A Plague Tale: Requiem review – less innocence, more rats

metro.co.uk:

The sequel to surprise hit A Plague Tale: Innocence features even more rats than ever, as well as some of the most beautiful landscapes in gaming.

2019’s A Plague Tale: Innocence was a stealth game that wasn’t set in ancient Japan or the high-tech world of superspies, but rather in medieval France during a plague outbreak. You guided two children through the morass of dead and dying, whilst avoiding a rat infestation which presented itself as a seething tsunami of hideous, glowing-eyed beasts.

Alongside the setting, another major point of difference was the compelling sense of vulnerability it created. Rather than making its protagonists shadowy assassins, Amicia and her younger brother Hugo were children, making their need to hide from adult aggressors urgent and real. The sequel picks up mere months after the end of the original and retains much of its premise.

Hugo’s still sick with an illness that’s not the plague and which continues to baffle doctors. It’s so unusual it brings him to the attention of the Order, a sinister organisation that wants to get its hands on him but is seemingly a lot less interested in helping him get well than studying his decline. Alicia distrusts them from the start and instead wants to help Hugo find an island he saw in a fever dream, where they believe he may find a cure.

Playing as Amicia, your job is to keep Hugo safe through the legion of dangers involved in travelling through 14th century France, while pursued by heavily armed assailants. As before, stealth is your friend, assisted by craft-able alchemical weapons. Amongst your growing arsenal, one ignites braziers and enemies, while another puts out flames. That’s important in sections where you’re dealing with the rat infestation,