A Loveletter to the Imperfect Protagonist - A PLAGUE TALE Video Essay
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- *Spoiler Warning*
Amicia De Rune has a special place in my heart as I haven't felt a closer connection with any fictional character as with her.
But why? What makes her so unique?
In this video essay I try to uncover how the developers created such a uniquely human character by analyzing different aspects of her personality, gameplay, and themes in the narrative.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to watch this loveletter of mine to this amazing character!
Thank you to Asobo Studio and Focus Entertainment for creating these masterpieces!
And thank you to Charlotte McBurney for giving Amicia so much depth and personality!
#aplaguetale #aplaguetalerequiem #aplaguetaleinnocence #amiciaderune #videoessay
![ESCAPE THE RUINS™ LOOKS ABSOLUTELY SCARY | Ultra Realistic Graphics Gameplay [4K Ultra HD]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/V5szmlvlW5U/mqdefault.jpg)
Both The Plague tale games. Are real masterpieces. There was clearly a lot of love and care put into both games. They are almost perfection. I love all the protagonist Amicia especially the way that she changed from a young teenage girl to a ruthless protecter for her brother
It's pretty unfortunate that I don't see as much people talking about the games here after the game awards
Game awards are just that.... for games. These 2 games transcend the medium in ways all other games do not. I wouldn't worry that they didn't win any awards. To me, these aren't games. They are experiences. They are emotional rollercoaster rides. I kind of want to play though again but don't think I can take the tragic outcome again, much like Amicia who struggles with acceptance.
The writer of The Last Of Us games himself said that these games were their French and medieval equivalent, which is really sad on the one hand because this game did not have as much success when it deserved Really ! Especially for such a small studio, the work provided is colossal.
I always listen to the music from the game and it gives me chills, and sometimes I watch let's plays to relive the game through someone else's eyes.
the person who wrote TLOU2 has no right to compare that game to APT
I mean sure.. except that Last of us 2 is woke garbage.
Equivalent? The level of writing is on completely different level between those two games. I'd pick Innocence/Requiem over TLOU any day.
I just adore Amicia. Although I felt a dramatic change in her character from Innocence to Requiem, nonetheless she acts very 'human'. And the game never makes her insufferable. She just wants to be left alone. She gets aggressive, reckless, but she's vulnerable. Especially at the end when she tells Hugo that when he's gone, she'll be all alone. I wanted to console her at that point. She fought so she'd have family but was left alone...It was a brilliant expression of a young girl's vulnerability
keep in mind that Requiem takes place a while after Innocence, after a period of peace with her family, and suddenly her life is "governed by chaos" once again
I see Amicia as a metaphor for modern day child soldiers, as it happened in Africa, or normal citizens suddenly pushed into a war by outside forces, like "normal" young women joining the army in Ukraine today. A core aspect of Amicia is, that she is not who she wants to be, and the story is also about her struggle to maintain her humanity, her fight for her own soul (and the soul of Hugo). A struggle that child soldiers or young soldiers pushed into the situation due to an outside aggression are facing every day.
While playing in the 14th century, the story of "A Plague Tale: Requiem" and especially the character of Amicia is very relevant to your modern times. The story of the game is an allegory, and it is rich with metaphors, and while it seems to place itself during the medieval times, it is in fact about the human condition today. The story is about us, and what violence does with us and the inner struggle to not give in and lose your ability to have compassion and feel empathy - to not give into the "Macula", to not be like them, but stay a "de Rune".
A very interesting take on this young lady! Never looked at it like this but thinking about it now, you might be completely right!
@@JorreVanDijck I think one of the reasons why the story and the characters, and especially Amicia, stays with many, is because on a subconscious level we know the story and the characters are about a truth. And by reflecting about them, thinking about the story and its characters, we can learn something about ourselves and the world around us. And the ones making the game knew about it also and went the extra way, like Robyn Wolf and Charlotte McBurney, body, soul and voice of Amicia, and Olivier Ponsonnet, who created her model to ensure it projects every nuance of Robyn Wolf's performance. And Charlotte did not only act, but went through Amicia's real emotions, like channeling Amicia's ghost from the past through her body. Never was it more fitting to say, that Amicia was loved into being by everyone involved creating her. This "game" (more an interactive movie), its story and characters is special.
I like the depth psychological angle in the analysis of Amicia. Well made video otherwise, looking forward to more such videos!
I am looking forward to looking because I'd love to have a deepee dive into Amicia's psyche.
10/10 would recommend. The Laure cameo was a suprise to be sure, but a welcome one.
My favorite games of all time.
I'm with you totally. As a guy you would think I'd be more in tune with Hugo, since he was just like I was at that age, and I have an older sister who looked out for me somewhat when I was little, even protecting me from bullies. But It's Amicia who I am in tune with and feel the most empathy for. I see myself in her a lot, because I am 50 now, but have always refused to grow up, seeing what growing up does to people. I want to stay young and care free forever. I have led a simple life avoiding making hard choices and have kept a "fighting on" attitude in the face of hardship, and have always lived in denial of the bad things in the hope and belief that things will get better. Hugo is actually grown up by the end and has come to terms with his own mortality. I'm going through things with my mother right now and am constantly running away from the emotions that I cannot deal with. I know it's selfish and I know certain things are inevitable, but....
I don't know where I'm going with this.... I guess I'm saying I'm running away from inevitability, and it's tiring. So tiring. Especially when you are loosing so many around you. Hugo is at peace, while Amicia seems to have to live on and suffer with loss, guilt, trauma, fear and all the rest of it.
Anyway, great video essay. You have criminally few subs for the quality you have put out. The ending of this game still haunts me and I'm finding it hard going back to me regular life. It really opened up emotions I haven't felt in a long time.
I’ve played ALOT of games. And this has immediately made it into my top 10 of story driven games. Amazing writing, and character development. Loved it so much.
Just hearing the music makes my muscles tense and my eyes well up.
I don't think I've ever been as effected by a piece of media than with Plague Tale Requiem. More than any movie, we go on this journey with her, we cling to that hope that we can find a cure and we get to experience it all fall apart in the end.
I think it's safe to say that Amicia is my favorite character in literally anything. I think you really nailed why right on the head. A great analysis of great character. I found that the wrath she exudes being a result of fear to be genuinely refreshing and a little relatable (minus the killing part)
On another note, I couldn't help but notice subtle, small (and I assume coincidental) similarities between your video and both of my videos on A Plague Tale. Stuff like the use of using the Plague Tale Requiem theme with the same timing of montage, comparing Amicia to "other heroes", asking what's the difference then bringing up fear, having end credits with Ô Ma Belle Lune playing over, etc. Again, small enough stuff I think it's fair to say we just had similar ideas and take aways from the game lol but enough that I got all 👀.
This video was beautifully done and really said my thoughts on the game. WELL DONE.
Your work is really good, please do make more videos brother
I’m sad this is your only video 😢 it was so well done
This game is so perfect, I adore the plot and lore of this world and want more plages tale so badly, it’s gorgeous and quite frankly it reminds me so much of the Witcher 😭❤️
Insane essay love bro
Awesome essay
Very good video my friend 👏
Fantastic essay! Just subbed.
Thank you!
What a brillant analysis! Thank you. The psychological talk is the icing on the cake. Have you ever considered a long form of this essay? You stated, you talked to Laura for over three hours...call me crazy, but I would like to hear this talk. :)
It is just an idea that came to my mind, because I absolutely fell in love with both games.
Amicia = I miss Ya.... 💔💔
Underrated
Simon hier, ik ga Requiem spelen 👍
MORE PLS (!!!)
First