Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy Review - Bold Ideas, Predictable Story

As someone who has followed Asobo Studio since the days of A Plague Tale: Innocence, I was extremely excited when I saw Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy was on its way. That excitement grew even more when I got to play a bit of it a couple of months ago and dive into Sophia’s grand adventure. Now that the credits have rolled, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy feels like the franchise’s biggest gameplay leap forward, thanks to its revamped and more dynamic mechanics, even if the story loses its way toward the end.

The Pirate and The Warrior

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy continues with Asobo Studio’s tradition of delivering a strong narrative-driven experience, only that this time, Sophia takes the reins. Some of you may remember this beloved pirate from Requiem, and we get to see her here 15 years before the aforementioned game’s events.

The plot kicks off with Sophia, who is suffering from visions that may have the key to unlocking the secrets of the infamous Minotaur Island. After a quick training montage that serves as a tutorial, you see Sophia as a full-fledged plunderer, ready for adventure. Sadly, one of her caretakers doesn’t allow her to join the island’s expedition, benching our protagonist for a bit. After one job goes awry, Sophia has no choice but to go to the island alongside her friend to discover what the visions are all about and why everyone has been so fixated on this place.

However, Sophia isn’t the only one leading the story, as another character from the island’s past will also make many mythology fans happy. Through her visions, Sophia gets to see what this mysterious figure did in the past, which led to the island’s current state.

With the broader aspects out of the way, I must say the story felt like a mixed bag at times, which I found extremely sad given its potential. As for what worked, Sophia is one of the highlights. She is a superbly written character with a clear goal, conflicts, and proper development — at least during the game’s early acts. The other characters, however, weren’t nearly as memorable, largely because their storylines felt predictable.

While I don’t think a predictable story is bad per se, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy leaves almost no room for surprises. You can smell plot twists from miles away, and when they happen, they don’t really provide the intended shock. Heck, even the game’s biggest reveal involving one character comes out of nowhere, with almost no build-up or payoff, which ultimately robs the moment of its impact.

It reached the point where the flashbacks revealing what happened on the island became far more compelling, doing an excellent job of keeping the mystery alive. They provided just the right amount of mystery in each playable segment, leaving me wanting more. Plus, and this is one thing that definitely deserves praise, I loved how the writers adapted the Minotaur legend in such a unique way.

In the end, I thought it was a shame to see Sophia’s story falter so much as it neared the end. While it had a strong beginning and our plunderer made the first parts of the journey so memorable, the final chapters were so predictable that they ultimately undermined everything that came before. Furthermore, the 15-hour journey wasn’t without technical flaws.

Frequent lip-sync issues also cropped up, making some of the game’s more important scenes feel rough around the edges. I also thought this was a shame because every voice actor in the game did a marvelous job of delivering their lines. Be it Sophia, Leni, or even the soldiers you fight, every single one did an excellent job of portraying these characters.

Speaking of audio, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy boasts one of the year’s best soundtracks. It’s enthralling, soothing, and perfectly complements every scene, from tense horror sequences to the quieter moments spent taking in the scenery.

Simple and Effective

If the story disappointed me as it reached the game’s final act, the gameplay systems never did. In truth, Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is the most engaging installment in the series, speaking strictly in terms of combat and puzzle-solving.

Resonance abandons the more strategic and stealth-oriented gameplay in favor of a more aggressive approach, which works wonderfully. Sophia, as the true plunderer she is, wields a sword and a dagger. You have your light attack combo with the ability to parry attacks. If you manage to break an enemy, you can go in for a critical strike that could defeat them instantly or take a good chunk of their HP.

While simple, I loved how visceral the game is, but most importantly, how smooth it felt. Fighting against dozens of enemies in some sections felt great, as you dance around the battlefield slashing foes, blocking a few, and even throwing some flying kicks to send enemies flying off a ledge.

There is also a skill tree with abilities you can unlock by using Resonance Points. While it isn’t the most in-depth system or something worthy of crafting builds, it offered some options that elevated the combat. For instance, I unlocked a skill that let me perfect dodge and throw enemies away. I was even able to spend more points to unlock its mastery, which let me use this ability to counter more powerful enemy skills.

Beyond that, you also have trinkets, which provide passive bonuses, such as increased critical damage or the ability to avoid projectiles, as well as weapons, each one with a different passive skill. All in all, I think this was a perfect system, as it never felt overwhelming. Instead of focusing on the micro-management part of allocating stats or equipping the best items, it provides only some easy-to-understand buffs and lets you focus on the superb hands-on fighting sequences. Yet, fighting isn’t everything, as this installment is brimming with puzzles, which are just as great.

Sophia unlocks a sphere with different functions that lean toward the puzzle-solving type. You get to switch its modes to one that has three colored beams of light and one that just lights the area around you. There’s also another one that I can’t spoil, but it is a game-changer.

The interesting part was just how well every puzzle made use of these abilities. Some, for instance, required me to shine the sphere in an area to discover a clue and then used the colored beams from a specific angle to unlock something. Of course, there are also more environmental puzzles that require you to move lenses and play with the light to clear a path, defeat enemies, or open any of the island’s convoluted doors.

Lastly, I also applaud how excellent the game’s pacing is. Often, many games tend to throw extremely long story-focused sections or several puzzles at a time that make the experience feel tedious. Asobo Studio has finally found a way to balance all elements, providing unique encounters and puzzles throughout every chapter of this installment.

An Adventure With Potential

Despite its unfortunate flaws in the story’s latest acts, the truth is that Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy brings many new ideas that revitalize the series in a modern, approachable, and engaging way. Its combat and puzzles are among the best I’ve experienced, and the pacing of each level is superb. Something I wish other developers would take note of.

Sadly, given how narrative-driven the series is, I think this ends up being the weakest entry in the franchise, largely because its story becomes far too predictable. Even so, it introduces plenty of great ideas that I hope the studio builds on in its next project.