A Plague Tale: Innocence designing modern day folklore

The Black Death

It started with an innocent cough that soon evolved into more sinister symptoms. Bleeding from the throat, large pustules forming on the skin’s surface. However, I can only assume that they have also entered deeper into the body. It wasn’t long after the first death that the plague swiftly and abruptly wiped away the hundreth then the thousandth and now France’s filthy streets have become a breeding ground for the vermine river which plague and pestilence is carried. 

The setting is France during November 1348, the trees are aflame with shades of red and orange leaves. As the camera falls into the forest floor below we are welcomed to the main character of this story, Amicia. The oldest child to a family of nobles who has entered the forest with her father and family dog. They’re off hunting, yet they know nothing of the invisible threat which looms in the overgrowth. 

This is A Plague Tale of Innocence, one of the highest rated games of last year and was recently added to the Xbox Games Pass. The world painted in a Plague Tale is extremely dark and morbid, which is shown through not only the stunning graphics but the intense story, gameplay and historically accurate setting.

The Narrative

The story of Plague Innocence is at its core a reimagining of the black death; with fantasy elements lightly explored within the main plotline. However, don’t expect this game to be a high fantasy tale. It is very much rooted in reality, for the most part. 

During the hunting trip with her father Amicia begins to follow the family dog, who has caught a sent and began chasing it. When Amicia arrives at the dogs location however, she finds the pet has been torn open and partially eaten by the very same thing it hunted. This is how we are introduced to the main threat of the game; the rats.

The scene leaves a lasting impression of the danger these vermin possess. It also, abruptly rips Amicia away from the warm autumn atmosphere into the dark depths where this game will stay. Not only is this powerful due to it suffocating Amicia of her innocence, but it also shows how detrimental this would be for a noble child. Someone who has probably been mollycoddled since birth. 

The contrast of the opening scenes, and what France eventually becomes, is a powerful metaphor for the rampant filth which perpetuated the illness. Look at how once the illness appears, people begin leaving the dead in streets. Rotting corpses and livestock are presented to the plague of rats which only allows this disease to further spread. The lack of medical knowledge during this time is extremely bleak; with most, if not all, information surrounding the plague being completely fabricated. 

However, Amicia isn’t an only child. Her other sibling, a younger brother called Hugo, is extremely ill. When you meet the child you can see his veins turning black like roots sprouting from his neck and crawling towards his brain. Yet, this illness had been present before the black death; seemingly the two are not connected. 

Originally, I thought the main enemies of the game were the rats and plague. However, the morbid introduction of the zealous inquisition is a very sudden and brutal and shows that although the plague is deadly; It is also a force of nature. Therefore, the real human threat of the inquisition is much more sinister. It is shown early on that these inquisitors follow their leaders orders to a tee; with little regard to their fellow humanity. 

Without spoiling the story, it is up to Amicia to protect and lead Hugo to safety, throughout the game. Armed with a keen eye, solid strategic thinking and a slingshot you must outsmart the two very different threats. Using light to clear the rats and even using the swarm of rats to eliminate the human threats. Nothing in this game is going to be simple; it will always require a little ingenuity.  

The Characters

A Plague Tale of Innocence is filled with memorable characters, each offering their own unique goals and struggles throughout the torn world. Starting with the main Characters we have the symbiotic pair of Amicia, and her extremely sick little brother Hugo. Although you mainly play as Amicia, Hugo’s dependency on her makes him the, for all intents and purposes, secondary main character. 

While, Amicia had to adapt quickly as she soon lost her innocence falling into the new world. Luckily, due to her age and maturity she eventually stood stronger. However, On the other hand we have Hugo, someone that is extremely fragile and immature; whose transition into this new world is treated as a life threatening ordeal. Therefore, it is important to Amicia that she protects Hugo from seeing the dangers ahead. This attitude can be seen throughout the story as she consistently leads him by holding his hands and giving him simple directions. If she were to leave his side Hugo reacts like a realistic lost child; shouting her name and even having a panic attack at the thought of being alone. 

Along the journey our main characters will cross paths with others who have their own goals. Which is extremely refreshing to see from a game. This realisation that you are not the most important part of this world, and that other characters with pasts and beliefs will leave you for their own gain. 

The use of independent characters brings a sense of realism into the worlds atmosphere. Which allowed me to really believe the characters were based on real people. I even felt connected to them, which is rare in most games. 

