Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy Console Performance — Full Breakdown & Transcript

[00:20] Innocence and Recquum, the very latest effort, Resonance, A Plagetail Legacy, is the most dazzling series entry yet from a Sobo studio. The basics are Sophia takes the lead in a story set 15 years prior to Reququum. Puzzling

[00:34] remains a huge part of the experience and so you'll be manipulating light with mirrors Indiana Jones style and tackling environmental puzzles with allies. Right away then we're in familiar territory.

[00:46] But the big change is the trading out of stealth for a much harderedged combat system. Sophia's dexterity with the blade allows for combos, reposts, and brutal finishes. often with a surprisingly bloody payoff. Its

[01:00] technology is also very much an evolution over Reququums. A Sobo Studio once again uses its in-house engine, mercifully a break from the norm these days. And the bottom line is that it helps make Resonance one of the most

[01:14] visually striking games of this console generation. So, with a focus on the PlayStation 5, PS5 Pro, and Series X, and S today, what is the best way to play on console while also factoring in a toggle for 60fps performance?

[01:29] Secondly, what's the advantage of using PS5 Pro's extra option for PSSR upscaling versus the standard TAA method? Finally, which machine hits the best performance level overall with frame rates potentially unlocking up to

[01:44] 120 FPS on a supporting display? Let's find out. This video is sponsored by MSI. To mark the launch of Onimusha, Way of the Sword, MSI has a new hardware promotion running right now. From August 14th through to October the 4th,

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[03:12] console behind in pushing a top tier audio visual experience. Even the Xbox Series S version looks the part despite some cutbacks, which I'll get to later. Each chapter's backdrop is truly distinct. From the bustle of the

[03:25] plunderer's den to the partying crowds in Venice to the serene coastline of the Minotaur Island, shot after shot, there's always this refreshing break from what came before. Focusing on base PS5 in its 30 FPS mode here, Aobo's

[03:40] strength in materials and lighting plays a huge role in bringing each lookout to life. Even put right up close, the stone on each relic boasts a coarse weathered property that looks just right in the outdoor sun with a form of global

[03:54] illumination allowing its color to spill to shaded pockets nearby. Indoors, meanwhile, every mural is also beautifully lit with a sober's engine bolstered by lit dust and volutrics filling the space. Resonance is often a

[04:08] linear experience, no question. But at points, you're allowed to explore a wider region armed with just a notebook filled with cryptic clues. It's in these open spraws that the engine gets another chance to flex. Sand and mud benefit

[04:21] from tessillation to create crisp three-dimensional divots and bumps at Sophia's feet. And across the horizon, there's no shortage of complex geometry, rocky outcrops drawing in at quite a generous range on every format.

[04:46] there's plenty of superb water rendering on Show 2. We've no ray trace reflections on consoles, and instead it's your standard screen space approach. All the usual pros and cons apply for SSR, and we can't dwell on

[04:59] that too much. On the plus side, the water does have a pleasing costic effect as sunlight disperses across the seabed, notably in this early island bit. But truly the star of the show here is its character designs. As with Reququum,

[05:12] getting the modeling, motion capture, and facial animations to work in concert is essential for such a story focused game. With all three of those parts working together, a SOBO justifies every close-up on its cast, detailing each

[05:26] with the most minute of expressions, right down to every blink and glance. It storytelling. All round, the bar of quality is impressively high then, but there are some rare rough points worth pointing out as well. Most of these are

[05:40] nitpicks, like the camera clipping during combat or some awkward reaction when jumping into a spot you really shouldn't. More outstandingly, I've had a software crash on Series X, though, taking me back to the system menu, which

[05:53] is obviously harder to ignore. That one crash aside, however, the upside is that none of these very occasional bugs come even close to eclipsing Resonance's high points. [music]

[06:10] Recreum before it, Resonance offers a performance toggle on PS5 consoles and Series X that flips between 30 and 60 frames pers. For shortand, let's call the 30 FPS mode the quality mode. Taking base PS5 in example, the main visual

[06:25] trade-off while engaging 60 fps is a resolution drop. So on the 30 fps quality mode, you get a native 1440p upscaled via TAA to a 4K final image.

