I recommend: 'A Plague Tale: Requiem' (Review)

A Plague Tale: Requiem is one of the more audacious sequels I've encountered. It looks to build on the success of its predecessor by injecting more of everything - more visual fidelity, more story, more emotion, more combat, more length. By and large, Requiem is a huge achievement, but in becoming so much bigger and so much more, the little something that made the first game so special has been lost along the way.
A Plague Tale: Requiem is out today for all platforms (the Switch version is cloud) and it's also a day 1 gamepass release.
#APlagueTaleRequiem #Review #Gamepass
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Learn more about how Nvidia's RTX 4090 GPUs and DLSS 3 delivers the next generation in fidelity and smoothness: www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/.... Thanks to Nvidia for sponsoring the video. #RTXOn and #BeyondFast
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00:00 Intro
03:56 Technical performance
09:39 Visuals and presentation
12:50 Narrative
17:50 Combat and stealth
21:00 Conclusion
22:53 Nvidia RTX 40 Series GPUs
Edited by Austin @ausomehd
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[@SkillUp]

Learn more about how Nvidia's RTX 4090 GPUs and DLSS 3 delivers the next generation in fidelity and smoothness: www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/technologies/dlss/. Thanks to Nvidia for sponsoring the video.

[@mroutcast8515]

DLSS 3 is scam with fake frame inserts that do nothing but inflate fps number - as 120fps in DLSS 3 plays like 60fps, DLSS 2 is still superior with better image quality and less caveats. We don't need your paid opinion, we got more than enough analysis from HUB and DF

[@JimBobe]

Shill up

[@dontmatter4423]

give me $1900 first.

[@moldyshishkabob]

I'm surprised the RTX 4090's power draw didn't cut off the rest of the video

[@burtmacklinfbi58]

no thanks

[@CrystallineLore]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH for including Steam Deck portions in your reviews! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE continue to do so, I know not everyone cares and I know it's extra work but a lot of us do like to know what will work well on our Decks or whether we'll be buying a game while planning on sticking with our main rigs. Thanks so much again!

[@speedracer2please]

Even for those without Decks, I think it'll be a good representation for people on hardware below his main computer! Plus we get to hear what unexpected games can run fine on a Deck.

[@AchillesFeel]

I just got my deck and it’s awesome

[@Voyager-42]

Hard agree, I'm gonna get a Steam Deck in the new year and really want to know more about how games run on it, definitely have a good idea but stuff like this is so great!

[@MarthinusSwart]

Hopefully this helps pushing Valve to release the steamdeck in Straya

[@nickelousf]

This.

[@SleepyJohannes]

I can't remember the last time I cried with a game. What a journey

[@lennartrex]

I can 1 month ago when I finished requiem

[@poett8875]

I really hope Charlotte McBurney gets nominated for a game award/BAFTA award. She was once again fantastic as Amicia and I can’t imagine anyone else playing the character but her. Amicia and Hugo’s relationship reminds me so much of Lee and Clementine from Telltale’s “The Walking Dead.” Two sets of phenomenal characters with even more phenomenal voice acting performances

[@troyschnierer2940]

I wonder how much she got paid...

[@gen0cider]

Ngl i kinda hate the voice acting. Either keep it french or lose the terrible accent.

[@Meowtro]

Really? The voice acting in these games is pretty subpar.

[@MildMisanthropeMaybeMassive]

@@gen0cider As someone with just a bare knowledge of French and Medieval history, there is no perfect solution. The English language actors were the only ones that the writer and narrative director worked with directly and directed. They also performed the mocap and are also the only ones that fit their ages. I listened to the French dub, and though it’s good it’s clearly adult women trying to sound younger to play Amicia, Hugo, and Lucas. Also the French Vitalis sounded like he was trying too hard to come off as evil. Not a single language option matches the lipsync Also in that region of the South of France, at the time they would not be speaking French. Instead they would be speaking Occitan which was also the language of the aristocracy. The rest of France would be speaking Middle French which is completely incomprehensible to Modern French speakers. The English likewise would be speaking two languages. The nobility and gentry such as the knights would be speaking Norman-French because England was colonized by the French from Normandy. The more common born such as the footmen, archers, and laborers that we encounter would speak Middle English which is completely incomprehensible to Modern English speakers.

[@poett8875]

@@Meowtro are you talking about the voice acting in both plague tale games? If so then I understand ppl not liking it. Even though I believe the VA’S for Amicia and Hugo did a great job. However, if you’re talking about the voice acting for the walking dead being subpar then I completely disagree with you in that regard. Dave Fennoy and Melissa Hutchinson gave two of the best voice acting performances of all video games in my opinion. Their chemistry was on point and believed every line they said. And don’t get me started on Lee’s death scene. It’s not surprising that Melissa Hutchison won a VGX award for her performance as Clementine and that her and Dave were both nominated for Bafta’s.

[@BMJgunner]

Honestly, I played this game for the past 4 days so I'm still fresh from that ending. But I think this could be one of the most underrated games this year. Everything about It hits so good. Yes it does get the little bit repetitive during the last couple of missions, but honestly , I felt fine with that as the characters felt so fucking amazing. The Chemistry between Amicia and Lucas was so good. Arnaud and Sophia being brilliant side characters who honestly had some of the best moments, and then Hugos and Amicias Chemistry is also still there. I honestly found it all so amazing. I 100% ask anyone to give it a try

[@rbgilbert11]

Finished it a couple days ago....wow just wow. That ending...wow

[@gringo533]

Bleak, just bleak -.-

[@carterisgod22]

Made me cry

[@moonmoon2479]

You need to play more games if that’s what you think.

