The Legacy of Kain franchise is enjoying a period of rejuvenation, with two remasters and a new game being released in the space of two years. With Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered as a wobbly first step released in 2024, Legacy of Kain: Defiance lifts the other foot out of the grave to stand, proud and unsteady. With much of the same visual upgrades, quality of life improvements, and added content as the remastered Soul Reaver double pack, Defiance Remastered is a confident but imperfect revival; a love letter to early 2000s action-adventure design that shows its age as often as it celebrates it.
Originally released back in 2003, Legacy of Kain: Defiance is the fifth and, until the release of Legacy of Kain: Ascendance on March 31st, the final entry in the LoK series. Set in the dark fantasy world of Nosgoth, it follows the events of Soul Reaver 2, with the player switching each chapter between the game’s two protagonists: the pale, vampire ruler of Nosgoth, Kain, and the blue-skinned, jawless wraith, Raziel. Over 13 chapters, you experience both their journeys in search of each other and their own goals, their lives inextricably woven together by a prophecy, despite Raziel’s free will. It was a well-received, if somewhat confusing, finale to the series that caps off both Kain and Raziel’s stories brilliantly.
While the Legacy of Kain series is most well known for its gothic art direction and striking, edgy character designs, it is the rich worldbuilding, complex narrative, and themes of free will and determinism that span across centuries that have enraptured its fanbase. This is certainly true for Defiance, which does an excellent job of setting up the current situation and stakes at the beginning of the game, but gives no context based on the events of the previous four titles. Notes on the series’ timeline, characters, and even summaries of each game can be found in the character menus, which I did find helpful, but I could see new fans struggling with the mountain of backstory the series has.
LoK: Defiance is a 3D action-adventure game from a time when the genre was all the rage, and its Devil May Cry inspirations can still be felt in the combat. Kain and Raziel have the same base moveset, with some visual adjustments made to match the character, made up of a 3-hit combo and an upward attack to launch enemies for further beatings in the air. Both protagonists must feed to restore their health, with Kain feeding off of his enemies’ blood, and Raziel devouring their souls. Damage will lower their health, but so does time, as their nature demands constant nourishment. Both of them can also impale their foes to fill their Reaver charge gauge, which can be used to perform special attacks once full.
Throughout the game, Kain and Raziel unlock new elemental powers, some of which can be used for traversal and puzzle-solving, like freezing waterfalls to climb them or creating floating rock platforms. These powers can be switched to at any time, and they also have their own special abilities that are used with the Reaver charge gauge. The only downside is that any charge is lost if you switch to another element, and something that feels archaic in its design. It’s these older facets of the game’s original design that are likely to rub players the wrong way, with little issues likenot being able to hit enemies if they are slightly higher or lower, becoming frustrating. Throw in some telekinetic powers to throw your enemies around or into certain hazards like wall sconces, and combat is a great deal of fun, even with the 2000s jank. It didn’t take long to find which elements I preferred to use in combat, and I loved how they were incorporated into other parts of the game’s design.
As well as having different special attacks and sources of health, there are some other key differences in how Kain and Raziel play. Kain is a vampire, able to pass through metal bars and turn into bats to travel great distances, but he will die if he comes into contact with water. Raziel is a wraith, able to pass between the physical world and the Spectral Realm by possessing corpses at set locations. When in spectral form, Raziel can walk through water like it doesn’t exist and pass through metal bars like Kain, but in his physical form, Raziel can swim but can no longer pass through metal bars. I found playing as Raziel the more interesting of the two, both for narrative and gameplay reasons. I enjoyed how I had to manipulate Raziel’s ability to shift between realms to solve puzzles, with parts of the environment warping and moving when entering the Spectral Realm. He also has a larger variety of different elements tied to his weapon, giving him more options in battle as well.
