Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered PS5 Review. The Legacy of Kain franchise came to a sudden end with Legacy of Kain: Defiance. An end that finished one story but set up another that sadly never came to fruition. The brainchild of Uncharted’s Amy Hening, Legacy of Kain and Soul Reaver were among my favorite franchises growing up, with stories and presentations that paved the way for cinematic storytelling. Now, on the back of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered, Defiance has been resurrected for modern platforms in remastered form too – but does it hold up?
Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered PS5 Review
An End And A Beginning
Legacy of Kain: Defiance is the final game in the Raziel story. Both the first two Soul Reaver games got their own remaster last year, so that players can jump right into the trilogy. The story picks up right after the events of Soul Reaver, with Kain searching for Moebius the Time Streamer in his search for Raziel.
It’s difficult to talk about the story without spoiling parts of the last two games, but it’s a story worth experiencing, even though Defiance was a sharp departure from the previous two entries.
This time around, the game gives you control of both Kain and Raziel. The story jumps between the two characters as they continue their journey, eventually culminating in a climactic finale. Though the game lets you play as both characters, they play almost identically to each other. Even the abilities both characters get are identical.
Improved Combat That Always Has Plagued The Franchise
Combat is the big focus in Defiance. It’s a sharp departure from the rest of the franchise, which prioritized exploration and puzzle-solving. You’re able to pull off combos and launch enemies into the air, and pull off combos in mid-air; it’s very Devil May Cry-esque, just not as in-depth.
Both Kain and Raziel have the same abilities when it comes to their combos. You gain EXP for defeating enemies, and once you level up, you unlock a new ability, like a rapid strike combo, smashing enemies down into the ground from the air, and bouncing them off the ground.
It’s a shame that both characters play almost identically, but it’s also a game of its time. Both characters do get unique special attacks, though. Kain and Raziel wield physical and mystical versions of the Soul Reaver, respectively.
As you play through the game, you’ll unlock unique elements to use with Raziel’s Sour Reaver. These abilities allow him to freeze his enemies or set them on fire. Kain, on the other hand, gets unique abilities like making enemies turn on each other or slowing down time.
The problem is that you have to build up a meter to use these abilities. It takes a while to build up, and most encounters are over before you even get a chance to use them. The meter also drains when out of combat or when you get struck, which is frustrating and something I wish would have been addressed in the Remaster.
An Updated Camera Completely Changes The Experience
The biggest and most welcome change comes from the new camera. The original game had a fixed camera, much like Devil May Cry did back on the PlayStation 2. It wasn’t always the best, and you ended up fighting enemies you couldn’t even see because they were behind walls or objects.
The Remaster addresses this by providing a full 3-D camera for you to control. It completely changes the game’s experience for the better and brings it up to modern standards.
Unfortunately, not much was put into the game’s overall experience. The same issues that plagued the original remain. Lack of feedback during combat leaves you wide open to attacks because enemies don’t really respond to some attacks and constantly counterattack you.
Each enemy attack always stuns you or knocks you down, leading to a lot of frustration. The game also becomes incredibly frustrating in its second half due to the sheer number of enemies you encounter and how long some of them take actually to defeat.
Lack Of Real Exploration Compared To Previous Titles
Exploration was a key aspect of the franchise. Defiance doesn’t hold the same in-depth exploration, but it still provides a few fun aspects. The majority of exploration takes place in cylindrical areas as you try to solve a puzzle to acquire a new elemental Soul Reaver for Raziel.
These are short areas that don’t take much brain power to figure out and usually require a boss fight to get through. Even the unique aspects of jumping between the material and spectral realms that were so prominent in the previous two games aren’t as well utilized here, and are mostly used to pass through metal gates.
Visual Upgrades Are Hit And Miss
Visually, the game has received the same impressive upgrade as Soul Reaver and Soul Reaver 2. The character models, in particular, are impressive, and some environments look like they’ve gotten a good texture upgrade; for the most part, it looks great.
There are areas where the upgrade seems to have actually made things worse. The brand-new lighting effects are hit-and-miss, with some areas looking better than others and others being brighter than they need to be. Thankfully, you can turn all this off and play the game like it was in its original release.
Not only from a visual standpoint, but from the lighting and even the camera angle, it can be restored to its original settings. The options provided are nice and can be changed with a simple press of a button.
Exceptional Voice Work Hampered By Technical Audio Issues
The sound design remains as solid as its original incarnation. The voice acting is phenomenal, with incredible performances from the entire cast.
The soundtrack for the most part is pretty solid – especially the main theme song – but just as it did back on the PS2, the game suffers from a lot of missing audio. For example, a song would cut out during a boss fight and, sometimes, be replaced entirely with an ambient exploration soundtrack. Sounds of combat will also cut out, and it will feel like a silent movie; footstep sounds also don’t always sync with the animation.
The game’s interface has also gotten a much-needed overhaul with a full interactive menu system where you can see the skills you’ve unlocked, a full map to see where you need to go, and where locked rooms are for a return visit.
Plenty Of Extra Content For The Remaster
The best part is the Dark Chronicle, which allows you to read about the history of Nosgoth and the world of Legacy of Kain, which is absolutely brimming with knowledge.
There are also Tombs to unlock that showcase concept art from the franchise’s history, dating back to the original PS1 Blood Omen game.
The Remaster also features the Lost Levels, which were areas cut from the original Defence. Though a nice addition, these areas show only large locations intended to serve as the game’s exploration areas for acquiring new elemental Soul Reavers, which were removed in the more simplified final design.
Unfortunately, most of these Lost Levels are single rooms; the others feature more expansive locations, but they don’t have any enemies or puzzles. They’re just for looks.
There is also a demo that was designed for what would have been the next Legacy of Kain game. It’s a small level that shows you what could have been but sadly never came to fruition.
Hope For A New Beginning
Legacy of Kain: Defiance is a necessary remaster that brings the Soul Reaver trilogy to the modern era. PlayStation is now the only console where you can play the entire franchise, including Blood Omen and Blood Omen 2, as PS1 and PS2 classics.
It’s the perfect time to jump in and experience one of the defining stories of the PS1 and PS2 era. Though Defiance is a decent remaster, it unfortunately suffers from the same technical issues that plagued it when it originally released.
Legacy of Kain: Defiance is out now on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series S/X, and PC.
Review code kindly provided by PR.