[@marquisbush8985]

@@moonmoon2479 for example?

[@FandangoJon]

Fantastic writing and editing on this one, as always. Also, thank you for taking the time to include Steam Deck in your awesome reviews. Very much appreciate it.

[@MysticalGamer365]

I have been really looking forward to checking this one out, i enjoyed my time with the first game and kinda felt like it flew under the radar a bit. Hopefully the performance issues will be fixed and A Plague Tale Requiem gets the recognition it deserves. If you haven't already played the first game i personally recommend it, you wont be disappointed.

[@ytszazu2gmail381]

Runs a plague tale innocence with a R7 240 2gb DDR3 at 80% resolution scale of 720p, used reshade AMD CAS and DELC sharpen, and it still looks good.

[@RoyD2]

I played it on xbox series s. Not bothered with any graphical issues, just enjoyed myself alot!

[@haliterdogan3003]

@@RoyD2 yea I played it on Xcloud which is equal to a series s and would not have guessed performance being an issue. Its a beautiful game, And I only notice short lived drops in one setpiece moment.

[@firefly5677]

I absolutely adored the first game. I had no expectations going in to it and it completely blew me away. I've been waiting for this sequel ever since it was announced. I'm about 5 hours in right now and I've been loving it so far. I have noticed some issues with story focus and pacing, but Amicia and Hugo's bond is just the best thing ever and I love both of them

[@coreyconnor9145]

how’d you find the game? personally thought it was magnificent

[@firefly5677]

@@coreyconnor9145 It was great. I didn't like it as much as the first, though. I think it has some pacing issues, especially near the middle before the island and again near the end. Like the first game the relationship between Amicia and Hugo drives the whole game and I loved it all the way through. Although I will say I wasn't a huge fan of the ending. I'd give the first a 9.5/10 and I'd give this one an 8.5/10

[@coreyconnor9145]

@@firefly5677 what about the ending didn’t have you too pleased? i feel as if it was the only way to make it not be a ‘superhero/villain’ game. i think the storytelling was superb, over both games, and the graphics were incredible in the second. feel the end of the game became a bloodbath as amicia was thrown in a lot of combat situations but i thoroughly enjoyed that change of pace. both games to me were 9.5/10

[@r.lum.rgaming1667]

I am just so deeply deeply stoked that this game got a second chapter. Amicia and Hugo are characters that feel really human. I'm glad Asobo was able to expand the systems in the sequel WITHOUT sacrificing that excellent world building and characterization that made the first game so beautiful. Thank you for introducing me to some of my favorite recent characters, Skill Up!

[@Gino_567]

Hugo was an annoying little shit in the first one. He should have died in the Plague and a new character should have emerged.

[@gamingblowsofficial]

Doesn’t this review pretty directly state that the grounded world from the original absolutely was sacrificed?

[@Junya01]

@@gamingblowsofficial I’m guessing this guy likes the rat king stuff

[@thebadwolf3088]

@showbizonastick like you'd know

[@Saint_Arod]

@showbizonastick She’s like 15. 📸🗿

[@ewjiml]

REVIEW: For Anyone wondering if you should play this game, you should. Just like the The Last of Us, this game invokes such massive amounts of emotions it’s not even funny. When I played the OG Plague Tale, I didn’t really get very attached to Alicia and Hugo. I can’t say that about this game. Yes, the beginning chapters are a bit slow but it picks up nearly half way through the game. The ending chapters are like dark fantasy compared to Innocences quasi-historic game. I can tell you that the characters and story were the highlights for me. Combat was improved and the graphics were amazing. Optimization sucks, and yeah I have a 1080gtx but I still made it work by lowering the resolution by 80% on high. I was waiting for the best next narrative driven game since The Witcher 3 and this was it. Fantastic.

[@joxxen]

Best game i have ever played, didnt think it could match the first one, but this is just a masterpiece, delivering in all sections. Emotional, puzzle, sneaking, and the crossbow is an amazing addition. For me it was running very smooth with 3080ti, ryzen 5800, 5120*1440 With fps between og 50-100+ Everyone should play this amazing game.

[@kaiji8496]

This is GOTY for me. Story, charactes, voice acting, world design, visuals, awesome gameplay and Amicia and Hugo are amazing characters.

[@KD-116]

Yep

[@PenguinsAreColdish]

goty over elden ring? lmaoooo

[@gctypo2838]

I really appreciate adding the Steam Deck to the setups you test on when it comes to technical stability, since how playable a game is on the Deck is generally a pretty good indicator of how playable it is on desktop Linux. When devs fix bugs and breakages for Steam Deck, those fixes generally apply to desktop Linux as well. Drawing attention to games not working on the Deck helps bring in Linux support where there otherwise wouldn't be.

[@KarlRock]

Awesome review. I’m playing on Series X and it looks gorgeous. The game’s 3D audio is really good on headphones too. I saw an interview with the developers that said this is the final game in the series… so I’m looking forward to seeing how it ends!

[@ahsank.]

Nice seeing you here, Karl. Glad you're enjoying this one.

[@jesseomollo9405]

Well, they said there won't be a second game in the plans but here we are...haha

[@KarlRock]

@@jesseomollo9405Cool! They did leave it a little open in the interview too. So maybe there will be another game.

