A Plague Tale: Requiem ups the stakes of its indie darling predecessor

polygon.com:

As the sequel to the indie darling A Plague Tale: Innocence, A Plague Tale: Requiem is ready to make the next chapter a family affair. The headstrong Amicia is once again set on protecting her brother Hugo from a church that would seek to use his ability to control swarms of vicious rats for its own personal gain. But while players primarily controlled Amicia in the first outing (sneaking around and slinging rocks to solve puzzles), her younger brother takes a much more active role in the sequel.

My brief time with A Plague Tale: Requiem was spent in two mid-game chapters, consisting of set-pieces in cavernous tunnels filled with rats, a series of derelict ships, and an open desert-like area covered in patrolling guards. Requiem soon transitioned into close-quarters stealth sequences that developer Asobo Studio crafted so intricately in the first game. In this case, they unfold in a series of structures used to dye fabrics. I crafted various alchemical substances to light fires, create distractions, and even take down a surly armored foe by hitting him in the back with explosive-laden rocks and bolts. All of this is in keeping with the tense, stealth-based strengths of Innocence, sure — but this time around, stealth has become even more important, with an even thinner margin of error.

Much of this difficulty stems from Hugo’s more active role, which, while it offers new abilities to experiment with, adds another level of vulnerability to the duo. Hugo can more precisely command swarms of rats to make quick work of any enemy soldier — well-armored or not — that crosses their path. And unlike the first game, there is a greater sense of control over the horde — you can dive into first person mode and directly steer where