When it comes to innocence, it is far left out when medieval France comes to mind, but this game captures this essence in the bond between two siblings who grew up apart. A Plague Tale: Innocence takes you into the deep and darkest part of medieval France, where humanity faced one of its biggest crises. The story is wrapped around this phenomenon, but it is not the only factory pushing it forward.
From early on, you learn that you must take care of your little brother, who had been locked up inside a castle and only now has gotten the chance to free himself. This leads to him making errors and leading you both to danger, as his childlike behavior is the cause of many issues that you will face. As you progress in the game, your bond grows stronger, and you can connect with the story, which tries to show an elder sister and younger brother dynamic that hasn’t changed much in the centuries that followed.
You will play as Amicia mainly throughout the game and with your little brother by your side holding hands. You will have to navigate through some of the most haunting and rat-infested places in all of Frace. With all of France against you, you must make the most of the lights and shadows to manipulate your path and maneuver certain aspects to your benefit. Always remember that the light can be blinding, and darkness can offer comfort.
The primary plot of this game is stealth, and often, the game feels relaxed, giving you a moment to think about your next steps; the game does its best to show both sides of the spectrum in being a heart-touching tale and the gruesome, morbid reality of the disease that caused so many deaths at the time.
The 17 chapters take you on a journey throughout France, where you begin to unearth the reasons and learn about yourself and the illness your brother suffers from. A teenager and a young boy traveling alone make for an exciting tale in the game, while you will have dangers all around you. Light and darkness can be used to your benefit in the game. You must constantly look for items that ignite or douse a flame. Both these things will come in handy as you progress.
The game feels more like a puzzle-solving stealth-driven game, it evokes memories of Dishonored which too was set in medieval France, but what A Plague Tale: Innocence does is it gives you a perspective about how things were during humanity’s darkest days, with a few fictional elements.
If you are looking for a heartfelt tale about love, care, and relationships with a tremendous eye-opening ending, this game will do the job for you.
