A Plague Tale Innocence is a beautiful game in 4K. Playing it for the first time because it was free on Epic.
Oh, I'm sure that looks nice.
Impressive coming from that studio. Asobo mostly known for lighthearted franchise spin-off games. Several Pixar games. That kind of stuff. Usually on the basic side, stock material provided. Taking the jobs that keep them in the game basically. But the smaller french studio was taking what they learned from working on those games to hone the mechanics for Plague Tale. It really is totally unique, grassroots stuff. Quite a long time in development, really. Fermenting like a fine wine into this grand, but distilled one-of-a-kind experience. They grew in somewhat different soil. And it shows as they bring all of the craftsmanship together into serious titles.
I can safely say I will look forward to later titles from them. They could really carve out a great niche that few have much to complain about. They brought out a lot that can be refined and built upon. I see that they know how to use what they have... I like to use them as a good example of good pacing and scale in a game. It doesn't have the length and scale that people associate with a AAA game, but the experience is just as good. Because they aren't afraid to scale down. So many are so against that, it blows my mind. This is a small game, fair. But the point is that there's a clear focus on not over OR under using stuff. THAT is such an overlooked thing by devs these days. It's like nobody cares to scout out the distances before they start. Or they do, and then it changes 100(+1) times. They don't make things to fit. They expand the container as they go. But then things don't interlock. And they don't always have to, but that's a blessing and a curse. You lose things that a game like this just has on lock... this cohesiveness that I usually only get with older, simpler games. But this has things those don't have, either. A depth in the artistry... the intertwining of storytelling with gameplay and the surrounding aspects of the medium. Some have a taste for it, some don't. Studios, I mean. Players always notice.
I don't know how to put it other than to say that there is wisdom in how that game is put together. I think it's a big deal. Financial and public success are not the main factors for me. It's what was shown. It's what they were able to produce for people to appreciate. If we want to pretend there is a 'culture' around gaming... a zeitgeist, then games like this are important to that. And damned worth playing. It's a great game! It's one of those millipedes moving mountains slowly. Though I think Asobo can be much more.
It got some buzz for being a uniquely captivating experience. If anything, it is just cleaner for being so refined to essentials. Easier to get into. They understand some fundamental things about game design that make me think they can do good things. They can do more. And I think they probably want to. When you know where they come from, you realize how ambitious this really is for them. And it seems like it did well! I like to see people succeed like that, when they're doing it for the art. They're adding to the conversation were having across this medium and it's feeding their families. And we get interesting games. That's great.
I see why it's popping up for free. Apparently another game is coming next year. Good for them. Like I said, hope to see more growth from them. Always encourage people to at least check it out. It's not for everybody. But it's worth seeing. You may at least see the potential in it. These people definitely know how to make a gripping story game. I put that faith on them 100%. That game may have generally only seen cult success... I feel like the heads when it comes to story games just know it can't be skipped. But that's the thing. The engine isn't anything crazy... it was the honing and attention to detail with the visuals. All of the colors and composition of the architecture was on point. The amount of skill and potential in it is something to look towards. They've proven themselves in my eyes.
I'm downloading them both.
