence Review" by Burks, Robin. Published May 13, 2019. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  21. ↑ Total Gaming Network – "Review: A Plague Tale: Innocence (PC)" by Zipay, Shawn. Published May 13, 2019. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  22. ↑ TheSixthAxis – "A Plague Tale: Innocence Review" by Tuffcub. Published May 13, 2019. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  23. ↑ GamingBolt – "A Plague Tale: Innocence Review – A Game of Light and Shadow" by Parijat, Shubhankar. Published May 13, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 Destructoid – "Review: A Plague Tale - Innocence" by Moyse, Chris. Published May 20, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  25. ↑ IGN – "A Plague Tale: Innocence Review" by Petite, Steve. Published May 13, 2019. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  26. ↑ GameSpot – "A Plague Tale: Innocence Review - Of Rats And Children" by Chan, Khee Hoon. Published May 26, 2019. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  27. ↑ Twinfinite – "A Plague Tale: Innocence Review" by McCall, Keenan. Published May 13, 2019. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  28. ↑ DualShockers – "A Plague Tale: Innocence Review" by Fiddis, Rachael. Published May 13, 2019. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Le Monde.fr – "Jeu vidéo : « A Plague Tale : Innocence » triomphe aux Pégases" (Trans. from French: "Video game: "A Plague Tale: Innocence" triumphs at Pégases") by Lamy, Corentin. Published March 10, 2020. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  30. ↑ Push Square – "Days Gone Rides Off with Three Nominations in This Year's Golden Joystick Awards" by Tailby, Stephen. Published September 20, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  31. ↑ Fun & Serious Game Festival – "Titanium Awards 2019". Published November 21, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2023 from the archive.
  32. ↑ GameSpot, CBS Interactive – "The Game Awards 2019 Nominees Full List" by Winslow, Jeremy. Published November 19, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2023 from the archive.
  33. ↑ GameSpot, CBS Interactive – "Steam Awards 2019 Winners Announced" by Watts, Steve. Published December 31, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2023 from the archive.
  34. ↑ Bleeding Cool – "The New York Game Awards Announces 2020 Nominees" by Sheehan, Gavin. Published January 2, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2023 from the archive.
  35. ↑ National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers – "2019 Nominees". Published January 13, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2023 from the archive.
  36. ↑ National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers – "2019 Winners". Published February 24, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  37. ↑ NoobFeed – "2020 SXSW Gaming Awards Nominees Revealed" by Grayshadow. Published February 17, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  38. ↑ The Guardian – "Death Stranding and Control dominate Bafta games awards nominations" by Stuart, Keith. Published March 3, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  39. ↑ Eurogamer – "A Plague Tale is being turned into a TV series" by Phillips, Tom. Published March 18, 2022. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
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