A Plague Tale: Requiem continues Hugo and Amicia’s brutal story as they try to find happiness in the most unlikely circumstances. The game is very narrative-centric, with many minor details added to increase character depth. This can be seen with Amicia, where even her hair illustrates her transformation as a character.
Amicia usually wears her hair in a plaited ponytail, though it changes quite a bit in A Plague Tale: Requiem. These changes aren’t arbitrary, and they reveal a bit about Amicia and how she is impacted by the events in her life. By the end of the game, Amicia’s hair lets players know that she isn’t the same woman she was at the start of the game.
Amicia’s Hair Is Her Connection to Hugo
For most of Hugo’s early life, he does not spend much time with Amicia. This is because his mother keeps him isolated as she tries to find a cure for the Prima Macula. When Amicia and Hugo are forced to survive together, they learn to love each other, and Hugo sees Amicia as a source of safety and security. To show his love for her, Hugo often picks flowers and decorates Amicia’s hair with them. Flowers are a collectible in A Plague Tale: Innocence, allowing players to learn about different species while they witness Amicia and Hugo’s relationship flourish.
In A Plague Tale: Requiem, the concept is expanded upon, and Hugo also collects bird feathers to put in Amicia’s hair. These innocent moments are very touching, especially considering how much death, disease, and misery fill the game. Notably, once Hugo is dead, Amicia shaves her head. With her hair so short, she can’t put flowers or feathers in it anymore. This symbolizes a part of her that has been lost. It could have even been an intentional choice by Amicia who may have found her hair to be a painful reminder of her brother. Nevertheless, without Hugo, she is permanently changed, and her shaved head reflects this.
Amicia’s Hair Demonstrates Her Transformation
At the beginning of A Plague Tale: Requiem, Amicia has long hair braided into a long plait and decorated with a ribbon. It’s a suitable hairstyle to have, as she and her family are living in a time of relative peace. However, the calm does not last for long, and troubles soon arise when the rat plague returns. Soon enough, Amicia and Hugo are back on the run, and they find themselves once again having to fight for survival.
Along the way, Amicia and Hugo face several challenges that push them to their physical and psychological limits. Although she tries to keep a strong face, all the fighting weighs down on Amicia. This is illustrated through her hair. After receiving a wound to the head, she shaves the sides of her head so that the wound can be stitched. This makes her look more like a warrior. Her hair continues to grow shorter when the Count cuts off her ponytail, and then when she finally shaves her head. In many ways, this could be seen as a means to illustrate Amicia’s transformation from innocence to experience at the end of A Plague Tale: Requiem. Trauma has altered her permanently, and this change manifests itself in her physical appearance.
Currently, Asobo Studio has stated that there are no plans for future A Plague Tale games. However, A Plague Tale: Requiem ends in a way that makes a follow-up game very much possible. If a new entry ever comes, it will be interesting to see how Amicia continues to evolve, assuming she will keep her role as a protagonist.
A Plague Tale: Requiem is available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
