Asobo Studio and Focus Home Interactive take players one last time into their third and final look at the behind the scenes development ofA Plague Tale: Innocence.Previously, the developers delved into the web series to talk about howAmicia and Hugo were designedwith a softer focus in mind due to their child-like innocence - which also played off the harsh reality of the world that they are forced to face. They also discussed inA Plague Talewebseries episode 2 – Dark Ageshow much they studied their own history and architecture of Bordeaux, France so that they could implement as much realism into the game as possible.
This time, however, Asobo Studios take players on a journey of the formidable plague-invested rats that snake the streets, hills, and homes ofA Plague Tale: Innocence.Sebastien Renard who is the narrative director talks about how rats are perceived, especially in urban locations, due to the fear they place into the minds of the people - rats equal filth and disease. So, with this in mind and to elicit more terror, they made the rats the central focus of the game, even though this wasn’t their intention at the very start of creatingA Plague Tale: Innocence.
In this particular web series episode, not too much is known about the inquisition other than they know the secret on where the rats actually come from and dangerously use this knowledge for their own hidden agenda but as we have seen through past trailers, this doesn’t always work in their favor - these rats in question owe no loyalty to anyone.
Art director Oliver Ponsonnet tells us that he used elements and colors so that the terrifying rats could be seen in all their glory and not become too faded into the background “We changed the fog, which cuts out the rats' shapes. When you spot an animal in the darkness with a torch, its eyes glow…we brought this effort to the rats' eyes to make them more visible in the dark”.
Asobo Studio express that making a successful design within a game likeA Plague Tale: Innocenceneeds not to be a linear route - that everything from the characters, story, and gameplay experience are married as one and rather than making a game to prove a point, it is a lot more important to them to offer the best possible gaming experience for players. The developers also expressed that everything they have worked towards in this title and everything that they have encased within the structure ofA Plague Tale: Innocence,is driven by love - even through its more horrific encounters.
A Plague: Tale Innocencewill finally be releasing for PC, PS4, and Xbox One on May 14. For those curious about DualShockers’ thoughts on the game, check out what we thought ofFocus Home Interactive’s E3 2018 lineup.
You can check A Plague Tale Webseries Episode 3 - Children of the Plague below:
