A Plague Tale: Requiem test scenes and game fragments

Genre: historical 3rd person action-adventure
Format: pc/consoles
Example: test scenes and in-game fragments
My work: I wrote the in-game ‘golden path’ chatter and worked with level design to develop additional narrative gameplay elements
Awards and Nominations: ‘Best Narrative’ nomination The Game Awards & BAFTA, winner French Game Awards (Pegases)

The scenes below are set in the story realm of A Plague Tale: Innocence, the 2019 console hit from Asobo Studio. I wrote these scenes to prepare for its successor, Requiem.

Below the test scenes is a video of a full chapter of A Plague Tale: Requiem that I contributed a lot to.

A Plague Tale is set in France in the 14th century, and its main characters are Amicia and Hugo, sister (14) and brother (5). The other characters mentioned below do not exist in the released games and have been devised by me.

SAVED (cutscene)

Amicia, Eudes en Isabeau have arrived in a small shed. From the looks of it, Eudes and Isabeau have been using this shed for a while now; there is a makeshift bed and some of their things are lying around.

EUDES: You’re welcome to stay here for a bit, get back on your feet-
ISABEAU: …but not for too long.

Eudes looks at her, slightly annoyed. Isabeau returns his look, continues.

ISABEAU: It’s a tough world out there. We already have each other to look out for. Can’t afford more lost souls to join our little band.
EUDES (to Amicia): Have you got anyone to get back to?
AMICIA: Hugo… My brother.
ISABEAU: Great. He’ll take care of you.
AMICIA: No… No… He’s only five. And they took him.
EUDES: I’m sorry.
AMICIA: You have to help me. I have to get him back.
ISABEAU: Look, I’m sorry about your brother, but this is not a world for heroic rescue missions. Chances are he’s already dead anyway.
EUDES: Isabeau!
ISABEAU: No need to sugercoat it. She can handle it.
AMICIA: He’s not dead. You don’t know him. He’s-

She hesitates, but decides not to explain further. Instead, she sits down on the bed. Eudes brings her something to drink, which she happily takes.

AMICIA: Thank you.

She takes a sip, then looks at Edes and Isabeau.

AMICIA: You’re brother and sister, right?
EUDES: What gave it away? The nose? Or the eyes?

Amicia smiles.

AMICIA: You wouldn’t leave the other one behind either, right?

Isabeau and Eudes look at each other but don’t answer.

AMICIA: Hugo is all I have. And I’m all he has. If I don’t at least try to get him back, there’s no use to… All of this… All of me…

Isabeau and Eudes look at each other again. Isabeau shrugs. Eudes turns to Amicia.

EUDES: Where did you last see him?

DYING (cutscene)
Lucy, Aymeric and Mickaël have arrived at the edge of a forest, near a small stream. They’ve traveled here from the village they got chased in; Lucy and Mickaël have been carrying Aymeric on their backs, taking turns. They rest, but it’s clear that Aymeric will not survive. He’s lying on his back, on a small patch of grass next to the stream. Lucy and Mickaël are sitting next to him. If the situation wasn’t so bad, it would have been an idyllic location and moment.

LUCY: Just hang in there, Aymeric, please.

Aymeric answers in a weak voice and with limited head movement.

AYMERIC: Thanks, Lucy, but it’s no use. I can feel my body slipping away.
MICKAEL: Just pray, Aymeric. Pray.
AYMERIC: Praying’s no use when the body stops working, Mickaël. But it’s okay. Really.
LUCY: It’s not okay! We escaped! We carried you out! We should be safe, now. We deserve to be safe and living, all of us.
AYMERIC: That’s not how it works.

Mickaël stands up and takes a couple steps towards Lucy.

MICKAEL: It’s all your fault. If you hadn’t signalled Aymeric that it was safe for him to come out of hiding, then-

Lucy stands up as well and faces Mickaël.

LUCY: I didn’t see that soldier!
MICKAEL: Well, you should have!
AYMERIC: Please, both of you. Sit down. Sit. Come join me. I don’t want to go out on my two best friends fighting.

They sit down again, next to Aymeric. They’re all silent for a bit. You can hear the stream of the river and some animal sounds as well. There’s a tiny ray of sunshine falling through the trees.

AYMERIC: Isn’t life beautiful?

LUCY: What life? This isn’t life. It’s survival.
AYMERIC: Yes. But it’s also friendship. Discovery. The sound of rain. The sweet taste of that last berry on the bush.
MICKAEL: You know, back in the monastery they taught us to get closer to God, by adhering to rules and schedules. I never left the monastery grounds, until…

He takes a pause, thinks.

MICKAEL: Now that I’ve gotten to know the outside, I realise that the world is cruel and unsafe. But also friendly and beautiful. And I wouldn’t have wanted to miss that last part.
AYMERIC: It will get better, Mickaël. Keep your faith. It’ll get better, some day. That’s my promise to you.

He smiles and closes his eyes. He’s gone.

HAPPY MEMORIES (in-game chatter)
A big incident has left Hugo tired and scared. Amicia tries to cheer him up by recalling a happy memory.

AMICIA: Hugo? Do you remember the chickens?
HUGO: Chickens?
AMICIA: The ones we had at the estate. The little brown ones.
HUGO: They were funny!
AMICIA: They were. You know, when I was your age, I loved running after them.
HUGO: The chickens were scared.
AMICIA: Yes. They would flap their wings and cluck in panic and that made me laugh so hard!

Amicia and Hugo both laugh, thinking about the chickens.

AMICIA: Did you ever run after the chickens as well?
HUGO: Sometimes. When I was allowed out.

Amicia sighs and takes a moment before she continues.

AMICIA: I promise you, when everything’s safe again, we’ll run after them together, all right?
HUGO: All right.

Amicia makes chicken noises. Hugo laughs.

ARGUMENT (in-game chatter)
Hugo and Amicia are walking. Hugo is a bit slow.

HUGO: I don’t want to walk any more.
AMICIA: We have to.
HUGO: But I’m tired.
AMICIA: Hugo, you have to stay strong. Do it for me.
HUGO: I don’t want to. I want mommy.
AMICIA: Mommy isn’t here now, so you will have to listen to your big sister instead.
HUGO: Mommy never told me I had to listen to you.
AMICIA: There are lots of things mommy never told you. Or me. We’ll just have to deal with it. Come on.

Hugo takes a deep sigh but doesn’t say anything anymore.

INQUISITION SOLDIERS 1 (background NPC chatter)

BAUDIN: So how’s the wife?
GAGNE: What’s it to you?
BAUDIN: Heard there were a lot of deaths in your village.
GAGNE: She’s with her parents in the countryside.
BAUDIN: That’s good. That’s very good.

Beat. Gagne is thinking.

GAGNE: Still don’t know why you’d take an interest in my wife.
BAUDIN: Just making conversation…
GAGNE: Have you met my wife?!
BAUDIN: No! I don’t even know her name! For heaven’s sake, Gagne, stop being suspicious!
GAGNE: I’m keeping my eye on you…

INQUISITION SOLDIERS 2 (background NPC chatter)

LAMAR: Oh… I’d kill for some food.
ROUX: You and me both.
LAMAR: We could do with some more of those apocalyptic preachers, like in Reims. Scaring people into planting more crops, that’d be good.
ROUX: No use. Look around you. Any new crops will wither.
LAMAR: Maybe if they conduct continuous prayers?

Roux shakes his head and sniffs dismissively.