Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy - PC Hands-On Impressions
Explore a Greek Island with the launch of Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, which arrives on August 27th. Take a look at our first impressions from the PC version of the game ahead of release!
By Craig Bishop (Gamesplanet)
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy review copy was provided by Focus Entertainment for testing purposes, opinions are Gamesplanet's own and not representative of Focus Entertainment. Performance stated is in a pre-release build and may not reflect the final game.
A new entry in the Plague Tale series awaits when Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy arrives later this week on August 27th. Thanks to our friends at Focus Entertainment, we've had hands-on time with the PC version to find out what this prequel is all about, and how the action-oriented Plague Tale spin-off fares against other modern adventure games.
Note: While this was intended as a Hands-On Impressions piece, I did end up finishing the game in my 15 hours with it so it's partly a review, without the score.
A Greek Paradise full of secrets
You play as Sophia, a plunderer who receives visions of the past and must venture to the Minotaur's Island in search of answers (and maybe some shocking discoveries along the way). As the story begins, you find out that she's been sent to a coven by her mother's family, where she is rescued by her father. While in the coven, she's injected with something that causes her to receive visions, allowing her to tap into the past and relive the tales of the Greek hero Theseus, as the two ultimately become entwined in their destinies as the story unfolds. Of course, this isn't the first time Sophia has appeared in the series, but this time you see her both as a young girl and then as a 22-year-old woman, making her own mark and choices that would go on to shape the ruthless pirate smuggler she becomes in Requiem.
The game resembles titles such as Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Tomb Raider, with a mix of puzzle-solving, combat and exploration. It also takes place 15 years before the events of A Plague Tale: Requiem, though you don't need to have played previous games to understand the story or enjoy it (but it does have a small connection to the series - hence the name).
At the start of your adventure you'll learn the basics of how combat works, with a simple block/parry/attack system that will be familiar to those who have played a few modern Assassin's Creed games over the years. The game is broken up into chapters, each one taking place in a new area with a mix of stealth, platforming, puzzle and combat sections. If you're not too fond of challenging games, there are plenty of options available, with 5 difficulty modes and even the ability to add "Invulnerability" as one of the settings. No matter what type of gamer you are, the game is designed to give you the playstyle you want.
Players will also shift between two time periods as the story unfolds: Sophia's medieval era and ancient Minoan times, as she uncovers events from the past and discovers the Macula’s mysterious legacy.
Exploring is rewarding
While exploring the Island, you'll find hidden secrets such as Charms, Artifacts and Blades. Blades will have perks on them that provide various combat bonuses - for example, one weapon you obtain will cause damage over time with the last hit in a combo. Artifacts are mostly just a link to the past and provide additional context for the world and are optional. Charms, on the other hand, are important and I would highly recommend seeking them out if you can as they're hidden in little boxes around the Island. They offer bonus perks, and finding more of a particular set will increase their effectiveness, such as being able to deal more damage with critical hits, or avoiding arrows in combat.
Speaking of combat, as you progress you'll also find "Resonance points" that can be used in a skill tree to unlock abilities, each of which can have a mastery upgrade that boosts the ability in new ways, such as being able to parry unblockable attacks or throw dropped objects at enemies for increased damage. Resonance points will need to be discovered in the world, so exploring will be your friend for most of the game. You will also unlock special focus gauge moves, which can be triggered by building up focus in combat and unleashing powerful attacks to help take down enemies. An enemy firing arrows at you from a distance? Use the Grapple (which can also be used while exploring) to pull them towards you, sometimes even off ledges!
Certain puzzles will require you to use your ‘Sphere’, with later missions requiring you to upgrade it to tackle Light puzzles and enemies that fear the light. None of the puzzles are particularly hard to solve, but if you need a helping hand the game does offer a hint option by pressing Up on the D-Pad (depending on your controls). You also have a book that Sophia can use to jot down notes and use in the future to help with solutions.
Final Impressions
When I started the game, I had not played the previous entries in the series (boo, I'm a terrible person, I know), and I also didn't know how long the game was or if I would enjoy it. What I knew was that it was an action game with puzzles, set on a Greek Island, and that was enough to get me going. By the end of my journey, I was impressed with its world and the story it was telling, making me want to go and play the rest of the series. I can't comment too much about the other games, but I feel like this is a good entry point for newcomers, and I hope it does well for them to expand Sophia's story in the future.
I also played the game mostly in HDR, and if you have the chance to play it in HDR, I highly recommend it, even if you don't have an OLED display. I was playing it with my LG C4 OLED TV and it looked incredible in certain moments. So much so, I only used my high-end gaming PC a few times (mostly because of certain freezes I mention below) and had to switch on Windows HDR to play on my monitor (which isn't OLED - but does have HDR).
While this didn't start as a review, I would happily give this a "Recommended" seal of approval for both action game fans and puzzle adventure fans looking for something new to play. You'll get around 15 hours (or so) out of the game, and there is no New Game+ (at least right now). Even without it, the team at Asobo have done a fantastic job at Sophia's adventure and it stands toe-to-toe with classics such as Tomb Raider, Uncharted and more as an enjoyable, yet satisfying take on the genre. It also has great use of Greek mythology, so coming from Assassin's Creed Odyssey you will feel right at home.
How about Steam Machine?
I spent most of my time playing the game on a Steam Machine, using Proton Experimental with FSR 4.11 (not an option without Proton Experimental) at Balanced. I used the High Preset, with Motion Blur off, at 1440p, and the majority of the game ran at an enjoyable 60 FPS. There were some dips in the open areas, and it could likely be tweaked to run better, but I was happy with the performance and didn't mind the odd dips. If you have a VRR display, use the VRR toggle to help iron out the frametimes. I could have also tried dropping the Preset to Medium, but it would have been a disservice to the game's art, which looked great. I also had a couple of freezes during gameplay and cutscenes that resulted in system reboots; however, that only occurred on the Steam Machine and as mentioned before, pre-release code may be fixed in time for launch. Still, it was an overall enjoyable experience on the Steam Machine and I imagine if you have a medium- or lower-end machine it would still run well. I didn't get a chance to try it on Steam Deck.
Pre-order Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy on Gamesplanet for Bonuses
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy launches on August 27th, 2026. Pre-order your Steam key on Gamesplanet to save 10% and receive The Heritage Pack DLC, which also includes an in-game Digital Artbook.