[@wujekbandzior]

Can you tell us what’s the framerate on series X?

[@LeonardJackson]

@@wujekbandzior It's horrible, not stable and felt like it never hit 60. I shut it off before the tutorial was even over

[@epgamer1145]

This game is definitely a diamond. A bit rough around the edges but pretty damn beautiful

[@EricAbbottTri]

Happy to say that the recent patches have significantly improved performance. On a 2070 Super, intel i7-8700k at high 1440p with quality DLSS I get 60-85fps and very rarely if ever drop below 60

[@TerraWare]

It's one of the most beautiful games I've seen. Whether it be the first game, Microsoft Flight Simulator or Plague Tale Requiem, they craft absolutely stunning experiences. I cant wait to check it out tomorrow but am going to finish the first game first which I never got to do completely. The performance issues are concerning.

[@Navvjot_Singh]

Which platform?

you clearly havent seen much then. The game looks good but it does not justify the shitty performance.

[@theblackswordsman9951]

@ Well if he has a 4090 he is fine.

@@theblackswordsman9951 you got me there. :)

[@andrewramirez9727]

hey @skillup I'm not sure if its an issue that you'd like to address... But if you did use footage from the first one would you be able to tag the footage as the first one when it appears. I think it'll help to compare the graphical fidelitey. Sometimes i couldnt tell.

[@CheeseWithMold]

Such a great, emotional and heart-wrenching story. I wish so much success on these devs and writers. Can't get enough of narrative videogames that stick with you. Brilliant.

[@kev1830]

This game really needs some more attention. I'm afraid that just like the first one it's going to get overlooked, despite it being a true masterpiece

[@journeyman1218]

Can't wait to try this. Loved the original. Along with the Senua sequel these are the games I've been hyped for most.

[@blanktintin]

When I played it the first time; I hated Hugo so much. Hugo, whining then I grew attached to the little turd as I played through. And my god; by the end I started to adore him. Such a great story and writing to make you care about the characters.

[@carterisgod22]

It was his voice that irritated me but at the end of the day he's a 6 year old going through hell so feel for him

[@J.F.331]

I just finished Requiem last night. It was a little too long in my opinion but overall a great game and story. It ran great on my PS5, very minimal bugs. The characters were very believable and I really felt for Amicia and Hugo and really cared about them throughout the story.

[@DataLore19]

Hey Shill Up, are you aware of like a day one patch that went out for this to improve performance? I'm playing the Xbox PC Game Pass version on a 10900K and modestly overclocked RTX 3070 which should be very similar to your RTX 2080 Ti. I just walked through the same market area in the first town you demoed at 1440p Ultra settings with DLSS set to Quality and I'm getting about 70 FPS average. Could your issues have been a review build problem?

[@leondong1404]

Inclusion of chapters is really helpful :) thanks for your work!

[@ToughCanadian]

Hearing that the game is more than double the length of the first kind of bums me a bit. I enjoyed the first and was happy with the length of that.

[@JustS0meK1dd]

Great review as always! How noticeable was the input latency brought on by frame generation on the 4090? Even with reflex enabled, a few other hardware reviewers have said it feels as though you are running at something like 60fps when achieving 150fps. Most have been saying that the framerate is incredible, but responsiveness and image quality suffer (due to the generated frames being much lower quality than DLSS2.0 or native). It would be a shame if frame generation can't be used in competitive titles because of it.

[@TerraWare]

I tested it a bit in Spiderman, looked and felt pretty good on a C1 oled.

[@JustS0meK1dd]

@@TerraWare Ah great! It's good to know that it isn't too distracting in action-adventure titles. I think e-sports titles running at very high (400+ fps) will be the real test though because input latency is much more noticeable in those games.

[@TerraWare]

@@JustS0meK1dd It sounds like it would be counterproductive to turn on in e-sport games since latency is paramount not that you'd have to anyway considering the 4090 has ridiculous rasterized performance anyway.

[@PersonWMA]

Your description of the two games' escalation in plot makes me think of the Condemned series. Same thing: a background element starting to grow too big, to the point the "Big Serious Plot" overwhelmed the intimate emotions.

[@bloodbullet20]

I played on PS5 and most of the time I found the 30fps to be very stable. But in scenes like millions of rats and fire everywhere it does drop significantly. Never did for me during combat which is great since it didn't really have a negative effect on my playthrough

[@Qballiz2kool]

Yea……..I got a HUGE frame drop when I got caught in rats and had to use the fire sling to get out and it killed my frames on the series S, really hoping they patch in a performance mode to get 60fps.

[@vyckygy6626]

Thank you for the review! I think I like the most Amicia's character in the Requiem, how it progresses, the voice acting was also phenomenal. It's not that Amicia suddenly grew numb to killing and was venting her frustration - that's not the whole picture at all. She took upon herself a role much greater than herself. It was very interesting to see how her interests clashed with her mother's, how Amicia decided that she knows better what's right for Hugo. He was basically her only reason to live after everything they went through. And compared to mother... Amicia probably felt for the first time needed and really responsible. It was a lot. The supporting cast was also very good, I liked them all a lot, I was glad to be with them (at least something positive in these bleak times). Some sequences (underground temple for example) were giving me goosebumps, the locations were so well thought-out. That all said, I kinda agree about pacing and... the feel overall. I liked the game. But... I liked only parts of it, not the whole. It's kinda strange. At least here I could sympathize with all our main cast lol (looking at you, last of us part 2... interesting parallel btw)

