Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy Review
Release Date: 27/08/2026
Platforms: PS5, XBOX & PC
Platform Played On: PS5 Pro
Hours Played: 40
Score: 8/10
No plague, no problem, this tale still resonates.
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is the newest entry in Asobo's A Plague Tale series, and it's a genuine departure from the formula the studio built its name on. Gone is the stealth heavy rat puzzler structure of the earlier games. In its place is a full action-adventure experience, dropped into a completely different setting.
The story takes place in the same universe as A Plague Tale Requiem, roughly 15 years before it, but don't let that scare you off if you haven't played the previous entries. This one stands entirely on its own. You play as Sophia, a protagonist marked by a difficult past, who has been plagued (no pun intended) by strange visions of an island that seems to obsess everyone around her, some chasing its treasure, others drawn to its darker secrets. The game leans into some genuinely heavier moments than I expected going in.
As you explore the island, the game occasionally shifts you into the perspective of an ancient Minoan warrior, giving you glimpses of what the island once was. These segments are brief, more flashback than parallel campaign, making up maybe one percent of your total playtime, with the rest spent firmly in the present as Sophia. The supporting cast pulls its weight too. Each companion adds something to the story, and while the plot gets a little tangled in places, I was consistently curious about where it was headed next. Without spoiling anything, I'll say I expected a different kind of ending given the game's ties to the Plague Tale universe. To be clear though, this is very much its own story and spinoff, so don't go in expecting much crossover beyond one small connective thread near the end.
Length wise, it sits comfortably around 12 to 15 hours if you take your time with the story and cutscenes, maybe leaning a bit long, but it never overstays its welcome or starts feeling repetitive.
Gameplay wise, this is where Resonance reminded me, in the best way, of the Uncharted games, just with swords instead of guns. You're exploring ancient ruins with a companion at your side, solving puzzles that are simple but cleverly put together, and leaning on a handy journal for clues. Credit where it's due, the game doesn't shower you with hint prompts the way so many modern titles do. Even the collectibles have that familiar little shine when you get close. It had been a while since I'd played something in this specific style, and I enjoyed getting back into it. The story's pacing follows a similar rhythm too.
Visually it's not the sharpest game on the market, but it's far from bad. What impressed me more was how varied the environments were. The island shifts noticeably from area to area, each one distinct from the last, and the use of shadows and color does a lot of heavy lifting. The game is also genuinely good at selling scale, the big statues and ancient structures actually feel massive rather than just tall, thanks to smart framing and how the spaces around them are built.
If there's a weak point, it's the combat. You've got a sword and a dagger, a quick attack, a kick, and a parry, and that's roughly the extent of it. A skill tree lets you upgrade these and unlock a handful of extra abilities, like a perfect dodge that throws one enemy into another, but nothing here is going to blow you away. That said, this has always been the softer side of these games, and thankfully there aren't that many fights to begin with, which I preferred. Every encounter against human enemies felt fairly forgettable, though the fights against the game's later, more unique enemies were more enjoyable since they force you to use different mechanics, even if those started feeling a bit repetitive after a while too. Compared to similar games, Resonance leans much more heavily into exploration than combat, and that balance works in its favor. Worth noting, if you pick the easiest difficulty you can essentially auto-dodge and auto-parry your way through every fight without it affecting how hard the puzzles are.
The soundtrack deserves a mention. Some tracks do repeat more than I'd like, but the music during the game's more dramatic moments is genuinely beautiful and fits the tone perfectly. The voice acting is above average as well.
Performance wise, on PS5 Pro in performance mode I got a stable 60fps without the game losing much visual fidelity. Across two plus playthroughs I only ran into one area with a minor frame drop, nothing that affected the experience.
All told, if you're after something in the spirit of Uncharted and you're not going in expecting much overlap with the wider Plague Tale world, in gameplay or otherwise, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is a genuinely great time.
