Legacy of Kain: Defiance

""One can only match, move by move, the machinations of fate...""

Introduction - The latest installment of the Legacy of Kain series. For those that don't know, Legacy of Kain began in 1996 with the game ''Blood Omen: The Legacy of Kain''. This game was a 2D action RPG kind of like Zelda, and was a game few people knew of. A few years later, The sequel ''Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver'' is released. This game was alot different from the first and went from being a 2D RPG, to a 3D action game. This was the game that brought attention to the Legacy of Kain series.

Gameplay(8/10) - You play as both Kain and Raziel, switching back and fourth between the two. Both of them have 6 levels each, but Raziel’s are longer then Kain’s. Both of them play similar with certain differences. Kain is stronger and has better telekinesis, while Raziel is faster and has better Reaver spells then Kain, but his telekinesis is only used for pushing enemies back until later in the game. The combat in this game is like Devil May Cry. When you defeat enemies, you gain experience points. When you gain enough experience points, you learn a new move. With the various moves you learn, you can create all sorts of combos to defeat enemies quickly. When you defeat an enemy, you can either suck their blood/soul, or you can finish them off by feeding the Reaver and powering it up. There are a few puzzles in this game, but all of them are easy. The Camera in this game can get irritating at times, but it’s tolerable. The gameplay is good overall, however it can get repetitive, like you’ll fight the same enemies often, and most notably, The Reaver Forges.

Story (10/10) - The best part of the Legacy of Kain series is it's story, and this game's story in no exception. The story picks up from where Soul Reaver 2 left off. Kain is still in the past and is looking for Raziel, and he thinks Moebius may have answers, so he goes to the Sarafan Stronghold in search of the Time Streamer. Raziel is now imprisoned in the Underworld by the Elder God, and is searching for a way to escape.

Graphics(10/10)- The graphics in this game are amazing. The environments all look nice, and there are nice touches to the scenery here and there, like when you visit Kain’s mausoleum as Raziel there’s a mural of Kain, and when in the material plane, the mural is of Human Kain, but when you shift into the spectral plane, it becomes a mural of Vampire Kain. I thought that touch was really cool. Also what’s cool about the Spectral Plane is the blurry effect it now has along with twisted and disorientated landscape. The character designs look nice, so does the blood, and the souls for Raziel. The souls actually look like souls and not just green floating orbs like in the previous Soul Reaver games.

Sound (9.5/10) - Let me start with the voice acting in this game. The Legacy of Kain series has had great voice acting since the beggining, probaly the best voice acting in a video game ever. All bits of music used in the game are from the previous games, but they are all good and they are fitting at the parts they are used in. When in the spectral realm, there’s also various sounds from tortured souls which add a nice little touch. The only minor flaw in the sound which keeps me from giving a 10 in this category is the sound when you attack enemies. You’re slashing them with a sword, yet it sounds like you’re just beating them with a blunt object.

Play Time/Replayability - This game is alittle short. It would take about 15 hours total to beat your first time through. There really isn’t much replay value to speak of either. Some games have bonuses you can earn by beating the game under certain conditions which will give the game some replay value, but all bonuses in this game are unlocked simply by beating it. Even if you want to replay the game for the story, there’s really no need for that either, since there’s a feature called “Dark Chronicle” that lets you play back all the scenes relevant to the story. On the other hand, some people (like myself) will enjoy this game so much that they would play through it just for the hell of it.

Final Recommendation - I would say rent this game. As I've said above, this game is pretty short and you should be able to beat it within a week. However if you’re a Legacy of Kain fan, THEN BUY IT! Although rather short, this game is awesome and is the best Legacy of Kain game yet.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/23/04