Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy – Review | The Series Changes Direction
Sophia trades rats for steel in a bold new direction for A Plague Tale.
Gaming-Sanctum really enjoyed Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
“Resonance takes A Plague Tale in a bold new direction, replacing the rat hordes with satisfying melee combat, light-based puzzles and rewarding exploration. Sophia carries the leading role well, while the connection between Greek mythology and the Prima Macula expands the series’ lore in meaningful ways. Its repetitive puzzle design, automatic targeting and weaker final act hold it back, but the impressive visuals, strong atmosphere and excellent soundtrack make it a worthwhile addition to the series.”
The story of the Prima Macula did not begin with Amicia and Hugo. Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy returns to the series’ past and places Sophia, the pirate and smuggler we first met in A Plague Tale: Requiem, at the centre of the story. For this review, we completed the PC version of Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, the new third-person action-adventure developed by Asobo Studio and published by Focus Entertainment.
Set in 1334, approximately 15 years before the events of A Plague Tale: Innocence, the story follows a younger Sophia as she attempts to uncover the origin of the visions that have haunted her since childhood. It is a prequel that explores her past, long before she became the experienced captain we encountered in Requiem.
Story
The story returns to Sophia’s childhood, when her mother sent her to a convent after discovering that her father, Alec, was a smuggler. There, the nuns injected her with blood that triggered unexplained visions of a warrior, a monster and a distant island. Alec managed to rescue her, but he was later killed while searching for the source of those images, leaving Sophia in the care of his associate, Faro.
Years later, a failed robbery and the discovery of a traitor fracture Sophia’s relationship with Faro and drive her to seek the answers her father never found. She is accompanied by Leni, with whom she shares a close but undefined relationship. Their chemistry works, but the script does not devote enough time to developing their bond, while the changes in Faro’s attitude and motivations are not always conveyed with the necessary clarity.
Through Sophia’s visions, the narrative shifts into the past and presents events from the perspective of Theseus. Minos, Daedalus, the Labyrinth and the Minotaur gradually become connected to the Prima Macula, creating a compelling parallel mystery. However, Theseus’ story eventually carries more weight than Sophia’s personal journey, with the protagonist often serving as a vehicle for lore revelations rather than developing fully as a character in her own right.
Setting and Environment
Sophia’s journey begins at the convent where she was held as a child and continues through the smugglers’ coastal settlement before moving to the rooftops and canals of Venice during Carnival. These early locations establish the environment in which she grew up and portray the life of a community permanently pushed to the margins of society.
Most of the adventure takes place in Crete, across coastlines, abandoned structures, ancient temples, arenas and underground sections of an extensive labyrinth. The gradual descent from bright coastal areas into dark Minoan facilities gives the setting a clear identity, although the constant presence of stone corridors and tunnels limits the geographical variety towards the end.
Gameplay and Mechanics
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy completely abandons the rat hordes and moves away from the stealth-focused structure of the previous games, adopting a more traditional third-person action-adventure direction. The gameplay alternates between platforming, puzzles, chase sequences and specific stealth sections, bearing a closer resemblance to Uncharted and Tomb Raider. Sophia moves across rooftops, climbs steep passages, avoids traps and uses a grappling hook, although most of the route remains strictly predetermined.
The puzzles primarily revolve around an ancient sphere that reveals hidden symbols, redirects different beams of light and affects certain supernatural threats. Sophia’s journal contains drawings based on her visions and previous expeditions, providing clues without immediately revealing the solutions. Hints only appear when requested, but the repeated use of light causes several puzzles to feel too similar. Two larger puzzle sections noticeably slow the pace, while the Black Temple door puzzle relies on an unclear leap in logic.
Stealth is mostly restricted to encounters with the creature roaming the underground areas. Moving upright leaves glowing trails behind Sophia, while crouch-walking reduces her visible footprint. The creature also reacts to sound and can locate her by smelling the air, making light our primary form of protection. Leni participates in combat and interacts with certain mechanisms, but her presence functions more as a narrative device than as a meaningful companion mechanic.
Combat
Combat represents the most significant departure from the previous games. Sophia fights with a sword and dagger, using light and heavy attacks alongside dodges, blocks and parries. A perfect parry briefly interrupts an opponent and creates an opening for a counterattack, while different visual indicators warn us whether an incoming strike can be blocked or must be avoided.
Sophia’s kick breaks the guard of shielded enemies, increases stagger and can send opponents crashing into each other or falling from elevated positions. We can also throw environmental objects to interrupt attacks and use the grappling hook to pull enemies closer, which is particularly useful against troublesome archers. Once filled, the Focus meter allows both Sophia and Theseus to unleash a powerful attack against multiple targets.
Sophia can withstand very few hits and can only recover health by executing an enemy, encouraging an aggressive approach. Different enemy types require careful prioritisation, but the lack of manual lock-on causes problems during larger encounters, as the automatic targeting system does not always select the intended opponent. On several occasions, we tried to finish off an already staggered enemy, only for Sophia to turn automatically towards a fully guarded shield bearer and leave us exposed.
