Reviews A Plague Tale: Innocence Reviews

[lashman]

Game Information

Game Title: A Plague Tale: Innocence

Platforms:

• PlayStation 4 (May 14, 2019)
• Xbox One (May 14, 2019)
• PC (May 14, 2019)

Trailer:

• A Plague Tale: Innocence - "Monsters" Trailer
• A Plague Tale: Innocence - Overview Gameplay Trailer
• A Plague Tale: Innocence - Uncut Gameplay Trailer
• A Plague Tale: Innocence - Preview Accolades Trailer
• A Plague Tale: Innocence - Story Trailer (English)
• A Plague Tale Webseries | Ep3 - Children of the Plague
• A Plague Tale Webseries | Ep2 – Dark Ages
• A Plague Tale Webseries | Ep1 – Roots of Innocence
• [GAMESCOM 2018] A Plague Tale: Innocence - Uncut Gameplay Trailer
• [E3 2018] A Plague Tale: Innocence – E3 Trailer
• [E3 2017] A Plague Tale: Innocence - E3 Teaser

Developer: Asobo Studio

Publisher: Focus Home Interactive

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 81 average - 81% recommended

Critic Reviews


Screen Rant - Robin Burks - 5 / 5 stars

A Plague Tale: Innocence is a refreshing single-player game with great action, gameplay and storytelling.

Total Gaming Network - Shawn Zipay - 5 / 5 stars

Incredible from start to finish. Every once in a while there comes a new game release that defies all expectations. A Plague Tale: Innocence is one such game. Thanks to a delicate balance of satisfying gameplay and an engaging story, A Plague Tale will sink its hooks into you right from its opening chapters.

GamePitt - Rob Pitt - 9.5 / 10

A Plague Tale: Innocence is a brilliant new IP which satisfied me in every way imaginable. The visuals were simply stunning, albeit a little blurry in certain scenes, the voice acting and music were perfectly recorded and pieced together, the gameplay was broken up between stealth, exploration and puzzles, and the narrative was both exciting and engaging to play through. Despite the few personal issues I had with the forced combat segments, I thoroughly enjoyed playing through this alternative take on the deadly Black Death and how two siblings worked together to overcome the dangers they were faced with.

Remote Play - Rayyan Javeed - 9.5 / 10

“A Plague Tale: Innocence is the broadway theatre of video games”

GameSpace - 9.5 / 10

Asobo Studio brings together a culmination of stunningly beautiful art, hauntingly lovely music, and a wonderfully crafted, heart-wrenching story of a young girl and her brother as they live through the eradication of their family and become targets of the Inquisition during a plague-ridden time period. A Plague Tale: Innocense is not a game you will soon forget or want to pass by.

PowerUp! - Leo Stevenson - 9.1 / 10

It's a masterclass in emotional storytelling and absolutely top-notch in making narrative and gameplay compliment one another

TheSixthAxis - Tuffcub - 9 / 10

A Plague Tale: Innocence proves that feisty young women are the new heroes of single player narrative adventures, and Amicia can proudly stand alongside Aloy and Senua. Asobo Studios have knocked it out of the park with a compelling story, superb graphics, and excellent music. Loved it.

Gameblog - Camille Allard - French - 9 / 10

A Plague Tale: Innocence is a jewel, a narrative and immersive adventure that captures your attention for hours . Artistically stunning, the game is also of great musical and auditory beauty and it is clear that we are in front of a masterpiece.

GameMAG - Russian - 9 / 10

Incredibly emotional adventure with an amazing story and excellent characters. A Plague Tale: Innocence is not just a glorious game and a big achievement for the team, but a greatest discovery of the year on the market so far.

Windows Central - Brendan Lowry - 4.5 / 5 stars

A Plague Tale: Innocence is a dark medieval stealth adventure that blends superb gameplay, excellent writing, and amazing presentation into one cohesive experience.

