Legacy of Kain: Defiance

During the 1990s, a certain dark gothic universe has seen several incarnations in Soul Reaver and Blood Omen games, each one of which would open a new and exciting chapter of a wonderful and tantalizing storyline. Regardless of the admirable reputation Eidos and Crystal Dynamics achieved with Legacy of Kain, however, there are many aspects in Defiance that both pushes the series forward and holds it back.

11_1Kicking things off on a high note, those of you who await a deep and involving story will certainly not be disappointed. Of course, we wouldn’t want to shower you with unnecessary spoilers, so we’ll try to keep it simple and as short as possible. Legacy of Kain: Defiance follows the chronicles of three chief races: human, vampire, and Hylden. Each race struggles to gain predominance and control over the world. Among the numerous new facts unveiled in this title, players (especially true-hearted Kain fans) will be pleased to finally find out essential facts about the game’s main characters Kain and Raziel.

Also, you’ll learn more about the history and relationship of Moebius, the Elder God, the Hylden, and the Demon Beasts. On top of that, the developers have simplified the considerably lengthy history of the prequels, showing off brief cut-scene regarding some of the key events and characters. Therefore, it should be an interesting tale to follow even if this is your the first endeavor in the Legacy of Kain series. The whole scenario is divided into chapters. Completing each one unlocks more information on characters, races, etc. A detailed and imaginative narrative, a convincing plot structure, and thorough characterization are almost unmatched and clearly an excellent example of how background stories should be handled in video games today.

As you may have heard already, this is the first title in the Legacy of Kain series that offers players a chance to play as both Kain and Raziel. This improvement poses a rather commendable gameplay variation that increases the suspense and drama as you progress. Apart from that though, Legacy of Kain: Defiance is a classic action/adventure with gameplay basics that will no doubt be familiar to a majority of gamers. Then again, this is not a game that will immediately appeal to PC fans. Several crucial gameplay elements that constitute a solid PC gaming experience are missing in action, and will surely stop a majority of casual PC gamers from giving this title a proper chance.

The most annoying thing, which comes into view almost immediately, is the irksome camera and controls. Because the camera is completely independent from your character’s facing and movement, using a mouse and keyboard combo will be damn-near impossible. At various points throughout the game you are bound to be screwed over by the camera in one way or another, even if you use the preferred keyboard-only controls. Whether you need to climb a ledge, jump from platform to platform (these are especially annoying at first), fight against multiple enemies, or simply turn to walk in the opposite direction, the camera rarely offers an agreeable perspective.

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This camera control issue is a real nuisance and even die-hard fans of the series might have a hard time mastering its psychedelic movement. It just doesn’t feel right, it’s confusing and unnatural. Luckily, the structure of the levels is linear for the most part, which will help you find your way around even despite the woeful camera angles. Due to this camera difficulty, however, players can easily omit certain locations, important puzzle elements, or passages that are essential to their progress in the game. I managed to get over the control system after a while, but that’s only because this game had other qualities that kept me from giving up on it.

5_1Legacy of Kain: Defiance has a lot of fun combat. Both playable characters have a range of similar moves as well as a choice of telekinetic powers in combat. Kain and Raziel both wield extremely powerful reaver swords with which they are able to perform a series of lethal combos. Of course, additional combos are gained as you fight – this makes the gameplay a bit more interesting, since you ultimately get to experiment with quite a lot of moves and skills. Kain has a few unique abilities of his own. At any time, he can grab hold of his foes and toss them around, or suck their blood like a badass vampire.

More importantly though, the level design in Defiance is quite spectacular, putting in just enough puzzles and combat to keep one interested. Coupled with the narrative, Defiance has enough goodness to keep you unraveling the mysteries of Kain’s and Raziel’s struggles.


System Requirements: Pentium III 700 MHz, 256 MB RAM, 32 MB Video, Win98


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