The short version
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is a single-player action-adventure by Asobo Studio, published by Focus Entertainment, out since 27 August 2026 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, and on Game Pass from day one. You play Sophia, the plunderer from A Plague Tale: Requiem, fifteen years before that game. Focus says you do not need to have played Innocence or Requiem to follow it, and puts its length at about 20 hours.
The setup, without spoilers
- Who you play — Sophia, a young plunderer raised in one of Venice's most feared gangs, which her late father once led. She is a fighter, and the game is built around that.
- Where — The opening takes place around Venice, but the game's real setting is the Minotaur's island, a maze of ruins left by a forgotten Minoan civilisation. Sophia sails there with Leni, her closest friend.
- Why — A heist goes wrong and Sophia has to flee. She has been haunted since childhood by visions of an ancient era, and something on the island seems to be waiting for her. Rival plunderers and an army are racing for the same treasure.
- Two timelines — The story moves between Sophia's medieval present and ancient Minoan times, where you also play the hero Theseus. The two are tied together by the Macula, the curse behind the whole series.
- The threat — Something lives in the island's depths and hunts you. Asobo's own description is that you can't stop, only hide, outsmart and push forward.
How it relates to the other Plague Tale games
🕰️ A prequel and a spin-off
It is set fifteen years before A Plague Tale: Requiem. Asobo's co-founder told Xbox Wire that Hugo's fate at the end of Requiem was a real ending, so a straight third game was off the table; Sophia, who started as a sidekick, became the lead instead.
⚔️ Combat first, not stealth first
Innocence and Requiem were mostly about sneaking. Resonance is an action-adventure with close-quarters sword fighting, parries, kicks and a grappling hook. Stealth is still there, mostly in the second half.
🐀 No rat swarms, no slingshot
The reviews note that the rat hordes, the slingshot and the alchemy of the earlier games are gone. The Macula takes a different form here, which Asobo's lead writer described as new for the team.
💡 Light is still the key
Sophia carries a stolen Minoan sphere that bends and focuses light. It solves the island's puzzles, reveals hidden messages and, later, becomes a weapon of its own.
What the reviews said
| Where | Score |
|---|---|
| OpenCritic | 81 Top Critic Average, 82% of critics recommend it (157 reviews when read) |
| Metacritic, PS5 | 78, "Generally Favorable", from 67 critic reviews; user score 8.2 |
| Metacritic, PC (shown on the Steam store) | 84 |
| IGN | 6/10: it takes a lot of interesting chances, but only some pay off |
| PC Gamer | 76/100: a mid-budget melee-combat Uncharted, gorgeous, with a predictable structure |
| GameSpot | 6/10 |
| Eurogamer | 3/5: smart pacing and good combat, hurt by the grim second half |
| GamesRadar+ | 4.5/5 |
The verdicts, in a line
Most reviews agree on the same strengths: the setting and art, Olivier Derivière's score, and a combat system that is easy to pick up. The common complaints are a formula that becomes predictable, puzzles that are mostly simple, supporting characters left thin, and a tone that turns much darker and more horrific in the final hours. There is no New Game Plus.
Cross-checked
Cross-checked on 7 October 2026 against the Steam store page and Focus Entertainment's official game page, the Resonance FAQ and launch posts on Steam, Xbox Wire's showcase post of 8 June 2026 and its developer interview of 20 August 2026, OpenCritic, Metacritic, PC Gamer's review by Jody Macgregor (1 September 2026), and SPACE4GAMES' guide hub and review by Josef Erl. Not from a playthrough: nobody here has played it, and what the sources do not describe is not on this page.