A Plague Tale: Requiem Director Says its Rats are “Much More Efficient” at Catching Prey

Asobo Studio’s A Plague Tale: Requiem is shaping up to be quite the successor to the original, both in terms of scope and story-telling. The developer is also leveraging the power of current-gen platforms for previously impossible sequences like locations evolving based on the story and chase scenes with hundreds of thousands of rats.

Speaking of the latter, game director Kevin Choteau explained to Edge magazine how the rodents are stronger. “The rats evolve following Hugo’s illness. They are now able to climb and are much more efficient at catching their prey by taking advantage of the environment.” This may come in handy during non-combat scenarios as well with the rats being used to access a spot that’s out of reach.

Of course, you won’t always be in control of them. “Hugo is still young and vulnerable. He has the power to control rats, which makes him an extremely effective gameplay tool against threats in most situations, but it can become dangerous if he loses control,” says Choteau.

As for Amicia, recent gameplay footage has shown her to be a lot more brutal and willing to get her hands dirty. “She can be much more aggressive,” Choteau says. “Amicia, unfortunately, had to get used to dealing death and is no longer taken by surprise.” It’s having an emotional impact on her but it plays into the siblings doing everything necessary to survive.

A Plague Tale: Requiem is out on October 18th for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch via the cloud. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.