PlayStation Universe - John-Paul Jones - 9 / 10

With its well designed stealth mechanics, unique setting, captivating story and stifling, often terrifying atmospherics, in Innocence: A Plague Tale, Asobo Studio might well have crafted the best and most pure horror title of the year.

Bloody Disgusting - Mark Delaney - 4.5 / 5 stars

If you don't know the name Asobo Studio, you will after A Plague Tale. It clearly had a vision for what it wanted this game to be and despite the presumably lower budget than similar games, it rarely feels hamstrung by financial constraints. It's a game that looks, sounds, and plays great, and is all wrapped up in a story that unfolds irresistibly. For anyone who still longs for single-player games they can just sink their teeth into and enjoy, A Plague Tale should shoot to the top of your list. It's one of the year's best games.

WellPlayed - Zach Jackson - 9 / 10

A Plague Tale: Innocence is a gripping emotionally-charged story-driven experience that delivers not only one of the best narratives of the year, but one of the best games of the year

Niche Gamer - Brandon Orselli - 9 / 10

A Plague Tale: Innocence is a wonderful new IP from an up-and-coming studio like Asobo. The game takes a rarely adapted period from our history and builds it into a wholly unique experience, with a character-driven adventure that will have you wanting to see how it all ends. I really can’t recommend the game enough if you are looking for something fresh and new.

Player.One - Kenneth Araullo - 9 / 10

A Plague Tale: Innocence is an example of storytelling and gameplay meshed together right. It's honest, brutal and incredibly hopeful all at the same time, and it does so without being naive. Ultimately, it teaches us that even at the point when everything seems lost, and the end approaches without respite, going on is easy so long as we have even just one person to call family.

Twinfinite - Keenan McCall - 4.5 / 5

A Plague Tale: Innocence is a late-generation gem that shouldn’t be missed by anyone with even a passing interest.

GamingBolt - Shubhankar Parijat - 9 / 10

A Plague Tale: Innocence isn't the largest, most expansive game you'll ever play, nor does it accomplish new things in the areas where it does place its ambitions, but it's stronger for it. It's a focused story-driven experience completely free of bloat or unnecessary attempts at lengthening its runtime, and knows exactly what it wants to do. It delivers an emotional and effective tale, while also implementing simple mechanics in constantly engaging ways to make sure that it's not always all about the story.

Digital Chumps - Ben Sheene - 9 / 10

A Plague Tale: Innocence transforms a hopeless period of human history into an intoxicating drama. Personified as a supernatural torrent of rats, The Black Death bookends a brother and sister's struggle to overcome the impossible, giving players a piece of entertainment that is unforgettable in its emotional resonance.

GamingTrend - Ron Burke - 90 / 100

With a magnificent storyline replete with devious puzzles and gorgeous vistas, A Plague Tale: Innocence is as beautiful as it is disturbing. A survival stealth title at its heart, Asobo Studio's approach to the story of the bubonic plague is completely unique, and one I can't recommend highly enough.

IGN Italy - Davide Ambrosiani - Italian - 9 / 10

A Plague Tale: Innocence is a game that deserves to be experienced by everyone. Although there is no possibility to choose a precise degree of difficulty, it manages to stimulate without ever being frustrating, highlighting a lot of skill in managing the rhythm.

SomosXbox - Spanish - 8.9 / 10

A Plague Tale: Innocence is a breath of fresh air in the AA scene and a title highly recommended for all types of players.

Wccftech - Francesco De Meo - 8.8 / 10

A Plague Tale: Innocence is definitely among the gaming surprises of 2019, exceeding expectations in the best possible ways. With its gripping tale, charming characters and solid gameplay mechanics, the game is a must-have for those who like single-player games with a strong focus on story and character development. Even if the tale does not take in you, A Plague Tale: Innocence still offers a solid third-person stealth experience that fans of the genre will surely appreciate.The links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Wccftech.com may earn from qualifying purchases.

Generación Xbox - Spanish - 8.7 / 10

A Plague Tale: Innocence is an intense story of powerful narrative that will have us hooked from start to finish.

