Legacy of Kain is among a select few videogame series that remained on its fans’ minds even though it’s been dormant for over two decades. However, that’s about to change, since a new sequel is about to come out in the form of Legacy of Kain: Ascendence. In preparation for that, we’re getting another remaster of an older title, following last year’s compilation of the first two entries. It’s now time for Defiance to get a makeover, so let’s talk about that for a few, shall we?
Legacy of Kain: Defiance holds the questionable honor of being the most ambitious entry that has managed to come out, and for TLoK, that’s saying a lot, considering the amount of cancelled projects it holds, whether it’s Nosgoth, which spent years in development and the unnamed sequel that even had original writer Amy Hennig on board before turning into vaporware. For what it is, Defiance was an exciting idea, as it put both of the series’ main characters on the forefront, making them sort of partners for the first time ever.
As Kain, you get to control the king of vampires and master of melee combat in more action-oriented levels, while Raziel, his fallen minion, in an entirely different timeline at first thanks to the events of the previous game, relies more on puzzles and cerebral gameplay. On paper, these differences might make them seem completely different when it comes to playing, but they’re far from it. They share the same basic moveset, the only real thing that sets them apart is Kain’s intolerance to water and Raziel’s ability to shift dimensions, from the spirit to physical planes as needed.
It’s the usual remaster that you get here if you’ve played any of the leftover Eidos properties from the last few years, like Tomb Raider and aforementioned Soul Reaver 1 and 2. That means sharper – not necessarily better artistically – textures and character models, along with a better lighting model. Controls-wise, it remains the same, meaning it plays just like it did in 2003, only prettier, if that. The port work has been handled by PlayEveryWhere and the end result is a bit mixed, ironically enough especially the sound, which I had to tune down as it was way louder than the music at first.
Some design choices are kind of weird as well, and if you’re anything like me, you’ll find yourself switching back and forth between the old and the new set styles, which for what it’s worth, can be so so on the fly, by clicking the right analog stick. Kain, particularly, now looks closer to his cutscene counterpart, but in comparison to his old model, is a way less scary and washed out. On the other hand, Raziel’s rework is a better touch up, making him even more of an undead servant of the Elder God than before.
Outside of the graphical embellishment brought by the remaster, perhaps the best feature are the bevy of bonuses included. Like the previous collection, there’s lots of stuff to fiddle with here in the form of cut levels, a demo to a sequel that never came to fruition, and an extensive encyclopedia that chronicles the history of the world of Nosgoth. It’s always neat to see content that was left on the cutting room floor, especially in regards to games with troubled development such as this one, so having as candid of a re-release such as this that’s brimming with bonuses is just plain cool.
Another benefit for those looking to immerse themselves with the series again here is the addition of full localisation and voice acting in a number of new languages, including Brazilian Portuguese, which I was incredibly and pleasantly surprised to discover. This isn’t the first time TLoK gets such treatment, but considering this isn’t an original release, it’s appreciated to see such care being given to non-English speaking territories such as mine.
It goes without saying that as a fan of Legacy of Kain, I’m holding my breath in regards to Ascendence, having little to go by besides the quick trailer that it’s got over the last few months. Still, having the opportunity to get reacquainted with the series through Legacy of Kain: Defiance and coming up for air after diving into so much bonus material, I’m hopeful that it’s all an indication that the actual new entry in the series will be worthwhile. It won’t be long now until we find out, I suppose.
