A Plague Tale: Innocence

THERE ARE GLIMMERS OF SOMETHING SPECIAL… PS4, Xbox, PC | US$44.99 | aplaguetale.com

A PLAGUE TALE: Innocence might be centered around a relatively adorable little boy, but it is grim. Telling the story of two siblings: the teenage Amicia and her five-year-old brother Hugo as they struggle to find a cure for Hugo’s mysterious illness, it’s a linear puzzlestealth game which follows the pair as they flee from the Inquisition in Medieval France, who are set on capturing Hugo for some nefarious means. Yet it’s not just the Inquisition that they have to contend with, as man-eating rats are spreading the plague across France. These rats flee from the light but swarm in the dark, so A Plague Tale: Innocence’s puzzles have you manipulating the rodent hordes by using your sling to extinguish and light fires, or breaking lanterns to set the rats on unsuspecting Inquisition soldiers. There are glimmers of something special in the linear yet substantial game, but A Plague Tale feels like it needs an extra push to make it truly come into its own.

Amicia and Hugo’s relationship is the focus of the game, and as such it’s what the whole thing depends on. Although there are moments where the pair clash in a way that reminds me a little too well of what it’s like growing up with siblings, there’s not really enough of the quiet downtime of, say, The Last of Us for their relationship to grow beyond Amicia simply telling Hugo what to do, or consoling him when things get a bit too scary. However, with dead people littering the streets and the brutality of the Inquisition around every corner, I don’t blame Hugo for whimpering at all. Amicia is reduced to a nurturing babysitter for most of the game, making me unsure what her personality actually is when Hugo’s not around.

If you’re in the mood for a perfectly respectable, undemanding weekend game, A Plague Tale: Innocence is for you, though fair warning: The sight of so many dead bodies might shock anyone watching over your shoulder.