Does Resonance: A Plague Tale's frontal combat betray the series?
What YouTube comments really reveal about this shift to action, backed by numbers.
For most commentators, yes: frontal combat costs Resonance: A Plague Tale its original stealth identity, though a sizeable share of fans welcome this action pivot as a breath of fresh air. The topic accounts for roughly 21% of discussion around the game since June 2025.
How we got here
as told by the commentsJune 15, 2025
First Resonance teaser: comments already flag the absence of rats and stealth mentions, planting the seed of doubt.
June 7-10, 2026
The in-depth gameplay video triggers a massive spike in reactions: comparisons to Assassin's Creed, Batman and Uncharted flood in, and the for/against split forms.
June 12, 2026
French-speaking comments sharpen the critique: loss of stealth, chatty dialogue, and writing seen as clichéd around the protagonist.
June 23, 2026
A new gameplay wave reignites the debate; defenders invoke the developers' creative freedom and the logical closure of the Amicia/Hugo arc.
June 29 - July 2026
The debate settles into two lasting camps, with combat-animation criticism adding a persistent backdrop to the identity discussion.
Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy
~21% of the discussion on this gameOn Resonance, the controversy centers on open multi-enemy combat sequences, seen by longtime fans as too close to Assassin's Creed or generic action games. Others welcome it as a logical evolution after two games built around fleeing and stealth.
Betrayal of the stealth DNA 58 %
Some German-speaking commentators argue stealth was the very reason fans loved the series, and dropping it strips the game of what defined its identity.
« 'You don't have to sneak around anymore' - lol. If you don't want stealth, you don't play A Plague Tale, period. Stealth is exactly why fans love this series. If you want melee combat, there are millions of other games. Using the brand to experiment like this feels pretty low. Without stealth, it's just not A Plague Tale anymore. »
— @ichbins2452 · ♥ 29 · translated ·
see original ↗
Others point to a loss of originality: melee combat with no visible narrative justification makes the game feel like a lower-budget Assassin's Creed rather than a Plague Tale.
« The protagonist feels too 'girlboss' for my taste. The earlier games had a good balance of stealth, alchemy and surprise attacks; here she fights soldiers head-on with no visible justification for her strength. The gameplay looks far less original than the first two games, almost like a lower-budget Assassin's Creed. »
— @AFCMS · ♥ 35 · translated ·
see original ↗
The shift in combat philosophy is seen as the loss of the series' main differentiator, making it look like every other action game out there.
« The distinct approach to combat used to be one of the series' main differentiators. Turning it into Batman-style combat just makes it blend in with every other game these days. »
— @LikeACrouton · ♥ 97 · translated ·
see original ↗
A welcome action breath of fresh air 42 %
Some players welcome this pivot positively, saying they clearly prefer more action and less stealth, while hoping some series elements remain.
« More action, less stealth? I'm all for it. I'd still like to surf an ocean of rats though. »
— @goatburgler · ♥ 65 · translated ·
see original ↗
Italian commentators feel the action component fills a gap felt in the first two games, seen at times as too slow to reach their full potential.
« Finally they've added an action component! In my opinion, that's exactly what the first two A Plague Tale games were missing to reach their full potential. »
— @joyfuldoomguy865 · ♥ 26 · translated ·
see original ↗
Others praise the choice to close Amicia and Hugo's story with Requiem and explore a new character with a different approach, seeing it as a coherent direction for the franchise's future.
« This is the perfect direction for the series. While I wouldn't mind seeing Amicia again someday, I like that her and Hugo's story wrapped up with Requiem — there's still so much to explore in this world, and I'm excited for more stories like this one. »
— @-Jimini- · ♥ 8 · translated ·
see original ↗
Where the debate standsThe debate remains clear-cut and divided: a majority of commentators mourn the loss of the series' stealth DNA, while a significant minority welcome this action pivot favorably. The recent trend shows a stabilization into two steady camps rather than a shift, with animation criticism continuously feeding the skeptical side.
Frequently asked questions
- Does frontal combat completely replace stealth in Resonance?
- The commented footage mostly shows open multi-enemy fights; commentators note the near-total absence of visible stealth sequences, though the actual proportion in the finished game remains uncertain.
- Why do fans compare Resonance to Assassin's Creed?
- Commentators cite enemy health bars, quick sliding attack animations and fights against multiple lined-up opponents as mechanics typical of Ubisoft-style action games.
- Does this frontal-combat-vs-stealth debate extend to other games?
- The corpus studied here only covers Resonance; commentators reference other franchises (Assassin's Creed, Tomb Raider, God of War) as comparison points, but no equivalent debate is documented for those titles in this corpus.
- Are the combat animations also criticized?
- Yes, alongside the identity debate, many comments describe the combat animations as stiff or choppy, a point cited as reinforcing the sense of a break from previous games.
Analysis built from 360 public YouTube comments on the tracked videos — updated on 14/07/2026.
Our methodology