Gamescom has that crispy that it always brings its share of surprises. It was at the publisher Focus that we made an appointment for Aliens, Atlas Fallen and Evil West. But A Tale Requiem Plague, with its success, had left us on the tile agenda question. It must be said that since the first episode, popularized by critics like the public, the small Gallic village that represents Asobo Studio in the world of video game now has Rome airs in the very closed circle of independent AAAs. It's in extremis (and after having somewhat harpooned the test terminals) that we still managed to play almost an hour in a generous and unpublished sequence. We also exchanged in a good mood with Kevin Choteau, director of the title!
Interview with Kevin Choteau - Game director
Country air
Requiem is the direct sequel toInnocence And we find the characters Amicia and Hugo on the run. First, for a game of this calibre, the general realization impresses both artistically and technically. Asobo now has its own motion capture system and facial animations seemed convincing to us. From a purely graphic point of view, the path taken since the first opus is clear: graphics flatter the retina by their attention to detail and the lighting revive the already generous palette of colours of the south of France. It was in lavender fields that Amicia and Hugo inaugurated this presentation from the sixth chapter of the game. The landscapes showed the garrigue on the horizon. And there wasn't much missing to smell the smell of lavender and hear Giono in the breeze.
After a touching scene in the vicinity, our two heroes continue their wandering towards a traveling camp. This little passage of atmosphere was full of life and authenticity. The contemplation is, however, of short duration, as soldiers land and investigate to find the two fugitives. After exfiling the camp with the help of a monk, the game went to a gameplay phase outside the tracks. This more traditional sequence was a mixture of infiltration where one progressed in catimini to escape or eliminate guards according to your appetite for violence. It was necessary to reach intermediate doors, these havens of peace between two sections, which once reached lead to the next areas and allow to blow. The tension was palpable and the dialogues between Amicia and her brother took part in the dark atmosphere of Requiem.
The crossbow, an ideal weapon to hold on to tiles
Asobo did not do the deaf ear to the critics of the fans to move the formula towards a level design less tight. After being pulled out of the first room, the game thus gave the beautiful part to a more open sequence that even turned in circles and returned to the starting point. It murmurs that I was somewhat distracted by the new gameplay possibilities offered by Requiem. While I am traditionally of a pacifist nature, it is true that I took pleasure in pulling a scarlet tile into the skull of a soldier who had unmasked a stuffed one. What an indignity!
«We wanted a more open, more systemic gameplay. We listened to the players' feedback. »
As an indication, the foreseeable AI is more in the nails of that of a Metal Gear the last The Last of Us. Enemies circle at the same locations and will only change their trajectory if they see your trombin in the distance. It's too early to tell if other AI behaviors will be able to surprise the player. In general, it can be said that the game is on the side of a semi-open world, probably in order to keep narrative control of history.
An enriched gameplay
However, one takes a clever pleasure in setting up ploys, even though the total stealth option remains perfectly possible. It is also strongly recommended since there was no question of watering the player with tiles and daggers. Contextual animations allow you to pick up an arrow planted in an element of the decor in softness with a natural that Ellie would not deny. You can pair lime with stones to set fire to the groves and burn enemies nearby. Same for arrows that can be ignited to open a passage of light between rats.
On the other hand, we can also create items that allow to extinguish the fireplaces, which should create zizania to use the packs of rats to our advantage or generate an unhappening gas for the enemies around. It should be noted that these combined gameplay elements can lead to a richer and more varied gameplay depending on the approaches. The game seems pretty clever about this aspect of game design.
« The player has the possibility to combine each alchemical effect with any of the launchers. it can put something that lights fire on its arbalet tile, throw it by hand discreetly or on a pot to make a zone effect »
In this regard, Requiem go further than his predecessor and we can now control the rats in a group thanks to the new power of Hugo. We then pass in sight to the first person and our torrent of rodents melts on the enemies around. The unfortunate cannot resist. This new contribution gives a small side Predator playful enough to the scenes even if it should be used sparingly under penalty of having « rather dramatic consequences » from Kevin Choteau's own confession... Small puzzles punctuated the whole by using the new combinations of our arsenal to advance among the rats.
«If the player wants to kill everyone, to go this way [...] it has an impact on Amicia and how it will evolve. »
This first presentation was very encouraging and In Plague Tale Requiem could most probably pull its pin out of the game by its narrative qualities that are still expected to be so ambitious. In any case, the universe has enough consistency to look forward to the release of the title this autumn for fans and newcomers alike. The hunt continues on October 18, 2022!
Game gameplay trailer
Artworks by A Plague Tale Requiem
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