As a longtime fan of survival horror games and someone who has braved the darkest corners of the genre, I can confidently say that A Plague Tale: Innocence and Requiem have left an indelible mark on my gaming experience. While these games aren’t traditionally labeled as horror titles, they certainly tug at the heartstrings with their poignant familial connections between Amicia and Hugo, all while painting a chilling picture of the Macula-ridden world.
In today’s dynamic gaming landscape, the survival horror genre often demonstrates flexibility alongside rigidity. This genre, in games, has a knack for adapting to even the most ordinary gameplay elements. The ‘horror’ element must be evident, though its effectiveness may vary, while the ‘survival’ aspect is crucial as it usually requires players to monitor their health or manage resources when facing or avoiding threats within the game environment. Although not categorized as horror games, A Plague Tale‘s Innocence and Requiem exhibit traits consistent with this genre, even in the absence of swarms of rats to ward off with torches.
Without a doubt, “A Plague Tale” truly shines during two distinct narrative moments: the poignant scenes that highlight the tense yet loving bond between Amica and Hugo from the de Rune family, and the harrowing portrayals of the Macula’s terrifying influence on the world, depicted by heaps of corpses in the streets that serve as feasts for rat-infested disease carriers. Although these grim scenes are sparse, “A Plague Tale: Requiem” significantly increases their frequency while also amplifying the violence. In a potential sequel to “Requiem,” it could be crucial to fully immerse ourselves in survival horror.
A Plague Tale isn’t Inherently Frightening, But It Ought to Be
Instead of being primarily a frightening experience, “A Plague Tale” leans more towards a heart-wrenching narrative. This is particularly evident when focusing on the relationship between Amicia and Hugo, and their encounters with the characters they meet along their journey.
In contrast to the fearsome depictions of zombies and mythical creatures, the rats in A Plague Tale are not nearly as intimidating as typical video game adversaries, despite many people harboring a genuine phobia of common, everyday rats.
It’s true that these rats are fueled by the Macula, can be controlled to do the host’s bidding, and are generally more fearsome as they appear in hordes that amount to overwhelming volumes, but there isn’t much that’s inherently scary about the beady-eyed rodents in gameplay when players have a torch equipped. That said, A Plague Tale’s tone and atmosphere can surely evoke horror and disgust when players must also wade through frenched carcasses in the aftermath of a horde’s presence.
In essence, “The Last of Us” isn’t strictly categorized as a horror game, but it manages to blur the lines and offers an abundance of unsettling and gruesome visuals, ranging from runners, stalkers, clickers, shamblers, bloaters, and the Rat King. Even before encountering literal cannibals or human traffickers, the game presents a chilling atmosphere. Unlike “The Last of Us,” “A Plague Tale” hasn’t fully embraced horror elements as of now. However, it might significantly enhance its narrative if, hypothetically, it were to introduce such aspects in a potential third installment.
A Plague Tale Has the Wherewithal to Be a Competent Survival Horror Series
In a natural and easy-to-read manner: The confrontation with David from “The Last of Us” fits seamlessly into any typical horror game because it maintains the necessary creepy atmosphere. David is genuinely terrifying during this chase scene, as players never know where he might appear, even when they’re careful to avoid walking on broken glass and revealing their position to him.
As a fervent admirer, I find that the cat-and-mouse chase in “A Plague Tale: Requiem” bears a striking resemblance to certain aspects, though the antagonist here is less chilling. If the series were to venture into horror territory, this could be a promising step—certainly, among all intellectual properties, “A Plague Tale” seems best suited to explore uncharted horror territories without any limitations. However, whether a third game is in development remains uncertain; we’ll just have to wait and see.
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2024-10-06 15:34