The dependency Dynamics

The most important aspect of Plague Tale is the dynamic between Hugo and Amicia. With these being the two characters that share the most time with one another. The brother/sister relationship needs to be extremely well written as these characters are the main source of dialogue within the game. Therefore, it is vital that we can realistically connect with the two.

This is where the game shines. The dynamic between the two siblings isn’t one dimensional and has many key notes. Which, eventually add to the overall character development that they share. For example, during the first few missions, Amicia can be quite irritable with Hugo when he acts like a child would. Ofcourse, this harsh attitude stems from a place of love for Hugo and wanting to keep him safe. Although, it can be understood why Amicia is like this it is also understandable that Hugo, a small child, would behave as such. This character dynamic is effective due to its ability to adapt and change depending on recent events; which it does rather effectively.  

Certain flowers are a key event to the dynamic relationship between Hugo and Amicia. These wild growing plants are interactable, the first being a tuft of Carnations. A scene will play in which Hugo reaches down to grab the flowers. Amicia will become irated explaining that they can’t waste time. However, she waits, while Hugo plucks a single flower and places it in Amicia’s hair; stating that he believes the flowers will offer protection.

The amazing part about this scene is that it is entirely optional. If you skip over this flower you will miss an entire part of their well crafted dynamic. A dynamic which adapts based on time and events. Realism isn’t just important to history or story but the characters which inhabit the history and story. Without these well crafted characters Plague a Tale of Innocence would fail to deliver a meaningful experience.  

The history

Although the game may seem entirely fictional, at its core it is a retelling of a very important and dark time in western European history. I won’t bore you with a detailed exploration into the black death timeline. However, I will show you how a Plague Tale’s design team utilised this history with incredible detail and accuracy. 

The main enemy in a Plague Tale isn’t the festering plague itself but human corruption and greed shown by the Inquisition. An old group of zealous warriors who acted as an army for the Catholic church during medieval times. Their aim was to combat heresy (the act of opposing the Catholic God/Jesus) throughout the world. However, this only lead to discrimination and religious subjugation. 

The Black Death had reached southern France in 1348, the same year that Plague Tale takes place. The location of Plague Tale is also a real life location near the border between Spain and France called Aquataine. The reason the town had become invaded is mainly due to the location, as the Spanish Inquisition had leaked over the border to France. 

The Catholic church believed that this plague was the result of heretics. One group which faced subjugation above all else were the Jewish; who were common in western Europe at this time. There are many journals and articles which describe the horrifying mistreatment of the Jewish.

One such example is: 

“Four Jewish citizens were dragged from their houses, and burned at the stake on the accusation of poisoning the town’s water supply with plague” – Melissa Doherty  citing Tuchman 1978

Although religious subjugation wasn’t a main theme in Plague Tale. The introduction of Alchemists could certainly be hinting at this idea of the De Rune family being heretics.

Neil Tarrant wrote in an article about the plague that: 

“the fourteenth-century inquisitor Nicholas Eymerich had developed a clear rationale for the investigation and prosecution of alchemists as heretics”

Therefore, it is important to see that although the design team didn’t choose to specifically include Jewish subjugation; they definitely tackled the overall issue of subjugation and persecution of faith during this time.

Folk lore

The outbreak of the Black Death was, ironically, plagued with misinformation. As I have already mentioned some believed it was those of the Jewish faith causing the spread of the plague. However, that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what the desperate and weak medieval folk believed. 

Although we understand now that it was most likely fleas carried by the vermintide that were responsible for spreading the disease. During the time it was common to have many different beliefs. For example, common beliefs at the time for why the plague was spreading were things like witches, vapours and even planetary alliegnment. 

A Plague Tale of Innocence uses an extremely common belief for the plague; the wrath of God. Brought down to earth due to his hatred of humanity. Although the Black Death was a painful and slow ordeal. Plague Tale chose to instead personify the plague as hordes of rats which consume any living thing; that has strayed from the protection of the light.

The lore behind the decision of dark rats and light being their only weakness reminds me of an olds wives tale. A story mothers tell their children to keep them away from dark alleys and stay protected where they can be seen. Which also perfectly fits with the theme of Amicia and Hugo being kids alone in the dark world, during an inquisition against their faith/beliefs. 

Hygiene

While the folk-lore surrounding the Black Death is very diverse and creative.They typically have an inkling of truth to them. However, the lack of Hygiene knowledge during the medieval times would have been the key aspect to the black deaths high mortality rate. For example, during the Black Death it was extremely common for people to throw their waste out of windows. Which, directly landed in the streets below; leaving a perfect ecosystem for rats to thrive. 

