In this review
The big picture
An army pursuing you is usually a good reason to find somewhere quiet. Sophia instead heads towards Minotaur's Island, suggesting that her definition of a sensible refuge needs work. Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy gives the young plunderer a standalone adventure involving family history, Minoan ruins and a place with far too much interest in keeping its visitors unsettled. Being competent with a blade is helpful. It is not the same as having chosen a good holiday destination.
Asobo Studio's prequel, published by Focus Entertainment, launched on 27 August 2026 for Windows through Steam and Epic, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. It takes place fifteen years before A Plague Tale: Requiem, with Sophia leading her own story. The late-October Collector Box concerns merchandise, not the game's first release. The important change for returning players is a heroine built for direct fighting, alongside the exploration, puzzles and narrative. This branch of the series has brought more ways to push back.
Reasons to look closer
Sword-and-dagger combat gives Sophia a practical answer to human pursuers. Parries, weapon combinations and agility support a more physically assertive adventure, while stealth remains part of the toolkit. The contrast with the island's stalking presence matters: being capable in a fight doesn't make the wider situation safe. It's quite possible to win an encounter and still have excellent reasons to dislike where you are standing.
The grappling hook can pull enemies towards Sophia or send them into hazards. That makes the room part of the encounter. Instead of treating every opponent as a separate invitation to exchange damage, you can consider where they are and where you would prefer them to be. A dangerous environment becomes more useful once somebody else is encouraged to have the closer look.
This gives the action a suitably practical character. Sophia is a plunderer under pressure, not somebody obliged to preserve the dignity of a duel. The attraction lies in combining movement, weapons and positioning rather than assuming another faster swing will solve everything. Players who enjoy using the setting against an opponent have a specific reason to investigate. Players who mainly want to observe the story should notice that the game also expects them to take part in the danger.
A notebook is a different kind of weapon
Sophia's stolen Minoan sphere manipulates light, while her notebook supports exploration. Those tools give the island's ruins something to do beyond providing an impressive background for a fight. Light-based mechanisms ask you to inspect a space and understand relationships within it. The notebook makes knowledge part of the equipment, which is a welcome change from a fantasy hero solving every historical mystery by striking it harder.
That promises a different rhythm from combat. An immediate threat asks for a response; an environmental puzzle asks for interpretation. Alternating between them can give an adventure room to breathe without making the quiet sections feel detached. It's appealing if you enjoy having both kinds of problem in the same journey. Less so if the arrival of a mechanism always makes you wonder why the sword can't be applied more decisively.
The stalking threat complicates the archaeological curiosity. Looking closely is easier when nothing is taking an equally close interest in you. That tension can make exploration feel uneasy rather than leisurely. Decide whether the prospect sounds exciting or simply irritating before expecting an uninterrupted chance to admire every ruin. Minotaur's Island doesn't appear especially committed to a relaxed visitor experience.
A capable heroine can still be in trouble
Asobo deliberately chose a more dynamic, combat-capable lead after Requiem. That is a useful way to approach Resonance: as a different adventure in the world, rather than a promise to reproduce the same balance of helplessness and survival. Expecting Sophia to behave exactly like previous protagonists would miss the reason she is carrying this story in the first place.
Her confidence gives the island something to challenge. A protagonist who can handle soldiers may still be overwhelmed by forces she doesn't understand, which keeps competence from making every danger feel routine. There is room for the satisfaction of controlling an encounter and the discomfort of discovering that the encounter was only one small part of the problem. The sword can settle an argument; it is less effective at persuading an entire island to be reasonable.
Family history has become unusually ancient
The story links Sophia's family connection and her friendship with Leni to the island's mystery. A dual timeline reaches from her medieval journey into the Minoan past, connecting Sophia and Theseus through the Macula's legacy. That gives established fans a wider history to piece together while leaving the immediate adventure attached to people.
The personal focus is important. A prequel can enrich a setting, but recognition alone won't make every explanation interesting. Sophia's goals should be enough to draw someone forward before all the ancient connections become clear. Family mysteries are already complicated without adding several centuries and a mythological threat to the discussion, so having relationships to hold onto gives the premise a more approachable centre.
Resonance is an inviting detour for players who want dangerous exploration, environmental problem-solving and action with a little practical dishonesty. It is a less obvious fit for anyone wanting a gentle ruins tour or a direct replacement for Amicia and Hugo's journey. Follow Sophia for what makes her different: she can fight back, change the arrangement of a room and still find herself somewhere she really ought not to have gone. Resourcefulness is valuable. So is eventually leaving the island.
Sources
Information checked on 18 October 2026. Features, platform compatibility and editions can change.
- Focus launch announcement: release, platforms and adventure structure ↗Official source cited in the approved review.
- Official Steam listing: setting, sphere, notebook and stalking threat ↗Official source cited in the approved review.
- Focus release overview: Sophia, Leni and the island connection ↗Official source cited in the approved review.
- Focus gameplay breakdown: grappling, stealth and dual timelines ↗Official source cited in the approved review.
- Xbox Wire developer conversation: the change in protagonist and combat direction ↗Official source cited in the approved review.