🎮 Platform: XBOX Series X
⌚ Time played - 17h (no trophy hunting at all rush straight through)
⭐ Score: 2.7/5
🏆Trophy completion - 57% - just whatever i got completing the game.
📚 Full Review:
This game is worse than the 1st game and a completely mediocore to boring game. Sorry guys. Before i dive in deep why, let me tell you one of my FAVORITE types of games are emotional story driven games, such as drake series, last of us, walking dead, etc. However for me to enjoy the games the game has to have emotion, good chars, and an actual engaging story, none of which exists here. Since I did finish the game, it wasn't utter trash so its definitely a finishable game even with its flaws.

- Loved the music, and visuals. one of the best looking games and runs smooth as butter on XboX. This team did their A+ job here.
- The story is boring and nothing creative. I was waiting for a story line that is not typical and something that 90% of us wouldn't be able to think of. The story doesn't go anywhere. Ideas they set forth are never fleshed out or completely forgotten. The story department completely dropped the ball.
- The game is EXTREMELY padded. It starts off nice and ends somewhat nice, but everything in between has so much fluff in it. Its almost like they finished the game and said shit... that was like 4 hours long. How do we add more? I've played enough of these games to know that its never straight forward from A -> B, but how to get there is just not fun here. Examples of fluff:

1) The captain of the boat gets his boat stuck (really?), doesn't lift a finger, and the entire chapter is you doing rat puzzles to unstuck the boat. Nothing about the story line.
2) Go from point a -> b avoiding guards, only to reach point b, repeat the same story point over again, and now go back to to b -> except with now rats chasing you. Over and over again.
3) Go to a -> b, except you randomly lost party members and have to find them first.

-Gameplay is boring. Taking down guards is not fun, its not even puzzly. Dealing with rats is not fun. honestly i would just run through guareds and just go to the next check point because it was so boring. Gameplay doesn't know what it wants to be, it starts off guard and rats, and environmental puzzles, and then completely does away with most of it towards last 30% of game.
-the lore behind the rats, what they can do, what they can't, why they can overwhelm someone with torch, sometimes they can't, it doesnt make any sense from a lore perspective. The whole Ma*** thing is never fully explained.
- All side characters are boring once again. They come and go as the story device needs them.

If you want to enjoy this game just turn off ALL logic part of your brain, ignore anything you have come to expect from previous story driven games, and just focus on the visuals. I am that guy who watches movies and wants things to connect, if you are such a person you will really dislike this game. If you are the kind of person that can turn that part of your brain off, then you can likely do that here and enjoy what is offered to you.

Requiem plays it safe as far as sequels go and continues right where the first game left of. Even if it features more sprawling and detailed environments, it is the type of sequel where I won't remember in a years time what was part of the first game and what was the second game. This isn't a bad thing at all, ultimately I also enjoyed it about equally as Innocence, even if it has nice improvements in combat and character variety.

Where I would have wished for more refinement are the puzzles and some of the rat sections. It happened multiple times that a puzzle or general progression hinged on me noticing an interaction circle somewhere or not missing a crucial piece of dialog that is not repeated, leading to me banging my head against the wall in trial-and-error, not seeing the specific solution to a problem the game wants me to see to progress.
The rats are the bread and butter of A Plague Tale and offer a great twist on stealth mechanics. The tech is honestly impressive, but unfortunately not waterproof. The organic nature of the rat system often led to infuriating frustration where some rogue rats would still be on a cleared path, killing Amecia, you being centimeters away from a light source still dying trying to make one step forward or rats being on a path they are not supposed to be due to some mechanics I won't spoil, leading to the need for wasting a fire pot to clear a tiny patch of rats, alerting all the enemies. These were minor frustrations but were what ultimately held me back from enjoying it more than Innocence.

In the end though, A Plague Tale is incredibly easy to recommend, which hasn't changed with Requiem, offering a tight narrative with impressive set-pieces and digestable stealth gameplay, even I, a person with very very limited patience for any stealth in games, could arrange myself with. It's the little AA sibling of Uncharted and The Last of Us and is just as enjoyable, even if obviously not as refined.