[@BucklingSwashes]

Just finished the game last week and waited until I was done before watching your review. Good news is that performance (at least on Xbox) seems to have improved a ton after an early update, as the jitteriness I noticed in the first few levels was gone for the majority of my playthrough. I echo some of your feelings about the differences in the game compared to the first. The larger scale and generally greater focus on freedom makes the pacing feel less fine-tuned compared to Innocence, which admittedly prevented me from blowing through the story in a couple of days like I did with that first title. I really found a groove several hours in, though, as I stopped worrying about the "meta" and allowed myself to play and react regardless of how that would affect my progression. I suspect that a future replay with my improved understanding of the changes to gameplay and tone will make me appreciate Requiem's upgrades and adjustments more. I think the biggest triumph here is the acting. I don't remember the last time I was this deeply connected to a game world by its characters, and that's due primarily to how strong the performances are. Even when the writing veered into melodrama and got a bit too fantastical for my tastes, the cast grounded it and made it all emotionally and narratively engrossing.

[@anemoneyas]

I personally loved the rat king stuff in the end of innocence so I'll definitely be checking this out

[@riccardolibe]

To this day, Hugo saying he was hungry to his sister with a broken voice was one of the most heart melting things I've ever experienced. I started donating charities after this...

[@matthewskullblood9778]

loser

[@BigFaoiter]

Lmao Hugo is six feet under

[@JamesFuston]

if DLSS 3 is providing that much of an uplift it sounds like the ideal use case, namely CPU binds. The ryzen 3000 series struggled pretty hard with single core performance compared to the newer CPUs. Since both systems sound like they're based on that platform, I wonder how much that's contributing

[@officialnucky]

With regards to the Steam Deck version: did you try changing the Proton version? I tried out Papercut Mansion the other day and it wouldn't work on Proton 7 or Experimental but it work fine on Proton 6. I always check every Proton version before saying a game definitely doesn't work

[@pressrepeat2000]

I loved the first game. One of the best of all time. The gameplay, medieval setting, characters. And the incredible music. But most importantly the emotional impact. Major hopes for this one now. It’s ok if it’s different, they should be. “More of the same” isn’t always good.

[@maineman5757]

Oh my God the characters especially.

[@fm_ography]

I'd highly recommend playing in French with subtitles as that's where it's set. I can't comment on the English Voice Actors but the French ones were incredible for Innocence!

[@sneaky5141]

unless youre french there is no need to do this at all the voice work in english is absolutely stellar in both innocence and this

[@fm_ography]

@@sneaky5141 oh there's no explicit need for it, no but being set in France I felt it was more true to the narrative. Maybe I'm just a snob tho lol

[@sneaky5141]

@@fm_ography idk the performance of hugo and especially amicia and lucas in english are not worth passing up on the emotions they convey both joy and despair are second to none in gaming imo

[@fm_ography]

@@sneaky5141 well damnit now imma have to go play the whole thing again

[@sneaky5141]

@@fm_ography the voice actress for amicia i think was probably too young for any sort of fame (possibly parental decision) when the first game released ao she didnt really get the recognition she deserves but hopefully this time around (if she wants i guess) then she will no doubt win countless performance awards, seriously sells every single scene in the game perfectly

[@Junya01]

Loved the review. JUST A HEADS UP for peeps interested in DLSS 3 - it’s essentially DLSS 2 plus frame generation, aka “fake frames”. The added AI generated frames have trouble with signs and other details when in motion, and most importantly, DO NOT REDUCE input latency like traditional frames. So it makes things look smoother without making them “feel” smoother compared to frame generation off (just DLSS 2 on). So yea, don’t turn frame generation on for competitive games cuz it’ll make ur image less consistent and doesn’t reduce input latency. Also, DLSS 3 works best with fps higher than 100. It looks considerably worse at 60 fps, which u would think is when you’d want the extra frames. So I imagine the 4060’s, 70’s and 80’s will struggle to use frame generation to its full capacity, assuming you want more smoothness in the video and not how the game feels. Just letting folks know what they’re getting into!

[@SpaceTacoTV]

Im not sure how ill feel about the shift to being so action oriented. I think the reason the first game worked so well was because stealth was required. Amicia is just a child after all, and taking on armed guards was not something she was remotely trained to do. I guess I'll reserve judgement til I get my hands on it

[@TicTacPilgrim]

There are some sections that are really combat intensive that I think they would have been better off scrapping stealth. With one section in particular that made me want to drop the game in the last third because I knew it would have been made much more manageable with some kind of dodge feature or lethal melee combat (there is strangle but it's only good for one enemy type)

[@jacksonneedham2792]

@@TicTacPilgrim that very last couple of missions were ROUGH in the first one and it somewhat soured my view of an otherwise GREAT game. Still would give it a 7-8 overall, but the rest of it was a 9 and the final bit was maybe a 6, felt they dropped the ball on level design, enemy placements, and how they interplay with the mechanics hard. That being said, the Hugo missions were somewhat enjoyable tbh, I didn’t think I’d like them but they were pretty good

[@destebangm11216]

Is insane how the 4090 performs, is extremely impressive, is a shame such a small amount of people will buy it due to pricing tho

[@soaringspoon]

Yeah, it just shows how bad this game runs. For example, my 4090 does Cyberpunk every setting max WITH psyco raytracing and DLSS 2 Quality at 60 fps-ish. If this game without Raytracing is hitting 60ish with DLSS 2....Jesus, this game needs some heavy optimization work done to it. Hope I get to try DLSS 3 on this game but man it sucks to hear how hard this is going to be for everyone.

