Tasked with uniting the fractured destinies of its protagonist duo Kain and Raziel, Legacy of Kain: Defiance was a title that aimed to tie a bow around the complex and long-running narrative threads of a great dark fantasy tale, while refining the shifting gameplay identity of the series. The result was something both admired and criticised: a richly-written finale weighed down by uneven execution and divisive design choices; an ambitious, albeit flawed culmination of a saga that began with Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and evolved through the cult classics Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver and Soul Reaver 2, both of which were bundled together in the very welcome rebirth that is Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered. Fans of the franchise (or dark fantasy in general) rejoice, as Defiance has just received the same spell of resurrection.
Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered follows two anti-heroes (or villains, depending on how forgiving you’re feeling): Kain, a once-nobleman turned magnificently smug vampire lord, and Raziel, his once lieutenant-turned-very-90s-comic-book-style Wraith. Thirsty for revenge, these two are out to find their enemies (and each other) in the land of Nosgoth. Like with all entries so far, it thrives on story. The Legacy of Kain series has always elevated itself through dense metaphysical tragedy, time paradoxes, fate and destiny versus free will, betrayal layered and double-layered upon betrayal, and all of that served along with some fine, almost Shakespearean dialogue, as well as some top-tier voice acting. The same pretty much applies for Defiance, which continues directly from Soul Reaver 2…and refuses to slow down for newcomers.
For long-time fans, the journey is exceptionally rewarding. Mysteries unravel (and new are created), motivations sharpen, and the tangled arcs of Kain and Raziel approach a powerful convergence. For the rest there is a slideshow-esque retelling of past events, but in reality, no amount of recapping can really help. This is one of those games that require experiencing prior adventures to really enjoy it. A shame, really, because this remains one of the series’ major strengths; exceptional writing dealing with deep philosophical themes, coupled with a cool gothic atmosphere that will thrill your inner teenage metalhead. Sadly, the gameplay has always been a bit of a hit and miss kind of deal…
No entry has ever been remembered primarily for mechanical innovation. The series has also gone through multiple changes, leading to a certain inconsistency and playstyle shifts between titles. More importantly, the games themselves, while charming during the eras they were released, aged very quickly. Defiance is luckily viewed as one of the top three, but it’s not without issues. For starters, the alternating structure between Kain and Raziel, with their stories interweaving chapter by chapter, rather than making things more exciting, makes it easier to see that the developer was a bit lazy. If you were hoping for radically different playstyles, do sit down. Apart from some unique abilities, they play suspiciously similar, thus repetition starts creeping in very soon.
Most of your time will be spent on fairly linear levels, with some very minor adventuring sprinkled around. Usually, Kain and Raziel go from A to B to collect an item or trigger a cut-scene so that they can now proceed to C and repeat the process all over. All that’s left to do between that coming and going is combat; combat that borrows from stylish action contemporaries, with combo chains, launchers, aerial juggling and telekinetic manipulation, with new moves acquired every now and then. Initially, the system feels energetic and flexible, allowing players to experiment with their strikes or the use of environmental hazards. Unfortunately, enemies lack sufficient variety, and many encounters devolve into button-mashing punctuated by finishing moves to replenish health through blood or soul feeding. It’s enjoyable enough, but not quite the stuff of legend.
In conclusion, while a nice addition to the series, Defiance is not really something that has stood the test of time in terms of gameplay. If a fan of the world of Legacy of Kain, or an afficionado of retro gaming, and especially of the charming world of the now archaic action-adventures of the early 2000s, give it a shot. Everybody else tread carefully. If still willing to try it out, the brand-new Remastered version is the best way to do so. First of all, it includes some quality-of-life changes that really improve the experience, like refined controls (although it lacks a sensitivity setting), and most importantly a modernised camera that follows the hero and rotates with the analogue stick, instead of the more cinematic, but also annoying, semi-stationary one of the original. Feeling nostalgic? Swapping between those two can be done with the simple push of a button.
Nosgoth has always been a beautifully desolate, crumbling world. From the towering Pillars stretching into the heavens to the ominous, but lavishly detailed ancient vampire citadels, this brims with some very intricate designs, but here its gothic melancholy is finally rendered with the clarity it deserved two decades ago. Character models for Kain and Raziel are more detailed than ever. Facial animations – already very good in the original – have been refined so that every sneer, grimace and flicker of doubt “connects” with the rich voice work, making it easier than ever to read Kain’s aristocratic disdain. Admittedly, the odd minor character (mainly a few enemies) still delivers lines with the enthusiasm of a ventriloquist’s dummy, but when the leads look and sound this good, it’s hard to complain.
Once again, the textures have been enhanced using AI-assisted upscaling (supposedly artist reviewed afterwards), but fortunately the results aren’t marred by the small flaws that often give the process away – and yes, you can toggle back to the original visuals at any time, which, by the way, still look mighty fine. Most importantly, like all great remasters of older titles (like the recent Tomb Raider I–III Remastered and Tomb Raider IV–VI Remastered collections), it doesn’t feel like a reinterpretation; it feels like someone has simply cleaned the centuries of grime off the cathedral windows – as if the game has finally caught up with the version players remember in their heads. This is Defiance not reimagined, not reinvented, just fully realised.
This new edition comes packed with a few enticing extras like the photo mode and a selection of alternate character skins inspired by the official canon. The aforementioned lore compendium does its best to distil a story expansive enough to fill a novella, but a supplementary video would be more than welcome. Rounding things out are unreleased materials – concept sketches and more – along with previously cut levels that, until now, had never seen the light of day – or the glimmer of moonlight, to keep things on theme.
Anyways, a great game? No, Legacy of Kain: Defiance was never quite that. It was one more addition to a…somewhat clumsily crafted line of uneven products, which just happen to feature an awesome story. A great remaster? Absolutely. A fitting resurrection for a video game that has always been far more than the sum of its clunky parts.
