A Plague Tale: Innocence Trial Gives You the First Chapter Free

The first rat-infested hour of A Plague Tale: Innocence is now free in a trial on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Starting today, you can try A Plague Tale: Innocence for free on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The new demo lets players experience the entire first chapter of the game.

It might not be the sunniest way to start your weekend, but A Plague Tale: Innocence is well worth a look. The game takes place in 14th century France amid not only the Inquisition but, you guessed it, the plague. Players will follow the journey of young Amicia and her little brother Hugo, who for some reason, is being hunted by the Inquisition. If that’s not bad enough, the plague isn’t just a nearly inescapable and particularly horrible disease, but also manifests in the form of a relentless, shape-shifting tidal wave of rats.

In terms of gameplay, A Plague Tale is a linear stealth action game, tasking you with avoiding both hordes of rats and human guards, sometimes taking on a more aggressive stance to dispatch soldiers in creative ways, or even pitting the hostile humans and rats against one another.

The real draw of A Plague Tale is its story. Amicia and Hugo are kids, not action heroes, and their bond will be tested time and time again throughout the game. By all accounts, A Plague Tale’s excellent, emotional story more than makes up for its sometimes uninspired gameplay.

Of course, playing a few hours at the beginning of the game won’t be enough to experience the story fully, but it might get you hooked enough to want to keep playing. If that’s the case for you (and you happen to be playing on PC), now is also a great time to pick up the full game. A Plague Tale: Innocence is 33% off on Steam now through September 16 as part of the Focus Home Interactive publisher sale.