A Plague Tale: Requiemand its predecessor weren’t the first games to break into the companion subgenre of immersive storytelling. That said, while what they achieved may not be as widely celebrated asThe Last of UsorGod of War, they have left quite a few indelible marks that are uniquely their own, particularly with regard to the stealth-oriented gameplay thatPlague Taleprides itself on. But even thoughA Plague Tale: Requiemdelves a considerable degree further into actual combat than it arguably needed to, it also makes some interesting changes toA Plague Tale: Innocence’s staple stealth mechanics.
Nearly all ofInnocence’s stealth mechanics are intact inRequiembut with slight tweaks, for better or for worse. Eventually giving Hugo a Witcher Sense when rats are around is a low point, to be sure, whereas being able to slip through narrow passages is a neat traversal interaction that ishighly reminiscent ofThe Last of Us Part 2.Requiemalso allows Amicia to quickly lie prone to crawl beneath carts and beds, but she cannot go prone and crawl around whenever or wherever she’d like as Ellie can inThe Last of Us Part 2. That’s now undoubtedly a feature that a thirdPlague Taleshould add if onewas to ever followRequiem.
A Plague Tale’s Stealth Has Learned a Lot from The Last of Us
One of the biggestinfluencesA Plague Tale: Requiemseems to draw fromThe Last of Usis its use of shivs and shiv doors concealing a room full of loot. InRequiem, this takes the form of locked workshop cabinets that can only be pried open with infrequently discovered knives, meaning players miss out on valuable rewards and an opportunity to spend them on upgrades if they chose to jam their knife into an enemy sometime earlier.
However, whileRequiemhad many years to contemplate how it could adaptThe Last of Us’ shivs, it couldn’t have known thatPart 2would introduce prone movement for stealth purposes. If Asobo had known that, perhaps it would’ve considered legitimate prone mechanics in itsPlague Talesequel.
Either way, ifRequiem’s abrupt post-credits teaseand job listing rumors point to a third game potentially being in development, it would be phenomenal to see stealth mechanics extrapolated on.Requiemcame close to breaking that mold and having Amicia able to go prone and sneak by soldiers in tall foliage while snaking around their feet, but instead stealth was largely the same as it was inInnocence.
Requiemputs a stronger emphasis on combat by giving Amicia a crossbow and more melee options than before in order to punctuate how her rage affects Hugo directly, though there are still plenty of anxiety-inducing cat-and-mouse encounters like the one where Amicia evades the Count while nursing a recently dislocated shoulder.
What Stealth Could Look Like in a Hypothetical Plague Tale Threequel
Slipping between narrow passages is a fantastic mechanic the sequel added and is imperative when circumventing the Count, for instance, but going prone could’ve made ordinary stealth encounters with multiple soldiers far more dynamic as well. It would be interesting to see how that could come to fruition sinceRequiem’s post-credits scene suggests the series could be transitioning to a far-future setting relative to the present day.
Prone mechanics would be great nonetheless and how stealth is designed will need to take into consideration the setting and era most of all. With any luck,a thirdPlague Talewould continue to make stealth a priority as it is one of the biggest defining traits of the franchise thus far and deserves to be iterated on more than it was inRequiem, even if it needs to lean more heavily onThe Last of Usfor supplementary inspiration.
A Plague Tale: Requiem
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After escaping their devastated homeland, Amicia and Hugo travel far south, to new regions and vibrant cities. There, they attempt to start a new life and control Hugo’s curse.But, when Hugo’s powers reawaken, death and destruction return in a flood of devouring rats. Forced to flee once more, the siblings place their hopes in a prophesized island that may hold the key to saving Hugo.Discover the cost of saving those you love in a desperate struggle for survival. Strike from the shadows or unleash hell, overcoming foes and challenges with a variety of weapons, tools and unearthly powers.