É uma continuação digna, sabe muito bem passar do aventuresco pro sombria quando precisa. Uma história que sabe ser corajosa e vai sem medo. Os personagens são incríveis, o relacionamento da Amicia com o Hugo é lindo e mostra força que um laço fraterno pode ter.
E tem um avanço bem significativo no gameplay do stealth, é menos repetitivo e apresenta possibilidades interessantes com o Hugo agora. Ainda mantendo esse espírito de aventura young adult que me atraiu no Innocence, mas agora indo pra um final sombrio e agridoce. Vale muito a pena

A really impressive sequel across the board. I have no idea how large Asobo Studio is or what type of backing they have, but out of all the Naughty Dog imitators, they manage to get the closest to them. There are some genuinely stunning set-pieces here and the visuals in general are gorgeous and are an unfathomable jump from Innocence.

The combat encounters are, similarly, much improved. One of the biggest issues the original had was the rigidness of the encounters where it seemed like there was one and only one solution to them. That's not completely gone, especially when the rats come into play, but Requiem definitely lets you spread your wings a little more. The areas are wider, the AI is a lot smarter and you’re actually allowed to use your arsenal to the fullest.

The story’s a bit exhausting to get through because it’s constantly depressing and bleak but that means it did a great job at what it wanted to do (ala The Last of Us Part II). The performances are once again excellent across the board and I actually really bought Amicia and Hugo’s relationship this time around. The supporting cast is also insanely better, partly due to them being adults and accompanying you for more than just a chapter or two. The ending’s very predictable (maybe that’s the point?) but I still thought it was incredibly effective. The plot isn’t without its issues, though. There’s a large chunk in the middle of the game where it feels like it’s going around in circles (you literally circle back to one of the locations like three times) and the lore still feels kind of underbaked, which is a shame.

I was pleasantly surprised that this ended up being a duology. The game leaves room for potential future titles, but it’s very clear that Hugo and Amicia’s story is over. It’s incredibly refreshing and I’m glad they went out with a bang. Asobo Studio is definitely on my radar now and I really can’t wait to see what they do next.

I found this to be a step up from its predecessor in nearly every way, telling a more compelling narrative with better mechanics, graphics, environments and performances from the actors. The gameplay felt very iterative and not at all obnoxious. I say obnoxious because I feel like I’ve played a lot of games (sequels in particular) that introduce new mechanics for the sake of it, to the point where new tutorials being added frustrate me. I didn’t find that to be the case here because each new mechanic complimented each other well.

However, certain mechanics did wear on me as I continued to play it. The walking, adventure game-esque elements eventually grew old because this game is a bit longer than the first one. Some of the puzzles could have been taken out and the pacing would’ve been improved. Seriously, every fucking door in this game is locked. Whoop, gotta find a way around. Again.

I wish it wasn’t locked at 30 FPS but it didn’t harm my experience with it, although I cannot ignore that 60 FPS would have made for a smoother experience.

Overall, it’s a great game.

Somehow even more visually and sonically stunning than its predecessor. I was still not as engrossed in the story as others for whatever reason, but it still deserves its flowers, especially that gut-punch of an ending…

The most notable deviation from Innocence comes in the gameplay. Requiem is a marked improvement on the previous game in this regard, with even better puzzles, and actually viable stealth mechanics for most of the campaign. Unfortunately, a select few sections do still revert to the old “kill everything to sneak” methodology. It’s just as painful, but thank goodness they’re a lot less prevalent this time around, and you’re given more tools to make an escape if you find yourself spotted.

I also just want to mention that I found the use of haptics for the PS5 DualSense controller to be really nice for a 3rd party title.

Plague Tale: Requiem is a step up from the first game in the series in almost every way. I had a really good time playing through this one!

