I’ve always struggled with linear games, not massively enjoying the experience of ‘playing a movie’ which often amounts to holding down forward on the analog stick. It was with the release of A Plague Tale: Innocence in 2019 that I began to appreciate that linear games don’t have to be glorified walking simulators – that they can showcase how to be a masterclass in video game writing and be as engrossing gameplay-wise as any open world action RPG. After playing the sequel, A Plague Tale: Requiem and watching my partner play it too, I realised that this revelation of mine was in no small part thanks to the character of Amicia de Rune, who is one of the most considered, complex characters I’ve encountered in gaming. We get the chance to play as Amicia across two games, to see her defy both swarms of rats and men alike in the name of protecting her brother Hugo, as they make their way across 14th century France in the midst of a plague. Our perception of Amicia and Hugo change as they react to every new story beat and battle their way through each combat encounter, and Asobo Studio accordingly use every opportunity to show off both game and character design at their strongest.
Minimal spoilers ahead.
Perfectly Flawed
Part of what makes Amicia so compelling is that she is far from being faultless; she is often bullheaded, making her both very brave and also quite uncivil to those who might stand in her way. It’s understandable, given how many people try to murder or otherwise take advantage of them, but it also shapes her into someone who does not trust easily. This is not particularly conducive to making allies in a world where friends are few and everyone needs all the help they can get. Yet Hugo’s ongoing ‘illness’ and their search for a cure to his condition also makes Amicia inherently hopeful, and less inclined to accept that their lot is forsaken, given what this would mean for her brother. It also means that the rare friendships she does make feel so significant, and it is a pleasure to watch her interact with companions and shift into cautious optimism now and then. Being so young (15 years old at the start of the first game), this does contribute moments of naivety, and so Amicia becomes a character constantly at odds with what she hopes for from the world versus what she expects and experiences. In short, Amicia de Rune is not your typical one-dimensional video game protagonist. She has a sharp personality, and sometimes it’s difficult to root for her, but she is all the more interesting for it. I found myself comparing her to what I consider the most disappointing aspect of Horizon Zero Dawn – Aloy. I think Aloy is about as bland as they come for video game protagonists: a natural born bad-ass, so cool headed that she ends up with the flattest emotional range possible, entirely overshadowed by the fascinating world around her. It is definitely not a pleasure to watch Aloy bluntly converse with her allies (of which, honestly, I cannot remember the name of more than one). Conversely, while it would be impossible not to consider the crossbow wielding, brimstone throwing Amicia as a bad-ass, she is a bad-ass forged from trial and error, from the mistakes she has made and horrors she has experienced which often have come with a mortal cost. All of which have forced her to become a scrappy sort of survivor, usually making it through by the skin of her teeth. The result is that Amicia reacts to hardship so much like I imagine an actual person would. In other words, she’s pissed off and prone to being vengeful, rather than stoically taking hits on the chin. This means there is a lot of room for the player to decide whether they can empathise with her, or whether she tends to take things too far out of a lust for violence.
Best Served Cold
Requiem plays with the concept of revenge as a choice even more than the first installment, forcing Amicia within the story to decide whether she will remain a passive onlooker to the events going on, or actively search for answers. This is reflected significantly in gameplay sequences, which allow the player to decide how they want to approach combat. Will you bring out the warrior in Amicia de Rune, going in guns blazing and mercilessly murdering all who stand in your way? Or, will you play up the rogue, staying silent and sneaky, cleverly avoiding enemies and killing only when necessary? I veered more toward the latter in my playthrough, being inclined to choose stealth, but my partner in their playthrough went much more loud and direct. I found that each combat style really altered my perception of Amicia as a person; when I was in control of her, the cautious speed at which each encounter progressed made me sympathise with her impatience as the overall situation deteriorated. Conversely, in my partner’s game she came across as much more cold-blooded – she even has dialogue based on which style you go for, either expressing vindictive pleasure or whispering begrudgingly about the need to not draw attention to herself.
Regardless of where you stand on the controversially received The Last of Us: Part II, it is a fact that one of the game’s central themes is the destructive nature of revenge. It is also a fact that the game does not grant the player much autonomy in deciding when and where revenge should be doled out. This has resulted in a fair bit of criticism calling out the hypocritical nature of a game that preaches against vengeance whilst giving the player no choice but to kill. I played Requiem on the heels of TLOU II, and it felt like the perfect answer to this criticism. While it makes some obvious statements about the ruinous consequences of revenge, it also presents players with some form of choice over how far they go, as and when the situation calls for it. It even rewards the player by unlocking abilities within the skill tree for each play style, encouraging an exploration of whichever style feels ‘right’. The skill tree labels are ‘prudence’, ‘aggressive’ and ‘opportunism’, making it clear that there are pros and cons to all approaches and, importantly’, it is never as black and white as ‘violence = bad, therefore, Amicia de Rune = bad’. It also significantly helps to avoid the almost infamous critical theory of ludo-narrative dissonance which is so often cited when talking about games like TLOU and the Uncharted series that it has become something of a meta joke.
Voicing Concerns
Another aspect of Amicia feeling like a real person comes down to the voice acting. I love when developers decide to go with lesser known voice actors, even if it is often out of necessity for smaller studios, due to budget reasons. The result is fresh voices and unique performances. Troy Baker, Nolan North, Laura Bailey and Ashley Burch have essentially become Mt Rushmore heads in my brain at this point – as much as I love their performances and as fun as it is to recognise them, I do roll my eyes a little every time I hear them in a new game. I thought it was great that they used real kids to play the main roles in both Plague Tale games. Sometimes the French accents are a little wonky, but they are so much more charming for it, and all the more memorable. As a side note, the adult voiced characters are equally wonderful. I can clearly hear the voices of gruff former knight Arnaud and pirate/smuggler Sophia in my head, both of which have such big personalities that I would be perfectly fine with either getting their own spin off game. Great side characters are integral to bringing out the best, worst and most interesting aspects of main characters, so it’s nice to see Asobo invested time into creating companions to write home about.
To ‘Rat’ Things Up
Amicia de Rune is fantastic as a character due to all the strengths of A Plague Tale as a whole, she is written as a believable, sympathetic person who is often defined by player-determined actions and interactions with the horrifying, yet visually jaw dropping, world around her. Strikingly voice acted and designed, she is a character of contrasts: a young, seemingly delicate girl with braids and flowers in her hair, but a crossbow on her back, armour on her body and a fire in her heart and soul. Both guardian and aggressor, Asobo digital have created an enduring character with depth and complexity – clearly no mean feat given that it seemingly eludes some of the most expansive and expensive modern AAA games.
What are your thoughts on the heroine of A Plague Tale? Who is your favourite video game protagonist? Let me know in the comments below!