[06:37] And this applies to Series X too. But to get that 60 fps performance mode running, both PS5 and Series X drop their native res figures to 1080p instead, which is upscaled to a lower 1440p target via TAA. It's softer, more

[06:52] aliasing prone and suffers from more breakup, but 60 fps is worth the trade-off overall, I'd say. Now, there are a few other cutbacks to get 60 fps working. Most notably, NPCs have a decimated animation refresh at range. We

[07:07] saw this before in Reququum's Crowds in Cities, and here it can be jarring to see the camera move at 60 while enemies update at 30 fps until they get close. Beyond this, the differences are much more subtle. There's slightly lowered

[07:21] grass, tree, and geometry draw at 60 fps. All of which needs close two time zooms to properly catch. Then again, textures and shadows are identical, and the uplose detailing of the world is still intact regardless of mode.

[07:39] There's an extra twist. Curiously, Aobos's engine changes the way both of these modes function once you have a 120 Hz monitor attached. Firstly, at 120 Hz, the 30 fps quality mode transforms into a superior 40fps mode on all platforms.

[07:55] On PS5 and Series X, the resolution drops to 1260p while running at 40 FPS, but that's still a neat midway point between the 60 and 30 FPS mode pixel between the 60 and 30 FPS mode pixel counts of 1080p and 1440p. Secondly,

[08:09] enabling the performance mode on a 120 Hz display unlocks the frame rate to 120 fps. This still runs at 1080p just like the 60 fps mode. Though the total removal of a frame rate cap has a perfect use case on VRR displays. As

[08:26] I'll get to in the performance bit later, it runs well within the ideal VRR range, too. So, great news all around. One final note before I get to PS5 Pro. There is a motion blur toggle lower down the page. And personally, I found the

[08:40] effect too heavy-handed while even gently panning the camera. Without an intensity slider, I ended up disabling it entirely, but your mileage may vary it entirely, but your mileage may vary on this one.

[08:55] How does Resonance: A Plague Tail Legacy use PS5 Pro? This marks the first time a Sobo has supported Pro in the Plague Tale series after all, and there's a lot of potential. After a week of testing, the benefits are ultimately in three key

[09:08] areas. a res increase on each mode on pro, the availability of a unique PSSR toggle, and finally a performance boost in some modes. On the resolution front, first what we have on base PS5 and Series X moves up by one rung on the

[09:24] resolution ladder. So Pros performance mode now runs at a higher 1260p. The 40 mode now runs at a higher 1260p. The 40 fps quality mode at 1440p, and the 30 fps quality mode sits at a native 1800p. That final option gives PS5 Pro the

[09:39] highest pixel count possible on any console if you're sticking with a 60 Hz display, while all other visual settings are identical to base PS5. Now, by default, PS5 Pro runs with the same temporal anti-aliasing as the other

[09:52] consoles, but then we have Sony's PSSR upscaler as another enticing option. Here's the performance mode with each upscaler running on either side where the native res remains at 1260p regardless of upscaler. taking a close

[10:06] zoom to capture the fine details. All the usual benefits apply. PSSR sharpens distant detail and intelligently reconstructs thin sub pixel elements too. In a way TAA simply struggles to do. As a result, distant leaves and

[10:20] branches are presented complete rather than with missing flickering stems. All that crisp rock detail is preserved at range too. And likewise for facial details like stubble and freckles. Secondly, there's the image in motion

[10:33] and it's a win for PSSR in this category as well. We get less shimmer on resonance's foliage rich areas while panning the camera. Plus, banding is also reduced via PSSR. In a close zoom of these nestling birds, for example,

[10:47] their flapping wings leave no trail with Sony's upscaler. While that banding trail is a problem for TAA, it's a sharper, more temporally stable image. Then it's also the case that Pro's 60fps performance mode is the bigger

[11:02] beneficiary of PSSR since its native 1260p resolution is more in need of assistance to scale to 4K, more so certainly than the 1800p of the 30 fps [singing] [music]

[11:20] I'm on the topic of PS5 Pro, let's get into some frame rate testing. Here's the interesting bit. Unlocking the performance mode at 120 hertz lets us put a magnifying glass to every frame rate peak and trough. There's no

[11:33] disguising the reading with a cap. In other words, comparing pros taa upscaler against PSSR and throwing in base PS5 for perspective, two realities emerge here. First up, PSSR is more taxing and inevitably comes at a performance cost

[11:49] next to the regular TAA method. Several developers we've spoken to in the past developers we've spoken to in the past have put the cost of PSSR at around 2.4 milliseconds in the render budget for a 4K frame, and that bears out here.