VGN - Italian - 8.5 / 10

A Plague Tale: Innocence is an unexpected but welcome surprise: Amicia de Rune and her brother's journey is a story-driven adventure that could challenge even the biggest AAA productions, thanks to a great storytelling and attention to details.

IGN Spain - Miguel Ángel Escudero - Spanish - 8.5 / 10

Yes, A Plague Tale: Innocence is a great experience and you have to immerse yourself in it.

DualShockers - Rachael Fiddis - 8.5 / 10

A Plague Tale: Innocence follows Amicia and Hugo De Rune as they are hunted by the Inquisition while having to deal with the events of The Black Death.

Rely On Horror - Rourke Keegan - 8.5 / 10

Does A Plague Tale: Innocence deliver on a world gone plagued? Does it make adorable little ratties scary!? Well, read on to find out.

GameCrate - Leo Parrill - 8.5 / 10

A Plague Tale: Innocence doesn't push the envelope as far as gameplay is concerned, but the incredibly compelling art direction and great writing should be experienced by any fans of single-player, narrative-driven experiences who don't mind incredibly dark subject matter.

Cultured Vultures - Nick Meekham - 8.5 / 10

A pox on your houses if you do not give A Plague Tale: Innocence an honest try. Forgive its iffy dialogue and you will be treated to a refreshing take on the stealth action genre.

Worth Playing - Cody Medellin - 8.5 / 10

A Plague Tale: Innocence is a pleasant surprise during a season that usually has few significant releases. The story starts off in a fascinating way, and despite a few bumps along the way, the game maintains a player's curiosity throughout its runtime. The mechanics are great, especially since the title doesn't have many of the expected drawbacks, and it's all reinforced by an excellent all-around presentation. For those who want a rich story and strong gameplay, A Plague Tale is definitely worth checking out.

SECTOR.sk - Slovak - 8.5 / 10

Heartrending journey of two siblings with unique gameplay which require help of other characters in dangerous and brutal world full of rats.

PlayStation LifeStyle - Lucas White - 8.5 / 10

A Plague Tale feels like the sort of game that gets passed over unwittingly, so here’s me suggesting to you, readers, make sure that doesn’t happen.

CGMagazine - Zubi Khan - 8.5 / 10

Readers looking for an engaging and dark story, one that isn't afraid of embracing the harsh realities of the middle ages during its tail end, are encouraged to try A Plague Tale: Innocence.

Everyeye.it - Tommaso Montagnoli - Italian - 8.4 / 10

A Plague Tale: Innocence is a title that we sincerely recommend to all those who are looking for a good story

Hobby Consolas - David Martinez - Spanish - 84 / 100

Asobo Studios offers us a very narrative adventure, spectacular at times and with a realistic atmosphere.

PSX Brasil - Francisco Maia - Portuguese - 82 / 100

A Plague Tale is an interesting new intellectual property. The period of the black death was reimagined with a narrative permeated by mystical elements, while exploring the fraternal relationship between Amicia and Hugo. It is a technically competent game, which conveys a rich and detailed universe, but its potential is barred by a trivial gameplay. Despite the problems, it's recommended and worth playing!

GameWatcher - 8 / 10

The scene of crossing a battlefield, with hundreds of lifeless bodies piled over each other, only to see a swarm of rats bursting out of a horse's bloated corpse is just one of multiple sights that A Plague Tale: Innocence inevitably etches into your mind. Although its stealth and puzzle mechanics aren't exactly fresh, having what's, quite possibly, the most powerful representation of the Black Death in the medium, even if stylized, is reason enough to see Amicia and Hugo's journey to its end.

TechRaptor - William Worrall - 8 / 10

A Plague Tale: Innocence presents a tightly constructed linear journey which is more enjoyable than many open-ended experiences.

