Why Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy Is This Summer’s Sleeper Hit (Review)

2026 has been an incredible year for video game releases so far, and that momentum isn’t slowing down any time soon. While excitement has shifted toward Fall releases like Grand Theft Auto 6, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake, and several other highly anticipated titles, there’s one final summer release that is equally interesting and deserves your undivided attention.

Enter Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, Asobo Studio’s latest single-player action-adventure game published by Focus Entertainment. Described as the prequel to A Plague Tale: Requiem, Resonance was announced at the 2025 Xbox Games Showcase and is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

I’ve been playing through Resonance for the last two weeks, and I have to say that I’m very impressed and excited by where Asobo has taken this series. If you know me personally, you know I absolutely loved the first two games and have been curious about future entries. Resonance has exceeded my expectations, and I’m convinced it’s this summer’s sleeper hit. Here are more details on the game, my overall thoughts, and why this is a can’t-miss experience if you love action-adventure games.

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy takes place in 1334, 15 years before the events of A Plague Tale: Requiem. The story revolves around fan-favorite Pirate Smuggler Sophia as she explores Minotaur’s Island. We also learn more about her visions and deeper connection to Prima Macula’s ancient history as she navigates through a personal loss and increasingly complicated relationships with family turned foes.

From a narrative standpoint, I love how this backstory adds depth to Sophia and gives further context as to why she’s a fan favorite. You witness her heartbreaking moments as a child and see her evolve into a fearless warrior set on fulfilling her purpose. Her thrill for adventure reminds me of Lara Croft from Tomb Raider, and I can see how some people will make these comparisons while playing. In many ways, you can also compare her vulnerabilities to those of Amicia and Hugo from the previous games, but her resilience and ability to fight instantly make her more unique and the story even more compelling from start to finish.

Resonance: A Plague Tale looks nothing short of visually stunning thanks to Asobo using their in-house proprietary game engine. The insanely detailed character models and vast destinations you’ll explore provide the perfect excuse to get lost in this world. The soundtrack and brilliant performances by the cast add another layer of authenticity. You can tell the developers and artists poured their hearts and souls into creating something beautiful and special that’s guaranteed to keep you engaged throughout.

I reviewed this game on a base PlayStation 5 console and encountered a few minor performance issues, but nothing too severe or game-breaking. Asobo has already confirmed they will continue to release patch updates to ensure players have the best experience possible, and I trust that they will.

While the previous two games focused on stealth, Resonance offers fans more direct action-oriented combat and thrilling setpieces, coupled with a dual-timeline mechanic. This feature allows you to travel between the Middle Ages and the Minoan Period at key moments in the storyline. The action encounters are also more brutal, as Sophia can tear apart her enemies and deliver a savage final execution move to end the fight. I’m a diehard action fan, so I loved the combat, and I think anyone who loves action games will be drawn to these dynamics too.

In addition to the dual-timeline and fighting mechanics, Resonance also has a healthy amount of puzzles to solve. I love how Sophia’s journal with visions incorporates nicely into helping locate and solve these puzzles. Sophia can also get hints from her companion Leni at certain points when solving puzzles in a natural, optional way rather than being forced. Once again, it shows that the developers took their time to think through many ways to make this action-adventure game fun and immersive, which players will appreciate as they start playing.

Resonance: A Plague Tale takes 15-20 hours to complete and costs $49.99 on PC and $59.99 on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. If you have Xbox Game Pass, you can also download the game now as part of your subscription. Both the hours and pricing make perfect sense to me, as you’ll get a lot of value for your money with a quality experience like this.

These are all the reasons why I’m convinced that Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is this Summer’s sleeper hit. The decision to take the series in this new direction is bold, and this level of creativity elevates this prequel in more ways than one. I’m very high on this game right now, and can’t wait to see where this series goes next.

This review was based on a review copy of Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy for PlayStation 5 provided by Asobo Studio and Focus Entertainment.