Quick Look: A Plague Tale: Innocence

Rats off to ya!

This honestly looks incredible. As a History student and a lover of games with narrative I'm having a hard time attempting to save money by not buying this immediately lol.

Also, just FYI Alex, you say that it's set in 12th Century France and then a couple of seconds later say that you believe it's set in the 1340s.

Amiciaaaaa

Play this in French. There is an option, you can even change it on the fly. It's a French game, so it makes a lot more sense than English with accents, and the voice acting is plenty solid in the French version, too. They even resynched the basic facial animation the game has.

I enjoyed this game alot.

Finally, a proper prequel to Vermintide. Can't wait for the scene when the Rats start picking up swords and guns.

Filthy man-things, we kill, yes-yes!

Glad to see the positive reception to this game, as it looks quite different from other recent releases. I'm getting a medieval 'A Way Out' vibe from this.

I will have to pick this up.

Why is Sean Bean in the trailer for this?

This looks really good!

Not sure why there are comments after this one, it says all that is needed to be said.

Pizzicato refers to plucking strings rather than bowing, I'm not sure if there's a term for the effect they're using here but it's a very Penderecki amelodic style like you hear in Polymorphia (The Shining).

"This is 12th century France. I think the year is 1348."

Something doesn't add up here.

Small correction, but you CAN distract the soldier that Alex took out at 28:13 by throwing a pot. That’s how I got past him.

Tremolo (a rapid back-and-forth of the bow on string instruments).

I see a few people decided to correct Alex on his centuries before watching the rest of the video.

@benpicko: Just so you know, the game does have some heavy fictional, magical (and alchemical) like stuff in it so it's not necessarily realistic nor believable. I'm not saying you're totally taken out of the experience as it works for what it's going for, but I'm just saying if you're hoping to be sucked into the past for a realistic look at how people dealt with the time, it may not be going for exactly what you want. Maybe there is enough there though.

A lot of the time I felt they could have very well just have made the entire world a fictional place where 14th century France was simply an inspiration. I will also add, this game is definitely for those that want to play a linear story driven game, but in the end and in hindsight, the story wasn't amazing. It was merely fine but is compelling enough to keep you going throughout it. I think it's just that we live in a time when we're bombarded with multiplayer online focused games that this game feels like a breath of fresh air.

Now, I'm not saying the story is bad or anything like it to reiterate and to be clear, just that it's not entirely original. You'll be able to predict many of the things that it's trying to surprise you with, but the gameplay isn't without some surprises which I really appreciated. I wouldn't really say it was that deep either, but some may find more meaning to it than myself. The characters are good but I didn't feel like they were that deep, and they're mostly cliche I felt.

It seems like I'm speaking negatively about it, but overall it was a really good experience and I'm glad I went through it. I've already said it multiple times on a thread I made, but it was mainly the stiff animations, some voice work/dialogue and not-so-great combat that I didn't like, but the game has a good amount of variety in what you're doing. Changing up how you go about situations with the same obstructions ahead of you while also pacing out the new equipment you get well. It doesn't feel monotonous. The soundtrack was also largely very good and heightened the experience to me.

@ntm: Thanks for that information. I think I'll probably convince myself to wait for a sale.

I finished this today and it's already on my Game of The Year list! It's that fantastic! I really hope we get to see more of Amecia and Hugo because they became my new favorite characters already.

@benpicko: It just depends on how much you really want to play a linear, story-driven campaign right now as well as how much money you can or want to spend on gaming at the moment. The game is about 11 hours long (a little more or a little less depending on how much you explore). It's already priced at a lower cost than most games. If you really want to wait, I'd say wait until it hits about $29.99.

There's this cloying, overly-descriptive regimen to the dialogue to put it mildly...

This is absolutely on my wishlist. I can't spend the money today, but if it goes on sale or if I just have some extra cash soon I definitely want to play it. Games like this and Hellblade have a special place for me. I feel like they often don't get the attention they deserve, but I'm glad they get made. It's not about killer gameplay or crazy boss fights, but about the story and the journey. Then top it off with great visuals, rather than the usual indie-level art styles that we usually get with this type of game. Not meant to be pejorative to indie games, just saying that it's always nice to see a polished AAA-level product take a chance with this sort of thing, especially as I get older and have less and less interest in runny-shooty gameplay.

Thanks for this. The video and Alex's insight about the nature of the game mean I will pick this up

I love the art design and idea but the gameplay seems not all that engaging. It seems to have a lot of those puzzles where you can tell right away what you have to do, then it's just a matter of taking the stick and lighting the piles one by one.

