Spoilers for A Plague Tale: Innocence and A Plague Tale: Requiem follow.
Today is the first anniversary of A Plague Tale: Requiem, a riveting tale of a pair of siblings running against time and an oppressive organization bent on capturing them for the sake of a timeless prophecy that is supposed to change the course of the world. And even a year later, it is common to see fans of the series on social media express their endless love for the series and its main characters.
Considering the impressive volume of video games released every day, it is no surprise to see some of them fall to the wayside in a matter of months after they came out. Thankfully, the A Plague Tale saga is not one of these cases. The perilous adventure of protagonist Amicia and her younger brother Hugo started in 2019 with A Plague Tale: Innocence and continued in the acclaimed 2022 release of A Plague Tale: Requiem. Since then, it has strongly resonated with so many players from around the globe.
But why is that? How did a relatively smaller studio such as Asobo craft such a beautiful narrative seemingly out of nowhere and take the world by storm? The only reasonable answer that comes to mind is The siblings’ profound relationship and emotional journey through the black plague.
A Plague Tale’s heart-wrenching quest, in both entries, hits the ground running and does not let go until the closure of each chapter. In Innocence, As Amicia’s day starts to unfold, you are greeted by your father and beloved dog, Lion, in a peaceful forest. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the canine sadly dies in their first instants. This sets the mood for what is to come and what the future departs in this tragic tale.
The beginning of Amicia and Hugo’s story has them separated from each other, as Hugo is sick with a once-in-a-lifetime illness called the Macula that progressively debilitates him and is in dire need of a cure. After a chaotic and violent chain of events, Hugo and Amicia are left alone and confused. And this is where the real adventure starts.
Amicia all of a sudden becomes fully in charge of Hugo, and although she is his older sister, she is not that mature herself, acting on instinct and care alone. That fact naturally complicates things for both of them, as nurturing a small child in her formative years all on her own while trying to survive dangerous rat hordes is an impossible task. Add to it the faction known as the French Inquisition, who are trying to experiment on Hugo and you have a recipe for disaster.
The struggle to keep Hugo alive due to such a hopelessly vulnerable disease leaves Amicia with no other choice than to take it upon herself to see his brother safe, as she knows he will not make it without her. To be thrust into a nightmare situation like this, fighting against an unknown enemy and raising a child in the process, is unfathomable. Considering that they don’t begin the game with the strongest of relationships, her sense of duty as her guardian makes it all that more admirable.
One of the biggest tragedies of the world is the loss of childhood innocence, and in the predicament the siblings find themselves in, Amicia is not able to protect Hugo from seeing the horrors of the Black Death in their trek and losing their temperament to rage in certain moments. This reflects the sister’s young and inexperienced ability to cope with dealing with what seems like the end of the world, often feeling like being on the verge of a meltdown.
Mental health can be as fickle as a twig, and the slightest trigger could detonate complex emotions that are difficult to process and happen even after years of therapy. Amicia, after enduring countless harrowing moments of unimaginable violence, eventually sees her mind slowly slipping away, but for Hugo, his light in the darkness, she shrugs off the tragedies and shows herself immutable.
Despite that, Amicia becomes resourceful and strong-headed at the expense of her sanity, which she loses every time she resorts to violence and ends her enemies, causing them excruciating pain in the process. As the player, it is always impactful to see your character taking a toll because of the actions you take, immersing you in the process even further.
While many games nowadays pride themselves in giving the player agency and letting you choose every step of the way, it is always impressive as well to see a game grab you by the hand and force you to do things so that it is more impactful in the end. Amicia does not have a choice but to harm her enemies, and even though you are aware her psyche will be inevitably hurt by it, there is no other choice but to move forward to save her dear brother.
As they progress, their ordeals become ever greater because the Inquisition is always behind their backs. It is often felt that the story is bigger than the siblings, as the plague is something that affected the entirety of civilization at the time, and to have Hugo in the thick of it all when all he truly wanted was to live his infancy in peace is even more poignant.
At some point, Hugo finally gets kidnapped by the Inquisition, which makes his behavior even more erratic due to his fear of being alone. It is at this point that you see the havoc that being exposed to such tragic events has caused on young Hugo’s psyche. Thanks to sheer luck and Amicia’s tenacity, they can escape the clutches of the Inquisition and live another day.
A Plague Tale: Requiem starts just where they left you in the first game, with a rather pleasant exchange between the siblings running down a meadow and laughing. It is refreshing to see them enjoy, albeit for a brief moment, their love and trust for each other. Requiem’s first moments are truly heartwarming, knowing what they had previously lived through. The contrast of such a tragic tale next to the childlike happiness of Hugo’s respite balances the tale perfectly.
Requiem’s journey to continue to try to find a cure for Hugo has an ever more intense sense of urgency as the Macula has progressed, and the child’s health is in danger. This takes them on a trek through plague-ravaged Medieval France. Breathtaking vistas juxtaposed with viscera, carcasses, and blood from animals and people make for a gripping experience and a constant reminder that Hugo & Amicia are just a step away from death.
It is revealed that Amicia has the role of the protector and Hugo the part of Carrier, illuminating that their bond goes far beyond the usual blood relationship, but a prophesied event that was expected to happen. This late-game tidbit of information changes everything, as Hugo and Amicia’s roles were always meant to be, and although they both assume their role stoically well, their fate is always bound to each other.
This emboldens the evolution of Amicia and her relation to violence and the world. Amicia’s toll on her aggressiveness and willingness to defend and save Hugo is a central figure in this sequel, as you can see her mind deteriorating with each violent action she takes. Similarly, as Hugo starts having more control over the rat hordes spreading across Europe due to Macula’s progression, his anger also needs to be kept in check.
Strong secondary characters like Lucas, an apprentice alchemist, witness the siblings’ growth and become attached to them. At some point, even he becomes scared of what the cycle of violence has turned Amicia into. Another solid character, known as Sophia, a pirate smuggler, gives a much-needed scolding to both Hugo and Amicia in a key moment where everything turns out of control.
As they near the closing of their tale, the actions they take catch up to them, with both siblings falling prey to their anger and despair. And who would be to blame them, as at every turn, the rampant loss and tragedy follow them? Thankfully, with the help of their allies, they are reminded that the burden that they were born to carry is not for them to shoulder alone.
Although the ending details will not be discussed, it is a bold and caring decision that tightly knits the rollercoaster of emotions that began with a pair of unseemingly spoiled and immature kids and became one of the most touching stories ever to be released. Likely, Amicia will finally find peace after completing what would be a tragic version of the hero’s journey.
As Hugo and Amicia’s emotional narrative ends, it is plain to see the love and care that went into creating these endearing characters at any moment. Each interaction comes off as thoughtful and genuine, and to see their relationship grow from distanced siblings to the inseparable bond they have by the end of their long and perilous tale is a sight to behold.
The genius behind the A Plague Tale saga is a combination of the constant tension you are in with every encounter and the strong arc you witness with every decision made, and how both stories engross you from the first instant. The key to creating such endearing characters is as elusive as it is complex, but wherever the series goes next, there will already be a legion of fans ready to follow Hugo and Amicia.
