Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy

As we’ve seen with Microsoft Flight Simulator and the A Plague Tale series, Asobo Studio is a technical powerhouse. Whether it’s keeping us glued to the screen with breathtaking landscapes or sending shivers down our spines with hordes of rats on screen, the developers at this French studio are remarkably versatile. With Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, the tone is set from the very beginning: the character models are exquisitely detailed, the facial animations are impressive, and the textures are meticulously crafted.

If you’ve played the first two games in the A Plague Tale series (Innocence and Requiem), you probably remember that Amicia and Hugo preferred stealth and using a slingshot to merciless hand-to-hand combat. With Resonance, Asobo takes the opposite approach: Sophia is a formidable warrior who excels at close combat and strings together combos, parries, and dodges with incredible ease.

A seasoned fighter, the Venetian combines a sword and dagger to launch attacks that leave her enemies no chance. Plus, her grappling hook is always at the ready to snag an opponent, clear an obstacle, or bypass soldiers by scaling rooftops. This strategic element is a welcome addition and gives the game an instant appeal, even if it doesn’t reinvent the genre. The tactical aspect is particularly highlighted through the use of colors (yellow and red) that indicate to the player when to dodge and parry. Progression, meanwhile, is driven by a skill tree that enhances Sophia’s abilities as she uncovers more about the Minotaur’s Island.

The music composed by Olivier Deriviere also contributes to the game’s atmosphere. Drawing inspiration from Greek mythology and Sophia’s story, the French composer has created a spellbinding soundtrack. He collaborated notably with Evgenios Voulgaris, an excellent player of the yayli tambur and rebab, as well as with Vasiliki Anastasiou and her Amalgamation choir in Cyprus. The result of over a year’s work, the music of Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is one of the game’s greatest strengths. Players are transported by themes that highlight the unique sounds of instruments such as the Greek bouzouki, the carnyx (a Celtic instrument), the rebab, and the traditional lute.

In addition to music, lighting is an integral part of the atmosphere. Since Innocence and Requiem, it has played a very important role in the player’s progression. In both episodes featuring Amicia and Hugo, light is the only means of survival to escape the hordes of rodents. Darkness, on the other hand, was a deadly trap. Requiem refined this concept by introducing the crossbow and ever-more-impressive waves of rodents. Sophia builds on this experience, but in the context of puzzles. Light becomes the key to numerous challenges: reflective mirrors, murals to illuminate, and more.

Visually, the game is stunning, the musical atmosphere is incredible, and Sophia wins you over from the very first minutes of her story. Despite gameplay that feels familiar and a character named Leni (who accompanies Sophia) whom we would have liked to see developed more fully, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy marks the series’ most ambitious transformation.

This is a paid game, available in Standard Edition, Deluxe Edition, and Collector's Edition. The game can be purchased as a digital download or in physical format. If you have an Xbox Game Pass or PC Game Pass subscription, the title is available in the Microsoft catalog. It can be played via cloud streaming or by downloading the game, which requires nearly 70 GB of storage space.

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy launched simultaneously on current-generation platforms: Windows PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. The good news is that Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass subscribers also have access to it, on both console and PC, as well as the cloud, and can download it without further fees.

For the sake of convenience, we could have linked Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy to the first two installments of the series, but we decided to broaden the scope of our exploration.

In many ways, the game is reminiscent of the Assassin’s Creed series, and if there’s one installment set in Greek mythology, it’s Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Playing as either Alexios or Kassandra (your choice), the player faces ancient creatures (the Minotaur, the Cyclops, Medusa…), all set against the sumptuous backdrops of the Peloponnese. With its breathtaking open world, Odyssey truly lives up to its name.

Sophia’s character is undeniably tormented. Throughout her journey of self-discovery, she repeatedly reminds us of Senua in Hellblade and its sequel. In addition to being a technical masterclass, Hellblade II highlights the heroine’s vulnerabilities. The Pictish warrior navigates 9th-century Iceland, which is ravaged by merciless barbarians. Infused with Norse mythology, Hellblade II offers a deep dive into the clinical portrayal of psychosis (the studio consulted researchers from Cambridge) featuring visceral combat and unsettling puzzles. Controversial, yet epic.

As Lara Croft’s return takes shape for 2027, Shadow of the Tomb Raider showcases the darkest side of the character created by Core Design. Now under the banner of Crystal Dynamics, the game delivers an adventure that has left a lasting impression on players. With this title, Eidos Montréal has crafted a harrowing episode in which Lara confronts her own madness. From the jungles of Yucatán and Peru to the Inca and Maya temples, the player takes on the role of a heroine on the brink of a mental breakdown, a state that goes hand in hand with unbridled passion and unspeakable cruelty toward her enemies. While Tomb Raider (2013) is more visceral, Shadow of the Tomb Raider is the installment that portrays the most intimidating atmosphere in the entire series.