Being nominated for the 2022 Game of the Year, A Plague Tale: Requiem has clearly resonated with a lot of people. With the game being a much larger experience compared to the first game, Team Asobo clearly wanted to create something special despite not having the resources some more well-known large studios would have.
The game certainly does a lot of things right, but there are a few things that hold it back from becoming something transcendent. None of these issues ruin the game by any stretch, but if they were addressed, then A Plague Tale: Requiem could have been one of the all-time great singleplayer games.
8 More Responsive Controls
One of the biggest complaints many players had with A Plague Tale: Innocence was that the controls didn't always respond appropriately to button presses. While that issue has mostly been corrected in the sequel, there are still moments where those issues pop up. Amicia doesn't turn or move as quickly as you might like, especially during tense encounters.
There are also times (albeit less frequently than in the first game) when the lock-on of the sling and crossbow doesn't track the enemies well, leading to a missed shot. Considering this is a game where a missed shot can mean swift death, it's easy to get frustrated. This is without even mentioning how slowly Amicia moves through water.
7 Better Frame Rate
A Plague Tale: Requiem is a stunning-looking game, especially considering the size of its studio. It looks nearly as good as something Naughty Dog or Santa Monica Studio would create. However, the added scale of this game and its visual fidelity came at a cost: performance.
The game is locked to 30 fps on Xbox Series X and PS5, and the performance on PC doesn't fare much better. You'll need a powerful rig to get up to 60 fps. Even then, the frame rate is rarely steady, with many segments causing the performance to drop heavily. There are clearly some issues in this department that need to be ironed out, as a choppy frame rate can dampen the enjoyment of such a visually pleasing game.
6 A Recap Of The First Game
A Plague Tale: Requiem throws players right into its narrative, assuming that you've already played A Plague Tale: Innocence. While most people playing the sequel will likely have done their homework, there are many players who will unknowingly jump into Requiem without having played the first game. While many others will have simply played the first game when it was released three years ago and have forgotten some details.
Some games rectify this by having an optional (or mandatory) recap of previous games' events, and this game would benefit from that as well. Considering that Requiem is getting more mainstream attention than the last game, this would have made it much easier for new players to jump into the series without feeling the need to purchase two games.
5 Clearer Explanation Of The Macula
It seems that as A Plague Tale evolves, so too does the Macula. This mysterious illness has rules that seem to change and escalate as and when the story demands it. The narrative tries to pinpoint what it does to those infected but never settles on a definitive answer.
Things just get more out of control and bizarre the closer you get to the end of Requiem. Without this clear explanation, there are several moments where you have to just shrug your shoulders and surrender yourself to the fact that the Macula can just do things that it previously couldn't. It makes it more difficult to suspend your disbelief, and that feeling only grows.
4 More Crafting Pieces To Find
Upgrading Amicia's gear is an important part of A Plague Tale: Requiem. There are tools and pieces hidden through the game that can be used at workbenches to make her more formidable during encounters. While diligent players won't have a hard time finding extra tools to get the job done, it's the number of pieces that might be a bit more difficult to find.
Because you're required to have anywhere from 50-90 pieces for an upgrade, it can take an age to collect the required amount of materials when you only grab up to around five pieces at a time. Perhaps if there were more pieces strewn about, you also wouldn't feel like you are bogged down holding on to so many tools in the meantime.
3 Shorter Chapters
A Plague Tale: Requiem has a much larger scale than its predecessor, and this shows in every aspect of its design, including the size of the chapters themselves. These will take you around 2 hours to get through on average.
As such, there are a lot of stealth and combat encounters, and walking segments peppered through each section. While the game's pacing does speed up near the end, there are a lot of moments in the early and mid-game that feel unnecessary to the overall story at hand. Some of these sections could be removed entirely without affecting the plot or character growth.
2 Unlockable Soundtrack
Another aspect of A Plague Tale: Requiem that deserves applause is the soundtrack. The world of this game is bleak, menacing, and full of darkness. The soundtrack appropriately reflects this world, using deep cellos and dissonant strings to communicate the dire situation as well as highlight the pitter-patter of the hellish rats' seeking to devour you and anything else they can find.
The score does a lot to bolster the mood of the game, and if there was a soundtrack section in the game where you could listen to some of its highlights, that would be a welcome addition. The full soundtrack is available to stream and purchase, but having some of those tunes available in-game would be a nice touch as well.
1 More Items To Craft
You'll often find yourself stocked to the brim with materials throughout A Plague Tale: Requiem. Seldom will you be forced to think outside the box because you're lacking the necessary materials to craft an ignifer or extinguis. If there was a larger variety of items to craft, then you would have to be more selective with what you crafted and when.
The game already encourages different approaches to encounters, so extending that to the crafting would be a welcome addition. One suggestion would be to allow you to craft the emergency fire item that Amicia can use when she is about to be devoured by rats. It's a consumable item that can only be found in certain levels, but you can never craft it.