[@destebangm11216]

@@soaringspoon yeah like this is a pretty good benchmark for a 4090 for how badly optimized it is, the fact that a 2080Ti can barely hit 60 at 1440 medium with DLSS 2 is ridiculous

[@selectionn]

yeah very impressive... barely 60 fps. I dunno how you think thats insane and impressive, this game doesnt even show how good it is, what a weird comment. Its also a shame Nvidia overprices it so much because they think they can scam us all.

[@destebangm11216]

@@selectionn look at benchmarks and then talk lmao, yeah the game is trash polishwise and can have 100fps at 4k Ultra with DLSS 2 with a 4090 unlike a 2080Ti that can barely hit 60 tops and that is at 1440p at medium and with DLSS, yeah totally uninpressive... and I never said WOW DUDE A 4090 IS A STEAL THANKS NVIDIA FOR GIVING ME FOOD, the card is good period, the price is another thing and the optimization of the game is another thing, but sure keep mixing stuff to make everyone be against you I guess.. I trust more people like gamer nexus and digital foundry than a random on a youtube comment lol. Performance is one thing and another is price, neither of us will get a 4090 or a ferrari, or I can't watch the F1 because those cars are too expensive? what a logic lol

[@gamingblowsofficial]

The price isn’t really the issue… they’re just sold out absolutely everywhere.

[@Tyrany42]

The first game was great, but man, that tone shift really threw me for a loop. The game began with two children struggling to survive in an awful, death-ridden world, and by the end I was fighting a clergyman who was inside a rat tornado that was turning into giant rat tentacles to squash me. I was just staring at the screen thinking “…dafuq?”

[@mafiacat88]

That's kind of where I'm worried. I loved the beginning, as it felt very "real", and just happened to be set in this fantasy-style black death where the plague was dialed up to 11. I didn't even inherently hate the turn toward Hugo's weird disease and the harder focus on alchemy (though I still preferred the first bit)-it still kind of seemed like a good story, but a little more fantasy. And then you get to the rat pope tube in the mold cathedral. And that was a bridge too far.

[@topcover7390]

Same here.

[@Nomadestra]

"The Pond" is not a place or location, but rather a place in time. The only reasonable chance to find a cure for the macula is in the future due to the advent of microscopic study of diseases. The Pond is symbolic of a petry dish, which is the basin used to see into the microscopic world via the microscope. Also, bodies of water were some of the very first places used to gather samples to be studied when the microscope was invented. And a petry dish is simply a tiny pond. Debate me. The next macula carrier will be a Doctor's child or baby sibling, thus setting up the doctor as the perfect role as the protector of the next macula carrier.

[@christopherbohling5719]

Did you test performance on the 4090 rig without DLSS 3.0 at 1080p? That might help determine whether the performance issues in the marketplace are CPU-related or not.

[@gk-if3qt]

yeah it sounds like he's CPU bound on the lower end machine.

[@christopherbohling5719]

@@gk-if3qt I wouldn't typically think that because the 3700X and 3950X will usually perform about the same in most games, but if this is somehow overwhelming the 16 threads on the 3700X I suppose it could happen.

[@phrozac]

Bravo on the Deck coverage(or intent to in this case). Been playing Scorn on mine over the weekend and even though I have a PS5 and a beefy gaming PC, it's become my main gaming device. Keep it coming!

[@MrLiveforlove]

Another wonderful review, Ralph. Always a joy watching your excellently written and fair reviews. It's a shame i will not be playing this game for a long time since an RTX 4090 would probably cost me my house where i live. Keep em coming, Mate!

[@ampadicr5366]

Yeah Ralph is one of the very few reviewers who is articulate and clear in his reviews

[@alex_linhares]

Inflation is the Federal Reserve's fault, buddy, not any one company. Move to Venezuela and figure this out by yourself.

[@gymsaslan6625]

I was surprised about this review. You liked the game and recommend it but i was shocked i felt opposite to you. First game was awesome but this sequel is for me better. I love the story and felt pacing was great, and i absolutely did not feel it was too long, i would have wanted it to last forever :). I think this is one of the best games i have ever played. The way i felt after finishing it is something i have never felt before. I guess the game moved me more than any other game has. Edit: Regarding the performance. They must have improved it, i played it on a Series X with my LG C1 4K TV. Dont think the Series X runs the game in native 4K but it was at least upscaled and looked amazing. FPS was not 60 but it felt smooth so must have been more than 30.

[@SirQuantization]

So was it worth it for the asking price? There was no mention of price point in this otherwise very thorough review.

[@Dakta96]

I really appreciate the included Steam Deck reviews, it's awesome!

[@hav0cfanat1c]

I personally love when sequels feel different. It makes me feel like the story is actually unfolding and changing. Along with the characters we follow. I beat innocence on PS4, PS5, and PC. I plan on junking out on this one too! Thanks as always for the wonderful and insightful review.

[@babyyyz7948]

It’s 30 fps on ps5 right? This new game?

[@hav0cfanat1c]

@@babyyyz7948 sadly. But I suspect it will be patched and improved in the future. It's probably because of Ray-Tracing shadows.

[@superalatreon1]

Great review, sounds like I'll love playing this game in 3+ years when it's on sale & higher end GPUs are a bit more accessible.

