Resonance: A Plague Tale's action-adventure focus feels a bit safe compared to the franchise's previous entries, but it still offers an infectious combination of combat, puzzle-solving, and exploration that's hard to put down

Several hours into Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, my protagonist confidently strides into a battle arena and soaks in the cheers of an adoring audience. Wielding a sizable blade and sporting gleaming gold armor, the hero then unleashes a devastating, tornado-like attack, making short work of dozens of aggressive gladiators.

Needless to say, this third installment in Asobo Studio's A Plague Tale series is a far cry from the franchise's previous stealth-focused, rodent-infested entries. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Resonance is the latest chapter in the decidedly dark, Black Death-inspired series that previously put players behind the stealthy skills of siblings Amicia and Hugo as they faced relentless Inquisition soldiers and swarms of plague-spreading rats. But Resonance is also a prequel, set 15 years before the events of A Plague Tale: Requiem and starring Sophia, a returning, fan-favorite supporting character from that same entry.

Sophia's a smuggler and skilled swordsman, far more capable in battle than the franchise's previous brother and sister duo. As such, Resonance is a completely different type of game, a third-person action-adventure – with some light role-playing game (RPG) elements – that favors slitting throats and spilling entrails over sneaking in the shadows. It's a pretty drastic pivot, one that might be initially off-putting to longtime A Plague Tale players, but it generally works, allowing Asobo's beloved universe to successfully branch off into a different genre.

Like Assassin's Creed…condensed

What Resonance recalls most, especially in its first few chapters, is a more streamlined, story-driven Assassin's Creed game. Like Ubisoft's sprawling action-RPG series, it sports stunning environmental visuals and plenty of crunchy, dynamic combat – complemented by lots of brutal finishers – as well as a good deal of exploration, parkour, and stealth. Heck, the latter even allows you to deliver death from above à la Assassin's Creed's hidden-blade executions.

There's also a combat-enhancing skill tree to progress through, passive perk-granting relics to equip, and enough lore-expanding collectibles to make any member of the Assassin's Brotherhood envious. But on the plus side – especially for those burnt out on Ubisoft's bloated open-worlds – Resonance layers all these familiar elements into a far more straightforward, cinematic adventure that respects your time.

Borrowing from the best

But while it delivers, arguably, some of the AC series' best bits in a more digestible package, it also borrows inspiration from some other favorite franchises. Its prevalence of engaging spelunking and clever puzzle-solving gameplay, for example, recalls Lara Croft's greatest adventures, while its adrenaline-pumping set pieces could give Nathan Drake and Indiana Jones a run for their fortune and glory.

None of this is to say that Asobo is merely mimicking successful series' formulas that have come before. While its inspirations are obvious, they're also incredibly well realized and organically remixed into a much wider experience that feels fresh, allowing the A Plague Tale franchise to reinvent itself for this prequel installment.

And while you won't find hordes of plague-ridden rats waiting around every corner of Resonance's breathtaking Venice and Crete locations, its story is still very much embedded in the series' overarching narrative. Without spoiling too much, Sophia – it turns out – lived quite a life before taking to the high seas and helping out Amicia and Hugo in Requiem.

And like Hugo, she too is affected by something quite curious, supernatural even, that informs and shapes not just the storytelling, but the gameplay. Her mysterious ties to something quite ancient touch nearly everything in the game, from her puzzle-cracking prowess to that aforementioned gladiatorial arena battle.

But also like Hugo's blood curse, her affliction comes with more than its fair share of terrors. Sophia spends most of her time cracking skulls and conundrums in equal measure, but her swashbuckling sometimes gives way to the sort of nightmare-conjuring stretches that'd set the previous games' sibling duo desperately running for their lives.

Thankfully, Sophia also has some friends to lean on. In fact, Resonance does a fantastic job leveraging side characters to organically flesh out the world and Sophia. Rather than relying on forced exposition, the exchanges between the protagonist and her friends – and sometimes foes – flow naturally to deliver both fun banter and integral information.

Less plague rats, more plundering

Whether with a buddy or on her own, Sophia does indeed occasionally find herself in frightening situations evocative of the first two games' more nail-biting moments. These scarier, often survival-focused moments are some of the game's best, but they also take a backseat to what more often feels like a lighter, blade-clashing, plundering romp.

Again, this isn't so much a knock against the game, as Resonance does a brilliant job blending inspirations from the aforementioned properties while also layering in plenty of its own personality. But passionate fans of the previous A Plague Tale titles, craving more of their suffocating atmosphere and killer rodents, may find Resonance a tad too lighthearted, familiar, and formulaic. While it's not without its scares, surprise betrayals, and emotional gut punches, it's still very much a spirited action-adventure that draws more from Black Flag than the Black Plague.

Beyond that gripe specific to those hoping for a return to rat-infested Middle Ages France, Resonance's battle camera could have benefited from a bit more fine-tuning. Sophia's sword- and dagger-based melees are generally quite rewarding, especially once new weapons, moves, specials, and perks are unlocked and layered into her blood-spilling repertoire; there’s also some welcome nuance and depth, like stun-inflicting parries and a risk-reward system that sees you replenish a health segment with each henchman slain. But the camera can have some difficulty keeping up with all this lightning-quick action. Toss in the lack of a target lock-on, and you're occasionally left wondering what cool thing just happened off-screen.

Nitpicks aside, Resonance makes a compelling case for expanding the A Plague Tale universe, while also serving up 15 or so hours of solid third-person action-adventuring. You'll likely complete Sophia's campaign wondering what exactly the future holds for the series' other characters and narrative threads, but you also won't hold any regrets having conquered a swashbuckling romp as rewarding as a treasure chest brimming with shiny trinkets.

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Accessibility features

Resonance significantly expands on the accessibility options of the series' previous two installments, offering a number of visual assistance options, including UI, HUD, and subtitle customizations, as well as high contrast and colorblind modes.

Blood effects can be toggled on and off, and five different difficulty settings allow you to tailor the experience to your playstyle and skill level. These options range from a story-focused mode – that puts parrying and dodging on auto – to a deep difficulty mode for those craving the steepest challenge. Difficulty options can also be changed at any time.

How I reviewed Resonance: A Plague Tale

I completed Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy's campaign in about 15 hours, but clocked in another 5 or so revisiting chapters to gather missed collectibles.

I ran the game on a PS5 Pro using my budget TCL 4K 65" TV, with HDR enabled. For audio, I tested with both the display's onboard stereo speakers and Sony's PlayStation Pulse Elite headset.

First reviewed August 2026