"Sophia's solo voyage is a stunner, even without the rats"
About
Resonance is a prequel to the Plague Tale games, set fifteen years before the events of Requiem. Players take on the role of Sophia, the sea-faring navigator, as she journeys to a mysterious island rooted in Minoan myth. The gameplay shifts from the series' signature stealth and rat swarms to a third-person action-adventure format. You will explore ancient ruins, solve environmental puzzles, and engage in combat centered around dodging and parrying, all while uncovering the secrets of a curse tied to the Minotaur.
Verdict
Resonance is a confident and stunningly beautiful prequel. It bravely steps out of the shadow of its predecessors, trading rats and stealth for mythical ruins and action-adventure puzzles. Sophia proves more than capable of headlining her own journey, set against a gorgeous and unsettling Cretan backdrop. While it doesn't quite capture the same desperate emotional intensity of Amicia and Hugo's tale, this is a worthy and polished adventure that stands tall on its own merits.
You'll like it if …
- +You enjoy cinematic, narrative-led adventures in the vein of Uncharted or the modern Tomb Raider trilogy.
- +Visual fidelity and world-class atmosphere are what you look for in a game.
- +You were a fan of Sophia in Requiem and want to see her story expanded.
You'll dislike it if …
- −You're a Plague Tale purist who came for more rat-based stealth puzzles.
- −Simple puzzles that don't evolve much over the course of a game tend to bore you.
- −You intend to play primarily on the Steam Deck.
Breakdown
- +The shift to an action-adventure format, with its focus on exploration and puzzles, is a confident and well-executed change of pace.
- +Combat, built on a parry-and-dodge system, feels responsive and provides a solid alternative to the series' traditional stealth.
- −Fans of the original games' high-stakes stealth may find the new, more direct combat approach less distinctive.
- −The first few hours are heavy on simple puzzles, with the action taking a while to get started.
- +Exploration is consistently rewarded with detailed environments and lore fragments that build out the world.
- +Successfully swaps the series' established rat-based mechanics for a new set of challenges themed around ancient mythology.
- −Many of the environmental puzzles feel repetitive, relying on the same few mechanics without escalating in complexity.
- −Some puzzles offer so many visual cues that they lose any sense of challenge, even with hints disabled.
- +Sophia is a capable and compelling protagonist, carrying the story well on her own.
- +The story's blend of 14th-century history with Greek mythology creates a unique and captivating backdrop.
- −Lacks the raw, desperate emotional weight of Amicia and Hugo's journey in the main series.
- −Some secondary character motivations feel underdeveloped, making it harder to get attached.
- +The art direction is exceptional, delivering stunning vistas and dense, atmospheric ruins.
- +Excellent sound design and a moving soundtrack make the world feel both beautiful and unsettling.
- +Top-tier technical performance, running smoothly with impressive visuals even on varied hardware configurations.
- +The game is highly polished, with most players reporting a smooth, bug-free experience on PC.
- −Poor optimization for the Steam Deck leads to frequent crashes in later chapters.
- −A critical bug can corrupt save files if the system's date and time format is not set to a specific standard.
score