The most obvious upgrade is the visuals. Textures, models and animations are all miles better than in the first game, rivaling most similarly styled AAA games. The environments remain a standout, with a lot of evocative, interesting areas that are very well realized and horrifying. Asobo Studio has cranked up the scope of these environments with a couple of really great set pieces that sell how overwhelming and horrifying this rat plague (can we even call it that anymore?) truly is. Standouts were the whole island of La Cuna (including the infested underground catacombs), The Red City (especially during the lockdown), and the final area, which looks like it would be at home in a Dark Souls game.
Character animations are more believable and the acting and writing remains solid. The rat swarms have gotten a huge upgrade. The swarms themselves are much more horrifying, flowing over the terrain like water in a way that somehow avoids being comical in the least. The individual rats are more believable and higher fidelity as well animating in a more realistic way.

Requiem sticks mostly to the gameplay formula established in Innocence, with traversal challenges and combat challenges that are all overcome with the various tools you collect. The more open nature of a lot of the areas take this farther towards an immersive sim-like experience, with a lot more freedom in how you navigate and engage with enemies. This is an interesting shift but didn't work as well for me as I expected it to.
The ability setup seems somewhat streamlined at first, with different concoctions combined with delivery mechanisms, but the exact effect of each of these combinations isn't super clear. I never had a really good idea of what my options were or in what situations I would want to use each of them. Enemies also no longer really have hard counters (like the fire powder from the first game, to remove helmets), which muddies the combat use case for each of your abilities even further.
All of this is exacerbated by the fact that there are quite a few sections with enemies attacking you in waves that are very hectic. The complexity of the system curtails a lot of the creativity you might otherwise be able to display, which doesn't feel that great.
The rat swarms in these areas don't quite work as well, since things aren't as tightly controlled. It feels more chaotic, but there are times where the rats' movements are unclear, and it is pretty easy to die without realizing you were in danger.

Narratively Requiem takes some swings but initially doesn't stray too far from expectations established in the first game. The individual characters aren't quite as well realized and some of their motivations for helping Amicia and Hugo aren't super believable or clear, unfortunately. It all comes together by the end, but the group that is assembled just didn't resonate as well as in the first game. The ending, however, is well done and surprisingly heartfelt, honest, and by the time you get there, has a certain inevitability that matches the tone and themes of the rest of the game. The sadness here is earned and works -- it is especially impressive how the theme and ending tie seamlessly into the game's mechanics of lighting and extinguishing fires.
Some of the individual set pieces are truly incredible -- stuff I haven't seen in any other game. Tidal waves of rats crashing over a city, filling a massive cistern as you race ahead of it trying to escape to the surface, and destroying a fortress town are all really epic, awe-inspiring events that really help nail the stakes here.

Requiem is a really great game with a solid, straightforward story to tell and interesting mechanics with which to tell it. I had a really good time playing through this -- the team at Asobo Studio has created a game that compares favorably to other games in the genre with a fraction of the resources.

A gripping story from start till the end with a great atmosphere. You never walk alone, so the charakters are always talking to each other and none of them was annoying me.
It's a really great sequel and I enjoyed every minute of it. Yeah, the combat was a bit clumsy from time to time, but it wasn't the main part of the game, so it's okay. I just had one gamebreaking bug, where the animation didn't worked and I had to start the part of this chapter again.
I also liked the mix of this game too. After a exticed szene you often got a break and had a relaxing part. Just great. Oh, and this game had great landscapes, which I really enjoyed and held on a second to watch the scene.
Definitely one of the better games these days

Breathtakingly stupid story. While I could probably pick it apart for multiple paragraphs, let's just say there is absolutely nothing to take away from this. It exists purely to give "emotional moments." There is no meaning to be gathered whatsoever that is not contradicted 100 times over by the game itself. The facial capture is extremely dry, and ruins what are some decent voice performances from the cast.
The gameplay is the same as the first, and while I do get people thinking there wasn't enough for another game, I don't think it's that bad as someone who hasn't touched the original game since I beat it years ago.

