We've spent the past little while amidst an epidemic. And no, we don't (wholly) mean the local political attack ads running at the moment. Rather, we've been avoiding the Inquisition, rats and the "bite" itself in Asobo Studio's A Plague Tale: Innocence for review purposes. Now, it might be time to watch some comedy and lie down.

There aren't a lot of games that push this level of emotional endurance at this level of visual and audio quality, and we'll be keeping our eye on this studio moving forward. And while it has myriad hang ups, there is something unique here. Check out a snippet from our review:

There’s a fitting metaphor tied heavily to any screens or footage you see of Amicia holding Hugo’s hand. While warming and contextually justifiable on a narrative level, the game itself is a super-heavy hand-holding experience for the player. Hard-fail scenarios come in thick and fast, and often there’s only one way to progress your movement through the game’s 18 chapters. Combat, which is largely lite-on, is clunky and frustrating. Amicia’s only tools are her sling and variable ammunition you eventually learn to craft. She walks on by lost or discarded weapons, shields and more, throughout her journey. But it’s in the sling we -- and her -- trust, and it’s one of the game’s biggest failings. Everything we see (for the most part) sells the setting and period, and in the wake of the situation that sees our hero and her little brother pushing forward through corpses, rat nests and battlefields caked in bloodied fallen, with various other weapons available for pillaging, that she wouldn’t just even pick up a dagger is detrimental to the experience. In fact, there are numerous scenarios where you have enemies running at you where aiming your sling has to be specifically at their head in order to stop them. Fail to do so and… well, hard fail.

Click here for our A Plague Tale: Innocence review.

Described as an "emotional tale packed with mystery, intrigue and swarming, as ever with rats", A Plague Tale: Innocence takes place in a version of plague infested France that sees deadly rats able to devour a body in a matter of seconds. Today's gameplay video showcases stealth, how light and the absence of it affects the world, as well as a very moody setting.

Check it out.



As the first game from Asobo Studio, A Plague Tale definitely stands out as a very different style of medieval adventure. That is if you can call it that. With a focus on stealth, puzzles, and cinematic presentation it's journey into a dark and brutal world is one to keep an eye on when it launches May 15 on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Yeah, it's kind of an old-school announcement, games going Gold, but as this is an ambitious release and one we have some investment in having seen it up close, we thought we'd just remind you that it's on track for a May 14 release across PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

Here's the official announcement:

Focus Home Interactive and Asobo Studio are delighted to announce that A Plague Tale: Innocence has gone gold and is on track for its 14th May release date. After years of hard work the story of Amicia, Hugo, the Inquisition and the rats is nearly complete and we can’t wait to show it to you. The reception so far from press and influencers has been extraordinary, as you can see in last week’s preview accolades trailer celebrating these strong reactions.

In A Plague Tale: Innocence join Amicia and Hugo on a grim journey out of childhood and into a harsh 14th-century reality they are ill-prepared for. Pursued by the mysterious and deadly Inquisition, hiding from the rats and suspicious, angry populace at every turn, while desperately seeking a safe haven - this is their life now and you must lead them to safety, no matter the danger.

Watch the accolades trailer mentioned above, embedded below.

Asobo Studios' new IP, A Plague Tale: Innocence, features a unique setting and some interesting gameplay mechanics. Set during the black plague and at the height of the Spanish Inquisition, it's safe to say the game is brimming with narrative potential.

Today the studio has dropped an all-new story trailer highlighting the very above, which makes us even more amped to get our plague evasion skills on.

The story begins in the Kingdom of France, as the Hundred Years’ War and the emergence of the plague start to take a toll on the population. The De Rune family lives a still-peaceful, sheltered life in their castle and surrounding lands, but it can’t last...

Amicia and Hugo's journey will take them to incredible places, some indescribably horrifying, others hauntingly beautiful, and many a mix of the two. The people they meet, and their fates, will shape their story - and it is unlikely either sibling would survive without the other. As they grow closer, the world gets harsher, and that bond becomes ever more vital.

Watch the new story trailer embedded below.

A Plague Tale: Innocence is out for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on May 14.

One of the surprise demos I saw at last year's E3 and Gamescom was A Plague Tale: Innocence from French-based Asobo Studio. Set in the Middle Ages around the Inquisition and the Black Plague, the game features a sister and brother attempting to survive, and flee, one of the darkest periods in history.

Today's video highlights the game-world Asobo has crafted for their adventure-stealth romp, which is utterly gorgeous and terrifying, both at once. This is the second video in a series (find the first one right here), and highlights just how the team worked to craft such an iconic and dark period in history.

After the first episode mainly focused on the young sibling protagonists Amicia and Hugo, Episode 2: “Dark Ages” takes us to the Middle Ages. Discover the process that went into forging a grounded, realistic world, set in one of the darkest hours of human history.

The creative team at Asobo Studio explains their inspiration for the world they built - from visiting real French villages whose layouts, streets and buildings find their roots in medieval times, to taking cues from famous painters to craft the game’s naturalistic lighting. The carefully crafted world serves to enrich the story and the characters, and contributes to creating this moving, emotional experience.

Having seen the game up and running in person, I can say with confidence this is worth checking out and definitely worth keeping an eye on for its May 15 release on PC, PS4 and Xbox One. Watch the new video embedded below.