Just Push Start - Mark Fajardo - 4 / 5

It's important to understand A Plague Tale: Innocence is more story driven than anything else. It doesn't matter if there are some rough patches here or there could be a little more polish there, as it's largely about Amicia and Hugo's journey. When you start to see, not just in words, but how the two interact between scenes, you can start to see how the two develop. It makes for a thrilling ride, even if the opposition can be quite terrifying. Combine that with puzzles and it's a solid adventure for fans of story driven or strategic titles.

Cerealkillerz - Gabriel Bogdan - German - 8 / 10

A Plague Tale delivers on the technical side (PC Version) and manages to build well made characters and a good story with in a fresh setting. Even when the game doesn't uses its full potential and the gameplay mostly ends up very generic, you should still take this emotional adventure with these versatile protagonists.

Gaming LYF - Charles Tyldsley - 4 / 5 stars

A Plague Tale Innocence isn't a flawless experience, but it's certainly a superb one. The game features plenty of solid stealth and puzzle mechanics, an intriguing narrative, some beautiful environments, and one of the best video game soundtracks in recent memory. It's a title which puts fairly unknown developer Asobo Studio firmly on the map. A Plague Tale is well worth your hard earned cash.

OnlySP - Amy Campbell - 4 / 5 stars

Asobo Studio has crafted an exceptionally dark atmosphere that brings the journey of its innocent characters to life. Both action and stealth-oriented players will find something to love in the mechanics despite their leading nature towards a particular playstyle. Those that love an immersive experience will be engrossed by the highly detailed, grim world. Some frustration with later levels may hinder the impact of the ending, but, regardless, A Plague Tale is a gorgeous game with endearing characters and smooth gameplay that showcases the potential of Asobo Studio.

Daily Star - Rosh Kelly - 4 / 5 stars

A Plague Tale: Innocence is an outstanding game that not only manages to deliver an impressively constant and tense tone, but also a really gripping story that will have to push through your vermin soaked nightmares to find out what happens next.

GameSpew - Kim Snaith - 8 / 10

It isn’t perfect, but A Plague Tale: Innocence‘s combination of gripping storytelling, excellent characterisation and varied gameplay, all tied together in a package with outstanding audiovisual design, makes for an experience you won’t forget in a hurry.

Easy Allies - Michael Huber - 8 / 10

Strong characters and compelling mysteries complement feelings of vulnerability as you try to sneak past threatening guards and horrifying swarms of rats.

GameSpot - Chan Khee Hoon - 8 / 10

A Plague's Tale's emotive story of resilience is underscored by a backdrop of screeching rats, the unremitting horrors of war, and a genuinely likeable cast of characters.

Digitally Downloaded - Matt Sainsbury - 4 / 5 stars

A Plague Tale comes so achingly close to the brilliance of a Hellblade, but sadly where Ninja Theory's "blockbuster indie" project is a masterpiece, Armicia's story is "just" a page-turner.

God is a Geek - Mick Fraser - 8 / 10

A compelling plot, grounded characters who aren't instant heroes, crafting and upgrades without arbitrary levelling and some beautiful environments to solve your way around,

PCGamesN - Chris Capel - 8 / 10

One of the most engaging and original story-based games this year. It's dragged down by some trite videogame elements but its characters elevate it above its contemporaries.

Jump Dash Roll - Matt Jordan - 8 / 10

Forswearing directness in favour of letting the game build momentum as it goes, A Plague Tale: Innocence weaves a captivating story from many different threads.

JVL - French - 16 / 20

Exciting, visceral, moving and sometimes gore, the game rat-turned lovers of narrative adventures strong in emotion and full of melancholy. A little pearl in the French way!

PushStartPlay - Kamil Dyszewski - 8 / 10

All that really has to be said about A Plague’s Tale: Innocence, is that it is a neat adventure game, which has significantly exceeded my expectations, and while those were not very profound to begin with, then even I have to admit that A Plague’s Tale: Innocence is ten times the game which I, and many others expected it to be. It may not have some of the certain AAA qualities, due to its clearly limited, AA budget – then ultimately it offers an experience, which is above and beyond games such as Anthem or Fallout 76, and feels like a breath of fresh air in the always online, games as a service, world.