[12:01] Secondly, PS5 Pro with PSSR engaged still outperforms base PS5, despite also running at a higher 1260p base resolution compared to PS5 1080p. It's a

[12:13] win-win for Pro, but the TAA approach will give you the greater lead overall. To throw some stats into the mix, in this run through The Plunder's Den, PS5 this run through The Plunder's Den, PS5 runs at an average of 76 FPS against the

[12:25] runs at an average of 76 FPS against the 84 FPS on Pro with TAA and 78 FPS on Pro with PSSR. [music] [music] [singing]

[12:41] capped 60 FPS mode runs on PS5 systems at 60 Hz. Both base and pro models tend to clear the line capably for the most part, but alas, there are some dips at points. For base PS5, it's worth stressing that most of play is at 60

[12:55] fps, but occasional scenes with multiple NPCs or heavy effects can interrupt with NPCs or heavy effects can interrupt with drops into the 50s and even high 40s. VR displays will just about smooth these moments out on base PS5, but for those

[13:09] without that technology, it'll appear as jutdder. And perhaps more distractingly, VSync disengages at points, too, leaving full screen tearing in view. In fact, the biggest problem area on PS5 turned out to be this fiery battle sequence

[13:22] early on in the game. This appears to be a bug because it's such an egregious case, but I get sustained dips into the high30s here, which is unsalvageable with VRR, of course. Next along, there's PS5 Pro at 60 fps, which generally fares

[13:38] better, but still isn't 100% locked. Using TAA upscaling will improve your fortunes as we've seen, though again both upscalers on Pro are prone to bounce of tearing with drops into the 50s on occasion. NPC dense areas and

[13:52] fiery effects are the culprits again. VRR will sort all of this out on Pro and at least I haven't bumped into those high30 readings seen on the base high30 readings seen on the base console.

[14:08] mode via a 120 Hz display has an allure here for balancing resolution with frame rates. However, it's here that PS5 pros bump up to 1440p native res from 1260p on base is evidently an overstretch for the system. Again, most of play on PS5

[14:24] the system. Again, most of play on PS5 and PS5 Pro is at the 40 fps line and I points to show some form of contrast. But yes, the drops hit pro to a greater extent as we navigate the den area and even on its less taxing TAA option. Base

[14:39] PS5 consistently comes out ahead. PS5 Pro with PSSR trails the pack where the deficit is greater than you'd expect really. Ultimately, this mode feels less optimized for pro than it really should, and the base PS5 console gets away with

[14:53] a better readout across the board. Finally, for the tightest cap, there's the 30 fps option running at 1440p on base PS5 and 1,800p on PS5 Pro. This hits the mark most consistently out of any option with a mostly locked 30fps

[15:09] cap in all the very same areas. The hideouts, the fiery battles, Venice's canals, it's all mostly there. PS5 Pro also delivers with PSSR engaged, too, which is great news, and it means we get a crisp final picture. There's just one

[15:24] outlier to point out here. A specific room set ablaze causes the frame rate on room set ablaze causes the frame rate on base PS5 and Pro with both upscalers to tumble into the 20s. There are also flashes of screen tearing in very rare

[15:36] cases later on, but thankfully this is the one and only major drop I've caught the one and only major drop I've caught in my testing.