[@Texelion3Dprints]

In the next game Amicia will get guns, a long braid and she'll change her name to Laura or something. I'm with you on this, I prefered the first one. The "puzzles" to get past or get rid of rats was the interesting part, fighting humans is not. This one seems to rely mostly on fighting humans. Honestly turning it into a medieval survival horror would have been more intersting than a Tomb Raider/Uncharted action fest.

[@topcover7390]

Yeah agreed. I'll never understand why developers think the only ways to improve a game is to make it harder or longer. And this story...JFC.

[@MajdCena]

Love your content my man. By far my fav KZbinr! Keep up the great work!

[@Ashtarte3D]

I'm still psyched for this game. I absolutely loved the first one and hope I enjoy this one just as much. I'll find out tomorrow out I rate this knowing I might be a little conflicted, which is pretty normal for me since I always go in with tempered expectations.

[@ItDoesMatter]

Thank you for the high quality review and the great as always editing. I must say though, I find it slightly unfair to state the game has performance issues because you tested it on a GPU from 2 generations ago. I agree that it would be great to see it run speckles on 20 series, I am on that generation as well, but I also believe developers should keep pushing graphical development further and further. I would rather tone down to medium graphical settings for 1440p than be stuck on console level graphics for years and years. And let's be honest with each other, you completely disregarded the fact that there is a 30 series in there that probably runs the game perfectly fine. Don't get me wrong, I love what you do and end hope you keep the varied points of view coming.

[@scrubsscrubs694]

Thank you for the review. I have it pre installed and will give it ago tonight after work. Not sure if I'm going to like it based on your review as it seems they ran with all the stuff I didn't like from the first game and changed all the stuff I did. Fingers crossed for this one as the first 2 thirds of the first game were amazing

[@CommanderJaneShepard]

Can't believe requiem the sequel is finally out. I don't know how much more darker this game will be. I hope there will be more flexibility with combat. I like the voice actor of amicia hope she get nominated for the game awards she gave a good performance in innocence And i saw other people's playthrough for requiem it seemed more emotional.

[@scarletscarlet800]

I learnt yesterday that the recommend GPU is RTX3070 for this game... I knew this is going hard on most pc gamers who are likely running a 1060. I was genuinely hyped for this game, but I'm not going in day one. The price of the game or GPU is not my main concern. Past experiences (cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring) tell me that playing new games on day one is never the best idea if you value smooth performance. I'll wait till they fix all the performance issues.

[@therac197]

Works with a 1060 6gb. Sure frame drops do happen but it works. Had a worse experience with Elden Rings performance.

[@aramaiclvt6209]

Booted up mine for the first time today with the current patches on Series X on an LG CX with VRR and Dolby Vision enabled. My experience was a gorgeous game with no performance issues at least for now. Only into Chapter 2, but enjoying my experience so far.

[@MightyManotaur22]

I think it's awesome that the first game got enough spotlight that Asobo was able to make a sequel with loftier ambitions. It's just a bummer that for most smaller studios that get a hit on their hands, those loftier ambitious usually just turn into a "bigger" game. Bigger isn't always better, and it certainly doesn't just equal more ambition or innovation. Still excited to play this one!

[@Hakeraiden]

Will buy after they polish the game, if it was performance perfect, i would have bought it day one

[@Maddmargarita]

The optimization has to be a problem. There is no way this game should be bringing the 2080ti to it's knees. I'm sure it will be fixed.

[@gamz]

Who knows, the reccomended specs for ultra 1080p at 60 FPS is an RTX 3070 or RX 6800, with either an R5 3600 or i7 8700K, it's really heavy.

[@Maddmargarita]

@@gamz yeah it is. My pc has a 2080ti which is still faster than a 3070, a Ryzen 5 3600 and 32 gigs of ram. I should be able to play this game no problem then. I wonder if the day one patch will fix it.

[@thesecondnarrator]

can you take a look at how you're capturing the footage or encoding your review? the gameplay footage looks pretty washed out color-wise. i don't get this issue in ACG's review video. i tested this on my PC monitor in SDR and also my TV in HDR. anyway, excited to play the game later tonight!

[@Sikanda.]

I finished It on Xbox series S with the day one patch and the performance wasn’t bad at all. I had a few minor frame drops during intense scenes but that’s It. The curious thing was the motion blur disabling itself during certain chapters of the second half of the game, perhaps to balance the performance.

[@sukamadik5983]

My favorite part is when they yelled it's Ratatouille Time.

[@LaigledeMeaux]

Very interesting. I watched the IGN review before this one. In the IGN review, they basically said the game was just more of the same as the first one. You are saying the games are completely different. This is why I usually watch multiple reviews, everybody has different thoughts.

[@asitallfallsdown5914]

I despise the narrative of pidgeonholing IP's to some limited product instead of letting a story naturally- or supernaturally- grow beyond the natural confines of the small origins of characters. More games need to break that limiting framework, even within a single entry into the IP evolving from a quest for survival, into a quest to thrive, and into a quest to overcome/conquer. Random add on: I likewise despise the limiting framework of games basically scrapping all these open worlds they invest so much into creating only to then drop. Imagine what could be developed if they would heckin reuse their worlds, adding new stories, new mechanics, filling in missing gaps, and so on. Imagine taking all Witcher 3's assets to tell a new story in the world.