Daily Dot - Joseph Knoop - 4 / 5 stars

In the end, it’s doubtful that there’s more to mine from this world, but the developers sure squeezed every last bit of “cool” out of it, and that’s a feat worth admiring.

Echo Boomer - David Fialho - Portuguese - 8 / 10

A Plague Tale: Innocence took us by surprise as one of the most endearing games so far this year. A linear experience focused on the journey of two brothers through the mud and blood, while they run away from the Inquisition and face the dangers of the Great Plague. With familiar mechanics and a satisfying gameplay through the story, A Plague Tale: Innocence is a great break from the all explosive games in the market.

AbsoluteXbox - Andy Langers - 4 / 5

Overall I really enjoyed the game, there a few minor quibbles in terms of the guided nature of the flow and the fact that towards the end you really do realise that you cant really go too wrong. There are not too many consequences to making poor choices either but I wouldn’t let this put you off what is essentially a very good game.

Video Chums - A.J. Maciejewski - 7.9 / 10

If you're in the market for a consistently immersive tale with gameplay that's filled with genuine tension then A Plague Tale: Innocence is a must-play game.

The Games Machine - Gian Filippo Saba - Italian - 7.8 / 10

Despite the excellent start, A Plague Tale: Innocence doesn't really blossom into a real masterpiece. The small bugs, some unintuitive commands and the fold taken by the narrative diminish some of the really positive features. The result, however, is still a good game.

AusGamers - Steve Farrelly - 7.7 / 10

Her and Hugo's mother, <b>Beatrice</b>, spends most of her time with Hugo and has an understanding of alchemy as a result of his illness, which becomes important later.

New Game Network - Christian Kobza - 76 / 100

A Plague Tale: Innocence is legitimately captivating in its atmospheric depiction of the plague-stricken and war-torn France of the Middle Ages. The mechanics rarely shine and the plot has a fair share of contrivances, but there are plenty of outstanding sequences that put this unique setting to excellent use.

SomHráč.sk - Gabriel Klimo - Czech - 75 / 100

A Plague Tale: Innocence definitely tried to bring something new to the table. Wartorn and plague ridden France offers a dense atmosphere and emotional fates of the main characters, but it's a bit of a shame that the title doesn't demand much of its players. However, it still remains a worthwhile experience.

Spaziogames - Domenico Musicò - Italian - 7.4 / 10

A Plague Tale is one of a kind and tells a compelling story about a fascinating historial period. Too bad it is too easy, simplistic and guided.

GamesRadar+ - Zoe Delahunty-Light - 3.5 / 5 stars

If you’re in the mood for a perfectly respectable, undemanding weekend game, A Plague Tale: Innocence is for you, though fair warning: The sight of so many dead bodies might shock anyone watching over your shoulder.

GameSkinny - Thomas Wilde - 7 / 10 stars

A Plague Tale: Innocence is an odd and often frustrating experience, with an escort mission front and center. There's a lot here that makes it worth checking out, though, even if only once.

TrustedReviews - Jade King - 3.5 / 5 stars

In some ways, A Plague Tale: Innocence is a triumphant narrative adventure bursting with originality, boasting a setting that we really haven't seen in this space before. However, it's often held back by failing to capitalise on so much potential.

The Digital Fix - Jonny Foster - 7 / 10

The sweeping takeaway from A Plague Tale: Innocence is that it's an imperfect but powerful story on death. It dares to explore the impact of killing in an industry that treats violence as routine and ordinary. That doesn't make up for some glaring oversights in the acting and writing, however, but if you can stomach seas of vermin and 10-15 hours of thick French accents, this may be the story-driven stealth title for you.

VideoGamer - Joshua Wise - 7 / 10

A Plague Tale: Innocence has some clunky writing in places, and its play gets stale after a time, but it prevails with a compelling mystery and a beautiful world.

Shacknews - Kevin Tucker - 7 / 10

The latest Asobo Studio release is grim, gory, and a bit of a grind.