This improves on the first game in every conceivable way. The writing, characters, story, everything is better, leaving a much bigger impression than before. One handy addition is that your companions, outside of your little brother, each have a unique ability to help you navigate through the various puzzles and enemies. The puzzles and areas themselves have been improved upon, requiring more trial and error to figure out how to get through and survive. Although, I did have to resort to using the Photo Mode as a way to scout the area to figure out where I actually needed to aim towards in the first place.

a miserable slog and not because of how increasingly bleak everything is, believe it or not. the game is like 15-20 hours long but it felt like 50.

i'll take what i said in my review of Innocence (i was much more charitable with that game as a first effort) and i'll repeat myself here:

"A game with instant fail states all over the place mixed with mechanics that are at times in shambles isn't a good mix."

it was one thing to have the mechanics not improve significantly but it's another to focus so heavily on its weak points like combat while weighing itself down with more and more bloat elsewhere.

a three tiered skill tree (probably the most baffling/useless one i've seen in a game since Shadow of the Tomb Raider?) on top of equipment upgrades on top of braindead crafting because fuck it, why not? for a game that is primarily a narrative based experience that lives or dies on its characters and story i find myself wondering why they bothered.

some of this would be more easily overlooked if i was fully engrossed in what was going on elsewhere but unfortunately the bloat problems extended to the narrative too. this could've easily trimmed 5-8 hours and nothing of value would've been lost.

really wanted this to be a surprise improvement on the first but it wasn't meant to be for me, i guess.

In some ways, an improvement on the first game. But there are still so many frustrating moments and clunky, dated gameplay design. Not to mention the story and characters can just get mired in misery porn and overly emo histrionics at times.

Presentation is very good, graphics and sound are frequently top tier, whilst not exactly being as breath-taking as a AAA game might be. Gameplay is pretty much unchanged from the first game, save for the introduction of a few new gameplay tweaks. You go through puzzle levels with rats, or stealth sections with soldiers, or a combination of both, then watch a cut scene. Rinse and repeat for 20-30 hours. So the repetition gets slightly boring by the end, even if the general gameplay is still fairly satisfying.

Save for the end though, where honestly it does get pretty emotional, its all just a procession of Hugo whining like a little bitch about anything and everything. Seriously, FUCK this kid. One of the most annoying little shits I've ever encountered in a game. And Amicia just coddles him, enables him and worries about him the entire game. Id be like Shut the fuck up Hugo, yes we had to kill the fucking soldiers, its impossible to sneak past 500 fucking soldiers, give me a fucking break already! If you whine about being scared one more god damn time ill fucking crossbow you now shut up! And the story is just misery piled upon misery. Oh there's rats killing people, now soldiers massacring innocent civilians, oh now there's an army of slavers killing innocent people too, oh this count and his wife seem nice, oh wait what a surprise they want to kill you for no good reason....its all laid on so thickly dude.

This was a decent 25 hours. Plenty of bullshit and misery porn but enjoyable gameplay and nice presentation. Couldn't be bothered getting the plat or playing NG+ though.

A phenomenal follow up to one of my favourite games. I still think the combat mechanics are clunky, despite them being vastly improved from the first and I was left a little unsatisfied by the ending. But other than that, I loved this. I still think the Plague Tale series boasts some of the most incredible world building I've seen, some of the best characters and some sensational visuals. Not to mention the rats are genuinely terrifying.

Not quite as good as the first but still a great game nonetheless and one I'd easily recommend.

This is one of 2022 best narratives. Right from chapter 1 this story picks up and does not stop. There were several nights where I wanted to keep playing, but it was 1AM and I needed to sleep.

The gameplay and puzzles were not the highlight of the game, but they didn't hinder my play experience either. It all felt natural to the situation. There are going to be complaints about the framerates, but on a game slow and narrative focused it was not that jarring.

Overall this is a must play and another great game from Asobo. I cannot wait to see what they do next after this.

Asobo Studio was mostly known for making licensed games until 2019’s A Plague Tale: Innocence. This original narrative-focused adventure was far from a Wall-E-branded collect-a-thon platformer and something more reminiscent of Sony’s first-party output, albeit with a significantly smaller budget. It had some rough spots, but it was an unexpectedly heartwarming tale that excelled because of its strong central relationship. A Plague Tale: Requiem, its sequel, doesn’t have that same element of surprise nor does it iron out the kinks of the original, but it still tells a unique, if uneven, tale with plenty of bizarre and beautiful scenery.

Read the full review here:
https://www.comingsoon.net/games/reviews/1243785-a-plague-tale-requiem-review-ps5-worth-buying