Speaking of differences, the remastering of Defiance comes with one specific addition/improvement that goes a long way to not only making the game more approachable and palatable to modern audiences, but frankly, improves the overall gameplay experience above the original. This is due to the introduction of a standard, 3rd person camera perspective alongside the original fixed-perspective camera. Not only that, but you can switch between the two at any time just by tapping the left trigger. I tried playing Defiance with its fixed camera option, and it lasted about five minutes before fully adopting the more modern option, which also allowed me to move the camera around at my leisure. Immediately, all the frustrations that come from sudden changes in camera angle or not being able to see where you are jumping or where your opponent is are gone, giving the player far more control over what they can see and how to move about within the game. It is, without a doubt, a game-changer.
When it comes to level design and pacing, Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered is a bit of a mixed bag. This is due to the game’s narrative structure, having you bounce between the two playable characters to visit and revisit a half a dozen different locales spread across Nosgoth. While I find the narrative and its revelations to be both impressive and satisfying, having to go back through dungeons I had previously explored as the other character got old pretty quickly. There are secrets to be found for Kain and Raziel that upgrade their health, telekinetic powers, and unlock skins to apply, but I don’t think the game is challenging enough to push players into finding them. Fortunately, holding down the left trigger points you in the direction of the main path, so I was only lost for as long as I wanted to be. It’s a tricky one to call, because the backtracking is narratively justified but mechanically tiring, and I appreciate the execution and economy of assets and locations.
Actually, any time that I wasn’t pursuing my next goal wasn’t because I got lost, but more than likely because I was comparing the original visuals of LoK: Defiance and its new remastered look. Just like with the camera options I mentioned earlier, you can swap between the old and new graphical options by clicking on the thumbstick, even during cutscenes. The highlights of this visual upgrade are the character and enemy models, which have all been given a much-needed makeover. In particular, Kain and Raziel look fantastic, but it’s the enemies you face that got the biggest glow-up. The levels have also been treated to a fresh coat of paint, clearing up the smudgy textures and improving the lighting in a lot of areas. There is an overall improvement to the game’s looks, but there are some places where it feels a bit “gentrified”, with a lot of the grimness being stripped away in favour of cleaner visuals. There are a couple of places where the cleaner lighting has led to a loss in mood, and I think part of Legacy of Kain’s charm was its gritty visuals. However, it doesn’t go so far as to diminish the game’s darker style and tone, which is a relief.
The music, sound design, and voice acting for Legacy of Kain: Defiance have been left unchanged, from what I can tell, and it is the better for it. It already had an excellent orchestral soundtrack, which matches the tone and dramatic nature of the series, as well as the world of Nosgoth. The game’s sound effects feel like one of the most dated parts of the game, and while it adds a certain charm that I enjoyed, there were a few occasions when the sound didn’t quite match the action, most notably in a few cutscenes. But the voice acting is exactly as it should be, with every scene played like a Greek tragedy; verbose, dramatic, and sincere. Every voice actor has given a standout performance, genuinely making it hard to pick a favourite, although I will always have a soft spot for Michael Bell’s breathy performance as Raziel.
Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered ran smoothly during my entire 12-hour-long playthrough, with no frame drops, screen tearing, or pop-in to speak of. However, it wasn’t without incident, as towards the back half of the game, there were a few times when the game either froze, requiring me to quit the game and restart from the last autosave, or completely crashed, kicking me straight to the PS5 dashboard. Disappointing as these were, I was never more than a few minutes back from where the issue occurred, and I reported my experience to the dev team.
Final Thoughts
Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered is both a time capsule and a restoration project. Its new camera option and visual overhaul breathe fresh life into one of the series’ most ambitious entries, while its narrative remains as compelling and operatic as ever. But beneath the polish lies the unmistakable rigidity of early-2000s design; backtracking-heavy levels, archaic combat quirks, and the occasional technical stumble. For returning fans, this is easily the definitive way to experience Kain and Raziel’s intertwined fate. For newcomers who are willing to wade into the deep lore, it’s a fascinating, if sometimes stubborn, relic of a different era. Imperfect, dramatic, and unapologetically gothic, Defiance still has fangs, even if they’re a little worn.
Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 1 and 2.
The game was reviewed on PlayStation 5 using a controller.
We would like to thank Embracer Group for sending us a review key.
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