[15:48] Fundamentally, Series X is all but identical to base PS5, while the S model offers the cheapest entry point to play in the game. The cutbacks on Series S are similar to Recreum, so not entirely unexpected. The greatest loss is the

[16:02] axing of the 60 FPS performance toggle on Series S, which also means losing the unlocked frame rate option at 120 Hz. You just get 30 FPS out of the box. But on the plus side, Series S still pushes to 40 fps if you've that 120 Hz display

[16:18] set, which is absolutely fine. Secondly, Series S's resolution is cut back to a Series S's resolution is cut back to a native 1080p, whether played at 30 or 40 fps with seemingly no software upscale in place. It renders and outputs at

[16:32] 1080p, including all hard elements, leaving the Xbox hardware itself to main performance-saving measure here, especially next to the 30 fps option on Series X, which runs at 1440p with a 4K upscale. In image quality terms, there's

[16:48] a visible drop off, but Series S is absolutely still enjoyable in its own right. A few other visual trade-offs are in place, too. And to start, SSR quality is visibly paired back, but still present. Elsewhere, ambient occlusion

[17:01] drops a setting with less thorough shading around characters, and direct shadows also take a step down in quality. Next, very select textures revert to a lower grade asset on certain parts of the environment. And likewise,

[17:13] you'll notice alpha transparencies like fire run at a lower resolution. Lastly, in bigger sprawling areas, draw distances for foliage and geometry are less generous on Series S, causing more visible fading in of those elements, but

[17:28] it's still very forgivable. It looks and runs much better than this list of cutbacks might suggest. And given the performance per pound, Series S is still offering a decent way to experience resonance.

[17:41] [music] [singing] course, losing that 60 FPS mode, but the 30 fps option is still running pretty well. Most of the adventure flows at the targets on Series S with the crucial

[17:56] exception of that fiery battle sequence, which as with all other platforms, buckles to the 20s. Screen tearing also kicks in at unexplained moments in cutscenes and gameplay, but it's thankfully a rare sight overall. 30 FPS

[18:10] is the better way to go on Series S because the 40 FPS option does appear to Within minutes of starting the game, the Plunderers's Den area is buckling below 40. And certainly once effects and big crowds enter the frame, it's a wavering

[18:26] 30 to 40 FPS line. So, you might as well keep it capped at 30. Flipping over to Series X, both of these 30 and 40 FPS modes run at a far tighter lock on each target. Definitely at 30 FPS, it's surprisingly a struggle to force a drop

[18:41] around those fire effects. And of all the consoles, Series X is easily the most performant here. Even upgrading Series X to the 40 FPS quality mode compared to base PS5 and Pro with TAA, it runs right through each chapter with

[18:55] the tightest 40 FPS line possible. The precise reason for this X lead isn't entirely clear either. Close comparisons show an identical 1260p resolution to show an identical 1260p resolution to base PS5 with matching settings. And

[19:07] yet, we're seeing a better optimized result in every scenario. This even surprisingly extends to the state of the unlocked performance mode at 120 Hz. Again, it's running at a matching 1080p to base PS5 in this mode with onetoone

[19:21] settings for SSR, shadows, LODs, and so on. And yet, it's clearing the PS5 line by a massive 20 FPS plus margin at points. Even PS5 Pro is left behind here. All of this despite it running on the same patch version in the menus

[19:35] the same patch version in the menus listed as ending in 1.021. results, I've retested this whole sequence on Series X with another account, wiping my game settings clean to rule out Series S settings being

[19:47] carried over by the cloud. And yet, this retest came in with the very same high 80 to 100 FPS range in the opening area on Series X. So, it's a mystery. I'll be sure to update if anything changes in a future PS5 patch, but for now, Series X

[20:02] is enjoying a lead in all modes. [singing] [singing] >> [music] Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy is a visual feast to cherish. From PS5 Pro to

[20:16] Xbox Series S, the game usually runs well, too, so long as you're savvy to the quirks of each mode, and ideally have VRR in place for certain options. On PS5, PS5 Pro, and Series X, for example, I'd highly recommend the

[20:30] unlocked 120 Hz option if you're able, since the new combat system benefits hugely from that quicker refresh. Without VRR, the capped 60 fps mode is a preference, but be braced for a few dips and bounce of screen tearing there. As

[20:44] for Series S, the 30 FPS mode is the way to go. It's also a pleasure to see pro enhancements here via its PSSR option, a genuine improvement on the TAA method. And perhaps, just perhaps, if a Sobo Studio has time after Resonance

[20:58] releases, it would be great to see that Pro support roll out to its earlier games, too. But that's all from me. If you did enjoy this video, feel free to hit that bell for instant notifications as any new video lands. But from me for

[21:12] now, thanks for watching. >> [music]