Progression and Exploration
Sophia’s progression is built around Resonance Points, which are earned through combat or discovered in optional areas. The compact skill tree includes five core abilities, each with two available upgrades, allowing us to improve her kick, critical strike, dodge and parry. Builds can be changed without penalty. Most abilities unlock early, causing progression to slow noticeably after the opening chapters. An interesting mechanic that combines the sphere with Sophia’s combat abilities does not appear until Chapter 11, far too late to be used meaningfully. Additional variety comes from swords with distinct perks and jewellery that provides passive bonuses.
Exploration does not rely on a map or permanent waypoint, forcing us to observe our surroundings and identify the correct path ourselves. Side routes lead to Resonance Points, new swords, jewellery and various accessories, consistently rewarding anyone willing to leave the main path. The sense of discovery is only weakened by the fact that enemies have almost always arrived first, opening passages or leaving behind structures conveniently positioned to support our progress.
Replayability and Difficulty
The main story takes approximately 13 to 15 hours to complete, depending on how much time is spent exploring and searching for collectibles. Progression is linear, with no decisions that alter the narrative and no alternative routes towards the ending, leaving the overall replay value limited. A second playthrough is mainly worthwhile for collecting missed items, experimenting with a different build or completing the game on a higher difficulty.
On Normal difficulty, combat demands a solid understanding of parry timing and careful enemy management, with the challenge increasing noticeably during the larger encounters in the final chapters. Checkpoints are generally well placed, but there are no mid-battle saves, meaning that failure requires the entire encounter to be repeated. Players can also adjust the frequency of hints, while an invincibility mode allows those who prefer to focus on the story and exploration to do so.
Graphics
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is the most visually impressive entry in the series. Asobo Studio’s technology renders its environments with exceptional clarity, rich colours and a high level of detail, while the careful direction frames each scene effectively. The lighting is particularly impressive, with the warm tones of outdoor locations strongly contrasting against the colder colours and deep shadows found underground.
The attention to detail is evident across worn surfaces, armour, statues and the vegetation covering abandoned structures. The character models receive the same level of care, featuring expressive faces, natural eye movement and visible details such as Sophia’s scars and tattoos. Several scenes made us stop progressing simply to use the photo mode.
Sound and Atmosphere
Olivier Derivière preserves the series’ melancholic musical identity by combining strings, powerful percussion and Greek-Cypriot vocals. The soundtrack adapts naturally to the course of the adventure, moving from quiet and mournful melodies to more intense compositions. The voice acting is equally strong. Anna Demetriou convincingly captures both Sophia’s confidence and emotional exhaustion, while Lisa Delamar and Benjamin Homewood give Leni and Faro distinct personalities. The performance behind Theseus is particularly effective, especially during scenes in which his voice conveys anger, despair and exhaustion.
The atmosphere begins with a lighter sense of adventure before gradually developing into outright horror. The creature’s movements, heavy breathing and unsettling sounds make its presence known even when it remains off-screen. During the final act, however, Sophia’s relentless physical and psychological suffering becomes excessive, ultimately reducing the impact of the tension instead of strengthening it.
Technical Performance, Issues and Bugs
From a technical standpoint, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy remained stable throughout our PC playthrough for this review. We encountered no crashes, serious bugs or progression-blocking problems, only occasional framerate drops and limited screen tearing during more demanding scenes, neither of which had any meaningful effect on the gameplay.
The game also includes a solid range of accessibility and customisation options covering the camera, motion blur, subtitles, colour blindness and controls. Overall, this is a fairly polished PC release, with its technical shortcomings remaining minor and secondary.
Who Is It For — and Who Is It Not For?
At this point in our review, it is important to clarify that Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is primarily aimed at players who already know the series and want to learn more about Sophia and the Prima Macula. It will also appeal to anyone looking for a linear, cinematic action-adventure featuring a strong narrative, Greek mythology, puzzles and direct combat in the vein of Tomb Raider and Uncharted.
It is not ideal for newcomers looking for a completely self-contained story, as its most important revelations require knowledge of Innocence and Requiem. It may also disappoint players expecting the stealth and rat hordes of the previous games, a deep combat system, open exploration or substantial replay value.
Final Thoughts
As we conclude our review of Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, we have to acknowledge that it is a strong but uneven action-adventure. It justifies its existence without reaching the heights of the series’ finest moments. The new direction works, Sophia is capable of carrying the leading role and the connection to the Macula adds meaningful information to the wider lore. However, the limited development of certain characters, the repetition of several ideas and a weaker final act prevent it from fully realising its potential. Overall, Resonance achieves more than it misses and stands as a well-crafted, if not exceptional, addition to the series.
If you found our review of Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy useful, you can also read our reviews of Mortal Shell 2 and The Sinking City 2, or visit Gaming-Sanctum’s Game Reviews section to find exactly what you are looking for.