A Plague Tale: Requiem upgrades its brother Hugo for the sequel

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A Plague Tale: Requiem, the sequel to 2019's A Plague Tale: Innocence, is one of the biggest games launching this fall. GamesBeat was able to play a short game of the upcoming title, and one difference immediately becomes apparent: pint-sized deuteragonist Hugo got one hell of a power upgrade.

The first Plague Tale game followed children Amicia and Hugo as they fled their home and faced religious persecution and an apocalyptic horde of plague rats. Amicia does most of the work, as Hugo is around 5 years old when they go on the run. He would try with all his small heart to help, but Hugo was definitely not a fighter. That was kind of the point.

I would say the devs did it also well. I am, in real life, also an overprotective big sister, and the age difference between me and my brother is about the same as between Amicia and Hugo. This means that I was unable to play A Plague Tale: Innocence for long periods of time. Every time Hugo was in danger or upset - which was very often, given the circumstances - it sent me into a state of primal distress (for the record, my brother is now in his twenties and doesn't understand why I keep on cuddle him while reading).

However, the sequel gives Hugo a power boost. While he steadily improved as a companion throughout the original game, he now has several abilities that can aid him in stealth sections. It's a spoiler for Innocence's ending, but Hugo gains the ability to control plague rats late in that game - too late for the player to really benefit from it. In Requiem, Hugo has more control over his rat-based abilities. He can access the rats' senses to "see" other humans in the environment, similar to the listening mechanism in The Last of Us. He can take control of the horde, although he can overwork himself. /p> Event

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Amicia is no slouch either. The game - or at least the chapters I played in the preview - reverses the dynamic somewhat. Now Amicia is the sick one, dealing with a gaping head wound, while Hugo tries to protect her. That said, she has become almost a full-fledged assassin. She can attack guards when their backs are turned, drop pots full of fiery death on rats and humans, and use many other tools.

That's not to say the gameplay has changed - from the role I played, Requiem's ​​gameplay is similar to Innocence. If you weren't a fan of stealth, Requiem probably won't be different enough to change your mind. One change I liked was the introduction of a new character that changes the dynamic between Amicia and Hugo.

The new game expands on the previous one, giving both siblings more power and defense. It also reminds the player that those kids who have to kill so often that they become good is not a good thing. I'm curious to see where the full game takes these two and if it's as taxing on my emotions.

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