I’m really stunned after playing this game, it’s hard to believe that it was made by a somewhat indie development studio (Asobo).
The last time I finished something and felt this emotionally exhausted was when I watched Apocalypse Now for the first time. This game really captures the brutality and despair of the middle ages in a way that more fantasy-oriented games do not.
Of course, this game does have some fantasy elements, but for the most part it takes you on a journey with two children who have to make their way through a ruthless and uncaring world, constantly having their childhood ripped away and their faith in adults and humanity shattered.
At the same time, this game is absolutely beautiful. I would put the visuals up against any game, period. You feel like you’re there in medieval France.
I need to go play some happy Mario games after this one.
If you are an adult who handles depressing and dark things okay, and you have even a passing interest in the middle ages, I can’t recommend this game enough (play the first one first though–Plague Tale Innocence). The core gameplay is a stealth game, but whether or not you like that style, the game is worth it and transcends the genre IMO.
I just played through Plague tale: Innocence. Game is like a never ending trauma dump, with an incredible amount of fucked up shit. Loved it. Sounds like the sequel is good too
I agree with everything you said. I’m a middle-aged man that’s pretty hard to frazzle. That god damn game gutted me emotionally. I played it on release and I still can literally ‘‘feel’’ the ending. Absolute masterpiece of story-telling.
Thank you for your review and for your last paragraph, especially! Like everyone, I tend to fluctuate between enjoying the cathartic feeling of validating your experiences/emotions and avoiding depressing media altogether. You’ve provided a helpful barometer. I’ll definitely put this one the list to play in future.
Has it been a year already? I haven’t played this game, but I played Innocence and I didn’t like it that much. The start is incredible in graphical and atmosphere terms, but by the middle of the game, the core gameplay gets tedious. For a stealth+puzzles game, the stealth and puzzles could’ve used more depth.
