Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy balances puzzles and engaging combat

Sophia takes center stage in the upcoming A Plague Tale spin-off.

Following the success of 2022’s A Plague Tale: Requiem, Asobo Studio is going back in time to tell the story of Sophia, a character introduced in that game. Before her days as a pirate captain, Sophia was a smuggler in her father’s gang. I stepped into her boots for an early preview of Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, and walked away fascinated by its unique puzzles and combat system.

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is set 15 years before the events of A Plague Tale: Requiem. During my demo, I played through chapters 5 and 6 (roughly two hours of content. The full game will take between 15-20 hours to complete). It picked up shortly after her arrival on Minotaur Island, a place she felt was calling out to her. Later on, she starts to see visions and flashbacks that give clues to an ancient mystery.

I perked up at the mention of the Minotaur and Daedalus, being somewhat of a mythology nerd myself. The game makes good use of the source material, including a full maze that Sophia must navigate. This weaves right into what stood out to me the most during my preview: the puzzles.

One of the items Sophia uses on the island is the Minoan Sphere, a device that emits colored light in three different directions. Some puzzles require light to shine onto certain spots to unlock a passageway, and you have to twist and manipulate the sphere to make them light up.

One that really stumped me, though, was a large room with three large colored spotlights that I had to bounce off of different reflectors to shine onto specific spots on a central structure. It took me several minutes of confusion to find the right placements that would allow me to shine all three lights on their targets simultaneously.

Between the major puzzles, Sophia fights hostile people and creatures. She’s joined by a friend named Leni, who also aids her in combat. The combat features standard melee slashing, with the ability to block, parry, and evade enemy attacks. There’s also a grappling hook that Sophia can use to yank archers off their towers. That part is incredibly satisfying. When attacking enemies, you’ll sometimes be treated to a finisher animation as Sophia slashes their throat or stabs them through the chest. In general, it felt a bit more action-focused than previous games in the series.

Every time I felt like I’d had my fill of combat, there was a meaty puzzle for me to dig into. After my brain was exhausted from doing puzzles, there were enemies for me to hack away at. It was a solid balance that I imagine the full game will aim to maintain. Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is set to launch on August 27, 2026, for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S.

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