[@PursuedByAMemory]

RALPH! DLSS 3 has a "Frame Generation" option that creates fake frames(like motion interpolation on a TV but more impressive) which CAUSES AN INCREASE IN INPUT LATENCY as the GPU is holding already rendered frames in order to create fake frames between the "real" frames. So you get better motion in exchange for worse input latency. Only use Frame Generation when the real frame rate is above 100fps as generating frames at say, 30fps would have way too high latency as a starting point then the GPU will do Frame Generation and add even more latency to the final render. You will have motion smoother than 30fps but more laggy in terms of input response.

[@PursuedByAMemory]

Checkout Hardware Unboxed's DLSS 3 video for an analysis of DLSS 3.

[@SquashyButton]

I discovered the first Plague Tale through GamePass and I absolutely loved it, so I'm super excited to play Requiem tomorrow on GamePass as well.

[@cody3335]

Looks badass, either way people would’ve been made it changed too much or too little.

[@_chipchip]

What?

[@caevon4432]

Are you willing to revisit the game's performance section? As many are reporting a great improvement in day 1 patch?

[@93836]

I can’t wait to test out my hardware with this game. I have an RTX 3090 FE + Ryzen 5900x. I’ve played every major modern game in existence, and I’ve never needed to play any game without ray tracing, at less than 4k, or less than 60fps. I don’t see this game bucking that trend. Although I legitimately look forward to the first games that really give my PC a struggle.

[@justgoosing9662]

So pissed they removed the first one from gamepass about a month ago. Really wanted to get through the first one again before playing this. The performance issues sucks but let's hope a patch on release addresses whatever may be causing the unstable issues. I feel like the first one had a lot of hitching even on a 3080.

[@philipsk]

Was like 80% off on steam a little bit ago. Worth it.

[@justgoosing9662]

@@philipsk shit I'll have to check. Guessing it ended?

[@philipsk]

@@justgoosing9662 yeah it ended. Add it to your wish list so next time steam will notify you of a sale.

[@SilverSideDown]

I was going to buy it with discount, but the pricing was too high I felt, and now it's back to full $30 everywhere. For a game that's been out this long, it just seems like too much. $15 is about the max I would pay for the original, physical or digital.

[@goldenrevolver4460]

@@justgoosing9662 most publishers set the steam discount price of a game once and then never change it, so it's probably 80% off again the next time it goes on sale. if you check it out on steamdb then you will see that that's also true for innocence, but you will also see how often (if short) this game is on sale, already 8 different time frames this year. so like Philip said, wishlist it

[@nihilisticpoet]

The first game definitely stunned me how it pulled me in so seamlessly into it's world and story. Definitely a gem of a videogame, though I heard performance woes on the PS5 platform.

[@zachkosteriva1914]

3070 ti /Ryzen 5800x3d/1440p/dlss quality. 80-110 fps starting area. This cpu has been such a big improvement.

[@jarradgilbert4186]

I do like your longer reviews. Much appreciated

[@MaddDogg316]

Can we all just take a moment to appreciate that Ralph finally learned how to pronounce Nvidia correctly? 😋

[@SteelKreel]

Damn, everyone was ready for that review embargo to be lifted 😂 Got like 20 notifications for this game review all at once

[@NeThZOR]

Scheduled publishes? Not that insane but okay.

[@SteelKreel]

@@zetterburger someone’s upset. U literally just repeated what I already said

[@SteelKreel]

@@NeThZOR someone’s upset. U literally just repeated what I already said

[@THA-M]

Wow I have this on PS5 and don't experience any of the performance issues mentioned. Good copy?

[@The_Mashrur]

I'm a little confused as to how the very moment that you said that you expected some drop in the village scene with DLSS 3 and claimed to not get one, there was a huge noticable 40fps drop, and another one comparable to it straight after.

[@NeThZOR]

noticed that too. It was hard NOT to notice to be honest. Those stutters were very jarring to watch

[@conor6436]

There will apparently be a Day One patch to fix performance tomorrow so hopefully that sorts it all out. I loved the first game back in 2019 and recently platinumed the PS5 version of it in preparation. So stoked to play after work tomorrow!

[@azyrael96]

Improve performance maybe. I dont expect it to fix all performance issues

[@Majestic7274]

I love it when dark fantasy stories get weird and conceptual. This game does that, and It’s fantastic

[@thelonetraveller]

Just a month ago or so I finished Innocence and one thing I really enjoyed was the historical setting (as someone who studies history that was the main reason why I finally played it) so hearing that Requiem apparently doesn't really engage with it as deeply as the previous game is a real shame.

[@UnAssimilated1]

Im fine with game changing things up from the first one, but buggy or bad performance exp. nahhh, not spending any amount of money on that. Kinda thankful for my backlog, will revisit this one if they properly optimize it. On another note - you need to start giving us info on what type of DLSS you run games (quality, performance, balanced, etc).. Thank you for the review!

[@scrubsscrubs694]

The first game is so well written and so beautiful that it gets a pass on having really terrible gameplay. I'm sceptical on playing the sequel due to the last 2 or 3 levels of the first game just falling apart and completely undoing all its hard work with terrible gameplay mechanics to the point I almost quit the game that I had been thoroughly enjoying. Fingers crossed for this one.

[@sneaky5141]

LMAO

[@piotr78]

Agree and really don't understand why no reviewer mentions that. It's almost all praise, which is weird.

