Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy

Through sheer determination and hard work, Asobo Studio has earned recognition for its titles. On the one hand, for the incredible simulation experience that is the Microsoft Flight Simulator series; and on the other, for the dark and gritty story of a pair of siblings trying to survive a supernatural conspiracy in the Middle Ages with the A Plague Tale series. Their first instalment, 'Innocence', told the story of the young siblings Hugo and Amicia De Rune, as the older sister tries to protect her brother from a blood disease, the Macula, which, whilst gradually robbing him of his life, also grants him strange powers to control rats. A game heavily focused on the story and, above all, on stealth, but it is much more than that.

'Requiem', its 2022 sequel, continued that journey and added some action to the gameplay, although stealth remained a central element. The story of the De Rune family came to an end (which I obviously won't discuss here), but in that sequel we also met a character who was key to the siblings' fate, and who also harboured her own secrets: Sophia, the pirate captain of the Rascasse, also known as the Scorpion of the Seas.

Sophia played a very important role in Requiem, but the developers and the public liked her so much that, upon completing development of that second instalment, they began to envisage an adventure dedicated to her, in the form of a prequel. That is where we now find ourselves: Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy.

The reason I've gone into such detail about the first two instalments before getting to the heart of this one is that, although the character of Sophia and certain elements such as The Stain are still present here, this game is a spin-off in a different genre to that of 'Innocence' and 'Requiem'. At least on paper. Fifteen years before the De Runes set out on their journey through plague-ridden France, Sophia was a young looter in her late father's gang near the city of Venice.

By a twist of fate, but also due to her own blood disease, Sophia is forced to flee with her friend Leni from her former gang and embarks on a desperate quest for answers about herself on the Minotaur's Island, where her experiences intertwine with those of an ancient Minoan warrior named Theseus. Only by unravelling her secrets and staying one step ahead of her former gang and the Venetian soldiers will she be able to discover the truth about her origins and her destiny in life.

Indeed, Sophia here is an agile warrior in the prime of her life and ready for action. Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, for much of its early chapters, presents itself as an action-adventure and exploration game with a generous helping of puzzles, which are used both to progress and to obtain a wide variety of collectables and different weapons for the heroine. It immediately reminded me of Uncharted 4 in terms of level structure, with clearly defined, linear sections interspersed with smaller, more open areas to explore and uncover secrets. Both the environments of the marauders' lair and Venice are somewhat subdued, but as soon as we reach the sun-drenched beach of the Minotaur's Island, the game exudes its own unique personality and charm, with beautiful and artistically vibrant landscapes.

The puzzles are based on the play of light and reflections in mirrors, a central element that, as the plot unfolds, will also take on greater significance within the story. None are particularly difficult to solve, because as well as keeping a notebook of clues where you jot down every small step forward you make, practically all of them rely on observation within the very room or small area where the door you need to open is located. What it lacks in difficulty, it more than makes up for in the variety and quantity of puzzles, which is very generous.

As an action game, it works quite well, though don't expect exhaustive depth in the combat. As well as normal and charged attacks, Sophia can dodge and parry before landing critical hits, capitalising on her strengths. She can also make use of throwing items and her trusty climbing hook for ranged combat. Simple, but effective. And as the adventure progresses, the enemies' combos become more complex, but you also unlock special abilities that emulate the skill of the ancient hero Theseus.

The truth is that once you get used to that succession of arena-style combat and puzzle-solving, the game fits perfectly into my vision of an adventure... but then came the darkness, and the Beast. It was something I could barely mention when I wrote my first impressions of the game a few weeks ago, but now the time has come to talk about what Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy really is, and the answer is a horror-action adventure, with the emphasis on 'horror' rather than action.

At a certain point in the story, Sophia will have to flee from a strange, shapeless creature, from which the only way to escape with your life is to be stealthy. I'm not a huge fan of horror games, but I have to say that even after completing a stealth section where the tension is such that one false move means death (and having to reload the game), I've found myself breathing a sigh of relief on the sofa after having dodged the danger. And that, my friends, is the result of an exquisitely written narrative. From the moment the Creature is on the loose, stealth becomes an integral part of the game, and I can assure you that you won't be rushing into any room again from that point onwards. Suddenly, you take the game much more seriously, and you're constantly on the lookout for a blue flash at the edge of the screen - a sign that 'it' is stalking you.

Unfortunately, there's still quite a bit of work to be done on Resonance in terms of pure gameplay. At least in the PS5 version I used for this review, I encountered a few progression roadblocks because the sequence of platforming sections, or the scene itself, seemed to 'force' me to get from point A to B in a very specific way, even though there was no real on-screen necessity for it. Let me explain: At various points, the Creature will chase and stalk you, absorbing a kind of blue dust that covers you and which you also leave in your wake when moving normally. If you crouch, you can evade it much more easily. The problem arises when you're using that crouching mechanic, as the game has taught you to do, but at the same time it wants to force you to run so that the scripted scene looks more spectacular. If you don't, the scene where the Creature catches and kills you plays out immediately. Those moments (of which there are several throughout the game) always left me with a very bitter taste. Above all, because they were sections that required replaying a previous area, yet the game never indicates at any point that you're supposed to get past them that way.

It doesn't help either that sometimes a classic bug forces you to exit the game and reload your save from the main menu. Fortunately, none of the bugs I encountered prevented me from continuing the story, but these are things to bear in mind ahead of the launch. A patch will be necessary and most welcome.

Even with these drawbacks, I'd like to end on a positive note regarding Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy. Its coherence - both in the narrative (with its shifts between Theseus's 'past' and Sophia's 'present') - fits together perfectly, and the story also serves to fill in some of the major unanswered questions left by the original A Plague Tale games. Special mention must go to the soundtrack, which is majestic even in those moments of pure underground terror, right through to the most emotional scenes, as well as to the voice acting. It's worth noting that the same actress who voiced Sophia in 'Requiem', Anna Demetriou also performs the motion capture here, and I think she does an excellent job.

If you're a fan of A Plague Tale, you'll find it essential to return to its world with Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy. And for those of you who might not be as keen on the series or aren't familiar with it, its more balanced blend of action and puzzles also makes it a very appealing solo adventure, as you don't need to know the series to enjoy it. An excellent adventure to bid farewell to the summer with.