IGN - Steven Petite - 7 / 10

A Plague Tale: Innocence has a great story, but the gameplay has a level of convenience that undercuts the perilous world.

TrueGaming - Arabic - 7 / 10

Despite some issues with consistency and being a bit limited in terms of gameplay, this is an experience i won't soon forget. this is one of the most unique titles in the genre.

Game Revolution - Mack Ashworth - 3.5 / 5 stars

It gets in its own way by deciding that something bigger was needed to keep the player’s attention. It’s a sour end to an otherwise great game.

We Got This Covered - Jordan Hurst - 3 / 5 stars

Equal parts beautiful, repulsive, simplistic, and mature, A Plague Tale: Innocence is difficult to recommend but impossible to dismiss.

Push Square - Sammy Barker - 6 / 10

A Plague Tale: Innocence deserves respect for daring to be different, funnelling you through a bleak European backdrop that's seldom seen. Despite some neat ideas, though, the stealth and puzzle mechanics drag, and the story can't quite make up its mind about what it wants to be. Furthermore, while the presentation is spectacular, the project lacks polish in key areas and overstays its welcome at times.

Slant Magazine - Ryan Aston - 3 / 5 stars

It's unfortunate that A Plague Tale's story falls short of its technical accomplishments.

Cubed3 - Ofisil - 6 / 10

A Plague Tale: Innocence is a stunningly beautiful, and finely-crafted… ok. It's an ok stealth/action-adventure, with ok characters and drama, and oceans of rats that add an ok survival horror vibe to it. Certainly a fun title, but not exactly a big recommendation.

Eurogamer - Edwin Evans-Thirlwell - No Recommendation / Blank

Children band together against the darkness of a collapsing France in this bleak and beautiful if somewhat rickety medieval fantasy.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun - Alice Bell - Unscored

I’ve been very positive about A Plague Tale so far, and it is indeed a good game.

ACG - Jeremy Penter - Buy

Video Review - Quote not available

GameByte - Brett Claxton - Unscored

A Plague Tale: Innocence is a well crafted single player game that feels like something different.

Player2.net.au - Matt Hewson - A or higher

This is a game that burrows under your skin, seeps into your mind and won’t leave you until the final credits roll. Frankly, any adventure gamer out there shouldn’t hesitate to buy this game, it is wonderful.

 

[Eferis]

The 1.75 score is an error, the website actually gave it a 3.5/5 score.

 

[lashman]

The 1.75 score is an error, the website actually gave it 3.5/5.

hmm ... i'm sure they'll update it soon (websites submit scores themselves, i believe)

Edit: already updated

 

[Firewithin]

Very nice to see good reviews

 

[lashman]

Very nice to see good reviews

indeed ... great even!

 

[texhnolyze]

Wow, reviews are glowing, unexpectedly.

I thought it's going to be 'too AA' for the mainstream media.

 

[lashman]

Wow, reviews are glowing, unexpectedly.

I thought it's going to be 'too AA' for the mainstream media.

apparently not ... which is great

 

[Aelphaeis Mangarae]

I'm pleased to see the game getting solid reviews. I hope it also gets solid sales. Olivier Derviere has a history of writing incredible music for games that don't sell very well. On a slightly off topic note, there was a rumour floating around that Microsoft have been trying to buy Asobo. Prior to A Plague Tale, Asobo did a fair bit of porting work for MS. There's a pre-existing relationship there.

 

[prudis]

damn what a nice surprise with the reviews ,expected ton of "low budget/not enough AAA" and "poor mans TRLoU" bits in reviews
I guess i will have to push the purchase plans further with this one

 

[RionaaM]

That's a lot of positive opinions. Guess I'll have to put this game on my radar.

 

[Ryne]

One of those games for me that look really good, score really well, but I have no interest in the game itself. Would love to follow this as a let's play though with someone good at it, it really looks great and the story doesn't seem half bad.

 

[Phoenix RISING]

So, a GOTY contender, huh?

I'm booked for May and June. Maybe July or August for me .