A Plague Tale: Innocence
" Emotional action-adventure with unique rat swarm puzzles but repetitive gameplay "
A Plague Tale: Innocence Review
A Plague Tale: Innocence is a visually stunning, narrative-driven adventure set in 14th-century plague-ravaged France. Players follow siblings Amicia and Hugo through a gripping story filled with emotional depth and atmospheric environments. The game excels in storytelling, character development, and immersive world-building, with strong voice acting and a haunting soundtrack enhancing the experience.
Gameplay focuses on stealth, puzzle-solving, and strategic use of swarms of rats, although mechanics can feel limited and sometimes repetitive. The upgrade system is minimalistic, and level design is linear with little exploration, occasionally hampered by restrictive checkpoints. While some players appreciate the cinematic feel, others find the gameplay clunky and the story's latter half veering into less grounded, magical elements. Technical issues and frustrating checkpoints also detract from the experience for some. Overall, it is praised for its emotional narrative and atmosphere but criticized for gameplay limitations and pacing inconsistencies.
Highlights
The game is widely praised for its emotional and compelling storyline centered on the bond between siblings Amicia and Hugo.
Its stunning graphics and atmospheric environments immerse players in a beautifully realized medieval world.
Players also commend the unique rat swarm mechanics and the effective use of stealth and light puzzles.
The voice acting and soundtrack receive frequent acclaim for enhancing the game's mood and immersion.
Criticisms
Common criticisms include the limited and sometimes repetitive gameplay mechanics, with stealth feeling barebones and combat simplistic.
The game’s linear level design and restrictive checkpoint system frustrate players by limiting exploration and forcing restarts.
Some find the story’s second half weak, introducing cartoonish villains and magical elements that detract from the initially grounded narrative.
Technical issues such as occasional bugs, glitches, and performance problems also affect the experience.
Additionally, babysitting the child character Hugo is seen as annoying by some players.
Pros
- • Emotional and well-crafted narrative focusing on sibling bond and survival.
- • Beautifully detailed and atmospheric medieval environments and graphics.
- • Unique gameplay mechanic involving swarms of rats to solve puzzles and combat.
- • Strong voice acting and an immersive, fitting soundtrack.
- • Engaging stealth and light puzzle elements that complement the story.
- • Linear storytelling that keeps players focused on narrative progression.
- • Minimalistic upgrade system that encourages exploration for resources.
Cons
- • Gameplay can become repetitive and limited, with simplistic stealth and combat.
- • Linear level design and checkpoints restrict exploration and backtracking.
- • Story loses momentum in the second half, introducing less convincing magical elements.
- • Some frustrating trial-and-error sections and forced stealth babysitting mechanics.
- • Technical issues including occasional bugs, glitches, and performance hiccups.
- • Enemy AI can feel inconsistent or unintelligent at times.
- • Upgrade system feels minimal and sometimes like filler.
Rating Criteria
Follow the grim tale of young Amicia and her little brother Hugo, in a heartrending journey through the darkest hours of history.
User Reviews
Online Reviews