[@Admiral_Cant_Hackett]

Everything Skillup said he didn’t like (performance aside) has me hyped as hell. Different strokes and all that

[@FKDotFitzgerald]

Same. I always felt like the first game was like a toddler with crazy potential but needed room (and money) to grow. Gonna change my location to NZ and boot this up tonight.

[@DEVILTAZ35]

@@FKDotFitzgerald I love the first game but the levels were so inconsistent to the point i was yelling at the screen at times lol . This feels way more fleshed out and has much better physics in general.

[@iurigrang]

What do you mean when you say you had DLSS 2 on? What setting?

[@carterisgod22]

With the ending after the credits I hope that means we get a modern version of the macula coming back

[@VidSpot23532]

I appreciated innocence but I'm not too big into stealth so I never finished it. Hearing the sequel is more action focused if you want it to be and has uncharted vibes makes me very excited because this wasn't on my radar at all

[@Deliveredmean42]

The shift in gameplay style certainly appease to one audience and annoys the other. It's a shame really, since I am one that appreciate the stealth focus gameplay for the original, since those kinds of games are a dime a dozen. And if you are force to be more combat heavy at the end, seems like it's also penalize the stealth heavy playthrough. Granted it was kind of similar at the end of the first game, but still.

[@andreasheinze9685]

Beware that Requiem is still very much a stealth game, and you won't be able to 'run and gun' your way through it.

[@piotr78]

@@Deliveredmean42 I adore stealth series like MGS and splinter cell but i can't stand generic third person action adventure stealth because It's just so shallow. Stealth really only works imo when it's the main focus of a game.

[@andreasheinze9685]

Awesome review, beautifully written als always, and the fact that you feel like the game is so vastly different in feel from the first one makes me all the more excited. As someone who liked Innocence, but thought it was good and not amazing, I'm eager to see if this one can do more for me. That being said, I've already played the first few hours and loved what I got to play, so I know a bit of what's going on. I really, really like your reviews, but I made a similar comment in the past and will continue to do so. I feel like your videos always show more of the game than they should, and you even told a bit more than I woul've liked to know. You know, the swashbuckling Uncharted adventure on an island, and so on and so forth? I really feel like that could've been left as a surprise for people.

[@popifrex1993]

I think SkillUp might be CPU limited because on my system with a 2080ti I'm getting 70fps average on ultra 1440p DLSS quality. The diference is that I'm running a 5900x instead of a 3700x. Either that or the day 1 patch fixed the issues

[@PAXperMortem]

Can you travel back and fourth between previously explored areas?

[@epicgamerzfail4575]

The naughty dog label you give this game fits perfectly from my experience seeing gameplay. It's like a mash of uncharted and tlou, but in a good way. And with a lot less controversy too

[@sasukeone5795]

Ofcourse! I was 100 % sure this game would be awesome. I loved the first one! 😌

[@_BlackenedSun]

its a walking simulator, you really gonna listen to shill up. i mean for christ sake he was even given a free graphic card lol

[@dontmatter4423]

1st one was pretty mid

[@DrStryde]

@@_BlackenedSun Are you just some hate watcher bruh

[@Vince888]

@@dontmatter4423 your comment is pretty mid tbh

[@dontmatter4423]

@@Vince888 damn salt bois in here? make my day even more kid

[@ryanfisher7885]

did you check to make sure you werent cpu limited? 2080ti at

[@benking3647]

i found the first game to 110% feel like a Sony game; simple, linear levels with nice setpieces, serviceable gameplay, and visually great. with that said and having heard your words about gameplay, is the sequel worth it with enhancements to gameplay for those like myself that found the first to be only a decent experience? better to hold off until a sale (i don't have GamePass, i'm on PS5)?

[@andreasheinze9685]

I you didn't love the first one I's probably say you should wait for a sale. I also liked but didn't love Innocene and If I wouldn't be able to play it via gamepass, I wouldn't have bought. That being said, the first few hours I've already got to experience were very good.

[@piotr78]

I have played a couple of chapters and most of the above still applies. Wait for sale.

[@RampidWarthogStudios]

Huge fan of the first game and I’m glad to see this game getting praised. So excited for this new experience.

[@leonidlupascu6408]

Finally a good game! I've been waiting for this review :)

[@gamingblowsofficial]

My dude if you have had a hard time finding a good game I can point you in the direction of… a lot.

[@leonidlupascu6408]

@@gamingblowsofficial Oh man I mean don’t worry I play a lot of great games like ps4 exclusives horizon uncharted, I played elene ring this year, destiny 2, dying light 2, soma, șpec ops the line, I played multiple games, looking forward to gotham knights, a plague tale requiem, cod mw2 kind of, god of war ragnarok, destiny 2 lightfall, dead space remake, The Callisto Protocol, From Software new game, but yes, please, point me to some good games. No, seriosly, I would want recomendations.

[@gamingblowsofficial]

Trails in the Sky (the original) is good if you missed it. The Kingdoms of Amalur remaster is solid. Fantasian if you play mobile games. There’s an X|S and PS5 release of Inquisitor Martyr coming this month as well.

[@ReneHoffmann194]

cant you change the DLSS setting to performance or is there just an OFF/ON-Toggle?!

[@derpthegr8689]

Great review and interesting look at the next gen DLSS. Shame they can’t bring 3.0 to previous generations of RTX cards, was really hoping to keep my 2060 Super relevant just a little longer before replacing it with a 3080 or 90 come Black Friday but now I might just do a whole new PC build for 40 series.