Playing History - The Plague | Game Brain

About

"Playing History: The Plague" is an educational game that transports players to 14th century Florence during the time of the devastating bubonic plague. Witness the impact of historical events as you navigate through a living, breathing world and make decisions that influence the story's outcome. The game's unique learning method encourages players to seek out knowledge and relate to the world in an engaging and interactive way.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

69%

Audience ScoreBased on 52 reviews

humor1 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

Offers a unique and educational experience that immerses players in the historical context of the Black Death.
The game has a charming art style and engaging storytelling that can appeal to younger audiences.
Includes fun mini-games and interactive elements that can make learning about history enjoyable for kids.

The game suffers from poor graphics, bugs, and optimization issues, making it difficult to run smoothly on some systems.
Gameplay is overly simplistic and may not hold the interest of older children or more sophisticated players.
The short playtime and lack of replayability, combined with a lack of depth in educational content, make it feel less valuable.

story
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
60%
20%
The game's story offers a quirky yet educational exploration of medieval Europe during the Black Death, featuring engaging characters and historical events. While it effectively serves as a learning tool for younger audiences, some reviewers feel it oversimplifies serious topics, resulting in a narrative that lacks depth. Overall, the storytelling is described as passable, with a charming storybook aesthetic that complements its family-friendly approach.
- “This quirky game is designed to tell you the difficult story of medieval Europe, experiencing the raging Black Death.”
- “The game combines engaging storytelling with historical accuracy, allowing players to explore the impact of the plague on society.”
- “The story is brimming with fascinating characters, historical events, and captivating locations.”
- “The story isn't too deep.”
- “A small game with a short story about a bad time of the world.”
- “So basically this is the story of a bunch of characters that talk about important events as if they were narrating them.”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
62%
23%
The graphics of the game are generally considered simplistic and low-quality, with a cartoonish and blocky aesthetic that some find cute, while others deem them ugly and poorly executed. Despite being acceptable for an indie title, many reviewers note that the visuals lack detail and polish, contributing to an overall perception of the game as graphically outdated.
- “Graphics are fairly simple, being cartoonish and blocky yet cute.”
- “Graphics are fine for an indie game, sound is good too.”
- “First and foremost, this game is old; the graphics aren't the best, and an entire playthrough is only about 45 minutes.”
- “The graphics are a bit simple and low poly.”
- “Graphically it's poor; the characters are made quickly and they look just ugly.”
gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
40%
30%
The gameplay is primarily a straightforward point-and-click adventure set in a historical context, featuring simple mechanics and fetch quests, but it suffers from substandard content and poor optimization. While some players appreciate the easy gameplay, others find it boring and lacking in engaging mini-games, leading to mixed reviews overall. The game offers about two hours of playtime, but many recommend against it due to its shortcomings.
- “The gameplay looked straightforward, like a point-and-click adventure where you explore a historical setting during the plague in France.”
- “I enjoy the easy gameplay.”
- “Gameplay is pretty standard point-and-click fetch quests with the occasional mini-game to break up the flow.”
- “Very simple gameplay.”
- “But then substandard content and poorly optimized gameplay leads to not recommending it.”
- “Gameplay is boring.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
75%
The music in the game is described as minimal and often absent, leading to moments of silence that can feel odd or unsettling. One user experienced a bug that caused an unusual music loop, which, despite its strangeness, provided a moment of relaxation. Overall, the soundtrack is noted as lacking and not particularly memorable.
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- “I switched windows to come back to the Steam client to make this review, and when I switched back to the game, it seemed to have locked me out while playing some odd music.”
- “I don't know if it was a bug or what, but the game was fairly quiet with barely any music in it.”
- “❌ soundtrack”
optimization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, with users reporting substandard content and poorly optimized gameplay, leading to a lack of recommendations.
- “But then substandard content and poorly optimized gameplay leads to not recommending it.”
- “This game is in need of some serious optimization.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game offers limited replayability, with players noting a lack of substantial content to revisit. However, it does include a few enjoyable mini-games and straightforward objectives that can provide some additional playtime.
- “No real replayability here.”
- “Not much replayability, but a couple of fun mini-games and some easy-to-follow goals.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
Character development is noted for its decent designs that effectively reflect the historical context of the bubonic plague era, complemented by detailed environments that enhance the overall immersion.
- “The character designs are impressive and truly reflect the historical era, with environments featuring intricate details that accurately depict the bubonic plague period, such as bodies scattered throughout the city.”
- “The depth of character development is remarkable, allowing players to form emotional connections and witness significant growth throughout the game.”
- “Each character has a unique backstory that unfolds beautifully, making their journeys feel personal and engaging.”
- “The character designs are decent and really match the time era well, but the character development feels shallow and lacks depth.”
- “While the environments have little details that are fairly accurate to the bubonic plague era, the characters themselves do not evolve or grow throughout the game.”
- “The potential for rich character arcs is wasted, leaving players with flat personalities and predictable storylines.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users have reported issues with stability, including repetitive objectives that trigger immediately after completion and minor animation glitches during movement.
- “Objectives repeat immediately after you complete them, and there are minor animation glitches while walking.”
- “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
- “I experienced several bugs that disrupted my gameplay, including freezing and texture issues.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game often revolves around sensitive topics, such as illness and death, which some players find inappropriate or out of place.

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Playing History - The Plague
$16.99
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4h Median play time

4h Average play time

4-4h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

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