The game does a great job of showing the grueling aspects of commoner life. Furthermore, it is especially effective when shown from the perspective of a nobel like Amicia and Hugo; who would have no idea about this horrific living conditions.

Although, like most tales and folk-lore, despite the cause of the rats  spreading being obvious today. During the Black Death science was in its infancy and most chose to believe the more “supernatural” elements. In some scenes you can see piles of dead animals and people literally stacked higher than our protagonist. Although it’s gruesome it’s a necessary aspect of showing the underlying truth within this tale of innocence. 

The Gameplay

The themes that Plague Innocence outlines within its story and atmosphere, heavily inspire its gameplay and combat. Amicia isn’t a battle-worn warrior, she’s a noble child with little to no battle knowledge. Also, she needs to protect her very fragile and immature brother Hugo.

The gameplay represents this by being, at its core, a stealth game with a heavy emphasis on crafting and puzzle solving. This isn’t your typical stealth game playing as a one man army behind enemy lines. If an enemy sees Amicia, they will hunt her till she is dead, and Hugo captured. 

However, it’s not only the soldiers you need to be careful of. The rats are a very real threat. Although, to deal with the vermintide you must herd them using lights as a form of fence or barrier. Many of the puzzles in the game, will involve finding the ideal route through the rats and one scene which is still strong in my mind is set in the farm. 

When you arrive at the farm Hugo will run upto a single pig, who had survived the rats. The piles of other dead animals show just how impressive this is. Hugo instantly forms a connection, like most young kids will.

Thinking of where to go next I notice the barn. However, I soon find that it is rat infested.The idea of sacrafticing the pig didn’t take long to form in my mind. Yet, I couldn’t stand, the thought of Hugo knowing; and neither could Amicia. As I led the pig into the barn Hugo kept asking questions; making the moment almost unbearable. As though I was ripping his only friend away from him. The pig was blissfully unaware of my ulterior motives. I left the pig in the the safe warmth of a candle above.

And without a second thought I launched a rock at that very same candle sheltering the pig. A sense of dread overwhelmed me. Hugo had just found comfort in the very same animal I was about to sacrafice. It went dark, all I could hear is the gnawing of the rats and the soon silenced squealing of the distressed pig. It was horrific.

I felt a real connection to Amicia during this simple act of gameplay. As I could understand why she would want to spare Hugo from seeing this. However, it was further amplified when I could hear the squealing, I felt like covering his ears. This scene, I believe will always be in the back of my mind as a form of fantastic gameplay.

The combat

Equipped with a simple slingshot this is Amicia’s only weapon during the course of the game. It makes sense as to why they chose the slingshot. Melee combat is nearly impossible due to Amicia having no upper body strength or armor. Furthermore, she needs to be by Hugo’s side. Therefore, playing sneakily, at a distance and using the environment to your favour is an ingenious game design choice. Which, also completely lends itself to the already well defined themes and story. 

However, as you survive through the story. The game will begin to throw harder and harder enemies at you. Although, the slingshot was useful early on. It soon began to grow some flaws. For Example, armor blocks your stones, meaning that to succeed you have to dabble in crafting and alchemy. You can craft many types of ammunition such as acidic rocks for those with armor, which can melt the helmet allowing you to launch a rock at their head and one shot them. 

However, the game also gives you the option to craft an item called “”. This item is a get out of jail free card which burns and destroys any rats it touches. Although, it costs a lot to use. I went through the entire game without using this item to solve a puzzle.

And that it is exactly how I would recommend you to play Plague Tale of Innocence. Immerse yourself and tap into those survival instincts; achieve your goals with the simple tools at your disposal. The sense of pride you feel when you finally solve a puzzle while under pressure is, easily worth the frustration of dying yet again to the unruly rat AI.

The conclusion

Just as most great myths stemmed from the truth, Plague a tale of innocence is the perfect modern fairy tale of the black death. Weaving an historic legend of good vs evil and that the plague was actually some higher being punishing us for believing in false prophets. 

Although I believe Plague Tale of Innocence is worth the stand alone price. It is also available on the Xbox Games Pass for £3.99 which made the non replayable single player experience extremely worth the price of admission. Even if the £39.99 price doesn’t interest you in this beautifully crafted game. Than, surely just paying 10% of that is worth it.