Oi, zis iz a sneaking mission.

I watched a 5 year old play the Ratatouille game repeated for about a month. That was exciting.

I do not expect this game to be truly realistic, it is a video game. But the subject does interest me. It is hard to conceptualize now, the closest thing we have is the Spanish flu and threats like Ebola and Aids. But how in those time period in Europe and West Asia, plague and death would arise 'in the East' and terrorize and decimate the populations in their path. This wasn't just bubonic plague, but typhus, typhoid fevers, Syphilis-likes, various poxes, consumptions, and hard to define fatal diseases, some probably contributing at once. The effects on the human mind must of been incredible, as well as the fallout on human perceptions and the institutions in these past times

So it's more about the human response that this game seems to deal with, the rational vs. the irrational. The bending of church and belief against those who for some reason was outside the religious, ethnic or political common world view.

I'm not happy about realistic children getting chewed up. Or even live pigs. The rats mostly, unless there was another harboring reservoir for the disease and the rats overpopulated because of the excess of food/lack of predators, are there to act in ways disease doesn't, to actively tear their victims apart for video game glory. Ebola does try by rapidity, hemorrhage and losses of one's dear, but still comes up short.

Anyways, the descriptions of terror and madness, and the human penchant for using these events for it's own prejudices and hatreds might ring closer to truth. It would be an easy extension in my own mind to think the protagonists in this story are Jews, though from the QL the mother was described as an 'alchemist', and maybe is being blamed(?)

One of the best books I have read on the subject is Rats, Lice and History, by Hans Zinsser. Though I believe the copyright is in the 1930's (mine is ripped) It's more morbid and fun than anything else, a good combo.

I'm up to chapter 10 and am really enjoying it, the stealth is kind of uninspired but the plot moves it along well.

https://youtu.be/C_ijc7A5oAc

Looks cool. Good thing that century thing got cleared up.

This game looks so bad on my PS4 “pro”. I had to uninstall.....

@humanity: Yes, the majority of them are overly simple, but it's the fact that the entire game is pretty much made up of the simple puzzles, be it lighting things, moving things, or even the combat and stealth as you try to get around enemies. I felt it worked and kept the game moving while also keeping you engaged. It's not really due to challenge.

@bybeach: I've already kind of said it, but maybe more people will attach onto that aspect of the game and find more meaning in it and how it affects the characters in the world, but to me, the game doesn't really dwell on the plague itself. It pretty much boils down to a bunch of rats infecting but mainly killing people (which might be an allegory for how devastating it must have been) as well as how the inquisition is reacting to it all. The actual plague seems more like a backdrop so you have some disturbing imagery as you go through it. Also... There is a villain-ass-villain in this game. Think DMC4. I just think those that go into this game hoping for something more powerful with the real events that took place might be disappointed. Again, maybe I'm totally wrong.

@meauntienora:

Oh man, I'm going to have to get this game. That swarm though...'shudders'.

One of those games I'm interested seeing but would rather watch a play through then do it myself.

My girlfriend wonders how I can watch someone play a video game as she sits there watching TikTok .

edit: and I enjoyed Vinny's

"don't give him the stick" reference

the rats of us

OH please people - its not solely about linear story-focused games, there is plenty to not like so much even if that is your thing. The hype around this game is a little undeserved.

Also - while I kind of get not getting a young guy/boy to do the little brothers VO - this is so clearly a woman, it's distracting.

From the Wikipedia article: "Child actors Charlotte McBurney and Logan Hannan provided their voice for Amicia and Hugo respectively."

I think anything with extensive child VO runs the risk of irritating some people, regardless of who they get to perform it, but I actually found the earnestness in this convincing to the point that I'm concerned I'd find it too heart-breaking if I played it. But that may be because I'm just a big wuss.

EDIT: Looking into it a little further, it looks like the French language actor for Hugo was someone called Cecile Gatto; is that what you're referring to?

Its probably not a good idea to watch this while eating. Bleh. :-p

This actually looks like a pretty decent game. I'll have to pick it up next time I see it on sale.

holy smokes, that rat tech - if you don't like rats, this game will be a nightmare for you

This does seem really fascinating. Would love to try it at some point.

God the main characters outfit seems like a "sexy bubonic plague" costume

Small scope, excellent graphics & voice acting, interesting premise. Hope it will do well for them.

Watching in 2020. :(

Just finished this game. It was so good