Casting Stones: The Finale of A Plague Tale: Requiem (King Hugo)

SPOILER WARNING: The following takes place during the final scene between Amicia, Lucas, and Hugo as they confront the Macula at the end of Chapter XVI - King Hugo.

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Game: A Plague Tale: Requiem

Objective: Kill Hugo or withhold the final blow

Location: The Macula's wasteland, Marseille

Summary: Emerging from the ruins of Marseille with loyal friend Lucas by her side, Amicia de Rune searches for little brother Hugo as he enters the "final threshold" of transformation into the Macula. As he begs her to end his suffering before the Plague devours the remains of the city, the unspeakable action Amicia has evaded for so long is inevitable: Hugo needs to die. Yet the devoted sister and Protector of the Carrier stays her hand at the last moment: Is there another chance for salvation?

More information: King Hugo | A Plague Tale Wiki | Fandom

Note: While A Plague Tale: Requiem is not a traditional choices and consequences game, this dilemma gives the player a unique opportunity to shape the finale of Amicia and Hugo's story.

La Cuna, the mysterious island of Hugo's dream. Photo credit: FetchQuester

Spare Hugo

"We will live. And we will heal." These words are testament to Amicia's unbreakable resolve in her quest to save the Chosen One. Hugo is her joy and her undoing, her primary purpose as prophesised by revelations from the tomb of Carrier Basilius and his Protector Aelia of 6th century La Cuna. After enduring the horrors of disease, war, and the Inquisition, if there is one feat Amicia can achieve it is to "save Hugo at all costs" - a mantra which forms the last words on Arnaud's dying lips. 

And it has cost Amicia - her family, her home, and the innocence of her youth. But forfeiting her duty to Hugo is a betrayal which can only fuel the abandonment he experiences so acutely, thus emboldening the Macula as it feeds on his anguish. Where Aelia has failed, Amicia must triumph - where there is life, there is hope, after all - and how does one justify killing an innocent child under any circumstances?

Undercover: Amicia and Hugo participate in a ritual invoking the Child of Embers.
Photo credit: FetchQuester

The One With the Sling is neither oath-breaker nor kin-slayer. To enact fratricide is to relinquish her role as Protector and lose her sense of purpose while carrying the burden of becoming Hugo's murderer - and with no family left to share in her grief, the trauma of her brother's death will consume her. "When you're gone, there'll be nothing else..." she mourns. "I'll be all alone."

If Hugo's affliction is an embodiment of good vs. evil whose sinister counterpart serves as conduit for the wrongdoings of men, Amicia must commit herself to the belief her unconditional love will be enough to expel the Macula. It's that resounding what if which compels us to find a cure with what little good is left in the world - why else would we be given such a choice?

Plague-ridden realms: The de Runes traverse distant lands to find a cure.

Photo credit: FetchQuester

Cast the Final Stone

We could argue the nature of the Macula itself is a test of humanity's ignorance: If we were to approach what we fail to understand with compassion then Hugo would not become an outcast to be feared and persecuted; his emotions could be more readily tempered within a positive, reaffirming environment enabling him to lead a "normal" life. Just as the "plague" personifies the wrath of God for the people of the Middle Ages, it can be woven into a parable of greed and cowardice where the few moments of charity granted Hugo show us the potential of a healing, joyful world.

Tragically, the game foreshadows a dire outcome for the "Child of Embers" (a false moniker ironically fulfilled) as history repeats itself: The trials of Basilius and Aelia reveal a damning conclusion which Amicia vows to overcome. Unlike the Order whose unorthodox studies have yielded little results over the centuries, our heroes come close to deciphering the Macula - but not close enough. 

Amicia and Lucas prepare to confront Hugo and the Macula in the ruins of Marseilles. 

Photo credit: FetchQuester

Cities have fallen, islands have collapsed into the sea. Hugo pleads with Amicia to accept they have reached a point of no return where his very existence will lead to perpetual destruction. "I let the Macula take all of me - it's what I've become," he confesses, imploring her to "stop looking back" and acknowledge the truth. Now a vessel for rage and despair, the remaining "Messiah-like" aspect of his good/evil duality can only prevail through sacrifice: It's either him or the world.

Hugo no longer bears the capacity to absorb the suffering he has caused nor is he prepared for its aftermath; the kindest gesture is to grant mercy from a world which is out of reach for him. As sister and Protector Amicia is the rightful one to respect his last wish, allowing their legacy to come full circle and grant her the freedom to find her own purpose in life.

Hugo's grave. Photo credit: FetchQuester

Spoilers affecting choice:

When Amicia fails to cast the final stone, Lucas intervenes and finishes the task to divert the coming apocalypse. A year passes and Amicia reunites with Sophia at their cabin in the mountains, paying tribute to Hugo's memorial before embarking on a new journey. Her relationship with Lucas is strained and they remain distant.

The ending is the same if Amicia ends Hugo's suffering, except Lucas' absence is attributed to being occupied with his studies. Though full of heartache, Amicia is learning to be at peace with her actions; she wears Hugo's amulet to honour his memory and signify a renewed purpose to leave behind answers for the next cycle. "May this earth remember how much you loved it..." she promises. "May it remember all you gave to protect it. I remember - and I won't let it be forgotten."

- Lucy A.

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Sources: 

A Plague Tale: Requiem (Asobo Studio/Focus Entertainment); fandom.com

*A special thanks to James for his thoughts on this quest.