Ready for another brand-new Xbox Game Pass release? A Plague Tale: Requiem arrives on the service this Tuesday, October 18th, and just a few hours ahead of its release, the reviews have been dropping across the web.
If you're not aware, this is the sequel to the excellent A Plague Tale: Innocence, and it's been developed by the very talented team at Asobo Studio who also did a masterful job on Microsoft Flight Simulator a couple of years ago.
So, what are the reviewers saying? Let's take a look at some of the scores:
Pure Xbox (9/10)
"Asobo's sophomore effort is seriously impressive, delivering a balanced adventure that knows exactly when to mix things up, whether that be a introducing new story beat, a fresh location to explore, or a different combat option to make use of. Requiem is exactly the kind of new AAA narrative adventure we've been craving for a while on Xbox Game Pass, and we can't wait to see what this developer does next. Asobo Studio is really hitting its stride."
Windows Central (9/10)
"A Plague Tale: Requiem is far more than a jump in visual fidelity or an increase in the number of rats — it's larger, more approachable, more emotional, and a fitting conclusion to the arduous adventures of Amicia and Hugo."
IGN (8/10)
"A Plague Tale: Requiem is an impressive sequel to one of my favorite action-adventure games, upping the ante in almost every way. It doesn’t do a ton to distinguish itself from its predecessor in terms of its actual gameplay mechanics, but with a depressing yet awesome story, fantastic graphics, and rat-filled moments that I’ll never forget, this unique adventure very much deserves your attention."
Push Square (8/10)
"At its best, A Plague Tale: Requiem is one of the greatest narrative-focused experiences on PS5 to date. Technical limitations get in the way some of the time, but with improved stealth and combat mechanics, this is a really well-rounded game that excels at nearly everything it does. Innocence demonstrated Asobo Studio's potential in bursts; Requiem has absolutely realised it."
GameSpot (7/10)
"There's a lot to love in Requiem, even if frustration is an all-too-common bedfellow when it comes to gameplay. There are better stealth games out there, but its unique setting, poignant storytelling, and rat-infested dread make 14th-century France worth returning to."
It's good news for A Plague Tale: Requiem, then, which has scored really well with the critics so far. The game currently boasts a massive 86 score on Metacritic for Xbox Series X based on 10 reviews, and an 84 for PlayStation 5 based on 42 reviews. Surprisingly, the PC score is much lower, sitting at 75 based on 10 reviews right now.
Will you be playing A Plague Tale: Requiem on Xbox Game Pass? Tell us down in the comments.
Comments 16
Reading the mid-tier reviews on Metacritic feels like reading my interpretation of how TLOU should’ve reviewed. Plague Tale > TLOU, imo.
Honestly, really looking forward to seeing where the story goes in the sequel since the first one was a pretty concise story. I expect this one to be one of the better games this year.
@somnambulance not sure about TLOU comparisons, but first Plague Tale is an excellent budget game, punching above it's weight.
Seems like sequel is even better.
GameSpot giving the lowest score. Shocker.
@somnambulance Couldn't agree more. Obviously I've yet to play the new Plague Tale, but the mid tier reviews criticising the "safe gameplay" is very hypocritical when Naughty Dog haven't innovated with gameplay for coming onto two decades yet get 10/10 across the board.
@pip_muzz @Cikajovazmaj I’ve probably liked every Naughty Dog game, but I simply couldn’t believe all the praise TLOU got at its initial release. I mean, it’s good, but 10/10!? C’mon!
As for A Plague Tale, I’m really looking forward to how much it expands on the first game. It’s the biggest Gamepass title in ages, as well!
I haven't read them yet and I don't know if I will because... Game Pass. The biggest issue in the first game is the rough gameplay so I hope the sequel improves that.
@somnambulance @pip_muzz That's because Sony's exclusives are massively overrated. I'm tired of Naughty Dog's games. They're all graphics but the gameplay is the most mediocre I've played last generation. As @NEStalgia said, the good Sony was exterminated by Sony.
@Cikajovazmaj i think the last of us Comparisions come because the first game was very much the same type of gameplay move and enemy with a rock or a bottle sneak by. it even copied the crafting system for upgrades
@Cikajovazmaj @pip_muzz @Banjo- See, I don’t know if I agree that all Sony exclusives are massively overrated. I mean, most of my anticipated titles for 2023 are exclusive to Sony, Xbox, or Nintendo and plenty of my GotYs have been Sony exclusive games, but I mean, it’s clear that reviews can be bought to some extent when you look at how flawlessly TLOU reviews. If I didn’t talk to other people, I’d probably think I’m crazy for my opinion. Lol. Then again, on the Xbox side, I remember reading the initial Halo 4 reviews too, and wondering if I was crazy for thinking it was an 8/10, given all the early 10/10s. I honestly think Sony has been doing fine on most accounts, except their horrendous PR. They’re definitely exterminating their goodwill for some unfathomable reason when they’re still largely producing worthwhile content.
I agree with you on the gameplay of Plague Tale, by the way. I’m hoping it’s fixed as well. …and I’m also hoping the electrical is fixed in my house by the time I get off work too, so I can try it. It’s no fun being a gamer and having no electricity.
@somnambulance Sony exclusive games are pretty great, and I don't feel like bashing them is the right move. Instead of trying to devalue, MS needs to step up and provide similarly engaging alternative.
Reviews are bought all the time unfortunately. Good proof would be that producing demos and/or trials lowers the sales
Lastly, first PT had a bunch of good gameplay ideas (at least in my opinion) somewhat artificially stitched together inside of an overwhelming engine for the dev team. That resulted in the game being rough around the edges on many levels. My hope (still haven't tried it) was that sequel would mitigate that, but user comments online and 30fps target are making me cautious.
Why does PS5 have 42 reviews and the Series X only have 10? Kind of annoying seeing this crap for every game. Not sure if Playstation pays for this. Would be more surprised if they didn't at this point.
@somnambulance @Cikajovazmaj Yes, I'm glad to not be the only one, too! It makes you think that some reviews are pure marketing.
In regard to A Plague Tale, the first one because I haven't tried the sequel yet as it was released today, I also think that it has some good ideas like using rats as dynamic barriers. However, all things regarding gameplay are very rough and it's a pity because that's probably the only thing that failed. I'll play the sequel but if the gameplay is rough once again, I think that the developer itself is its worst enemy!
@Cikajovazmaj @Banjo- Gameplay is probably the weakest point in a Plague Tale, but like it’s been said, the gameplay isn’t THAT far removed from TLOU. I’ll admit I struggled with the gameplay in the first one, but liked the rest of it enough to say it’s an 8/10 tier game. With proper gameplay advancements though, this sequel could definitely be more along the lines of a 9/10. I’ll have to see for myself when I get the chance to play it. Last night was more about my son trying to amble his way through the new Ghostbusters game’s tutorial. He’s five, so it wasn’t a smooth process (the double joystick thing, he needs to work on), but he’s really excited about it. I’ll definitely start up A Plague Tale 2 sometime this weekend though.
@somnambulance I will definitely play the sequel, too. The graphics look awesome and the story of the first one is fine. I'm just hoping that gameplay has been refined 😊.
@Banjo- Me too. That brief scene on the ship was enough to hype me and the fact that there’s less forced stealth was icing on the cake. It helps that it seems to be perhaps a genuinely new gen experience. We’ll have to circle back after we play the game!
@somnambulance Yes, I want to know each other's opinion after we have played it 😊.
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