Review: A Plague Tale: Innocence

2019 has not been a kindly year to gamers. There has been flop after flop, a lack of games being released and a lot of shady moves by developers. The first half of 2019 for us has basically been the final scene between Anakin and Obi in Episode 3. All year long it has been so hard to recommend any games on this page, as I prefer to sing to the skies about awesome games that I'd like you to try, which has resulted in this page being very quiet this year.

A Plague Tale: Innocence is a quaint game. It is a simple game. But it's one that absolutely deserves your attention, your money, and your time.

Set in the 14th century France, you play as a Amicia, a noble lady living a simple life. Her little brother Hugo is sick and she has barely ever seen him. But suddenly, out in the forest, there are signs of something sinister brewing, and the Inquisition come knocking on the De Rune family door asking questions. Tasked with protecting her baby brother, Amicia and Hugo take off into the countryside, looking for help, safety from the Inquisition and to see what has truly been set upon France in all its horror.
I can't talk about this game without mention just how gorgeous it is. It's dark and full of gore, but also light and beauty at times, it truly captures what it's like to walk through a forest during the day and what its like walking into a dark basement, capturing that childlike horror where we have all latched onto something we hear in the dark and are terrified. The atmosphere is utterly stupendous. I cannot sing its praises enough.
The voice acting is fairly well done, a tad melodramatic at times, but still impressive considering the cast of relatively unknown actors to the voice acting world. The relationship between Hugo and Amicia is wonderful; speaking as a little brother with a big sister, I can absolutely vouch that some scenes in particular had emotions running high. Sound effects were greatly done, especially when it comes to the plague in question (which gives a zombie vibe but twists it into their own gruesome sound and feel when it comes to the game.

Lastly I want to mention gameplay; slightly above I mentioned the simplicity, but there's a little more to it. Playing as Amicia, you must take Hugo along with you, sneaking around guards, causing distractions with rocks and pots, knocking out guards with your slingshot, and always making sure your brother remains healthy and comfortable. Leave him alone or get out of his line of sight and he will panic, screaming and calling for you and alerting every single enemy nearby to your location. Amicia isn't covered in armor, her slingshot is her only weapon but it's going to do nothing against armored knights. One hit, one wrong step and you're done for, Hugo is done for. Every choice you make, be it staying crouched or pushing Hugo through a gap first will determine if you live or die.
You can also craft upgrades for Amicia; higher inventory numbers, upgrades to her sling and sneaking ability and so on. This comes within the first quarter of the game and helps with the exploration of a corridor type game. 

There's not much more I can say about this game without spoiling key story moments, but the game starts and ends in quite different places with a meaningful overall arc for the characters, world and how it shapes France. Amicia and Hugo are not the same people as they were when they first set out, but I leave their story in your hands. Roughly a 20 hour experience for less than the standard asking price, a great story and great twist on a plague story (with a few vibes of Dishonored here and there, but you can't avoid that with rats), A Plague Tale is yet another excellent example of what a small company can do with a passion project with a talented team behind it.

A Plague Tale: Innocence: 8/10