by David RodriguezEverything deserves a second chance, right?
That statement is twofold. First, to acknowledge that my first full playthrough of a Blood Omen/Legacy of Kain game wasn’t exactly the best impression of the series. I’d always found this series intriguing from afar so I knew I had to give it a second go, perhaps with a more beloved take on its world. Second, this is a remaster, in and of itself a second chance. This means people like me can enjoy it, and old fans can reconnect with it to bring back to fond memories or see if it still holds up.
Legacy of Kain: Defiance isn’t the best game in the series you could play by most people’s estimation, but it’s a hell of a better time than Ascendance was. A classic action-adventure game with solid combat, unlockables and progression, puzzles, cool art and designs, and dramatic performances that help fill in its brutal, high fantasy world. It’s a world that isn’t afraid to wade into esoteric and magical pools either. Lately, it seems the more beloved games even close to this lane are played a lot straighter, opting for a more historical, medieval grounding than creative, exploratory fantasy, which is refreshing.
To enjoy properly, I had to take myself back to the days when I was playing the first Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden Black. Fixed cameras, fast and violent action, swagged-out protagonists – those were the days. Even without that mindset from the past, I think Defiance Remastered has the potential to reach people who are curious about the bygone years of gaming. After all, that era is much more technically amenable to the current one than full-blown retro gaming often is. This works in its favor.
You play as only two different characters in this particular suck n’ slash game. Former vampire lieutenant Raziel is in an abusive relationship with an omniscient elder god octopus after being cast down into hellish depths, but at least he can shift between the spiritual and material realms. Current vampire and massive asshole Kain is eternally aura farming in a way I haven’t seen since Alucard from Castlevania. He’s taking the fight to the human Sarafan menace in a bid to find the Time Streamer Moebius and stop him from… time streaming I suppose, and exact revenge for the genocide of vampirekind. As powerful as Kain is, Moebius is yet more powerful and cunning as he basically weaves fate to his whim. Unfair, yes. Will that stop Kain? Hell no.
The story is evocative and dramatic whether it’s listening to a monologue of a character or the interactions between them. It’s all very stately and grand for as blood-soaked it is. The game’s name Defiance is unsurprisingly its central theme, with Raziel seeking out Kain and Kain seeking out Moebius, each wiping out whoever they have to in the way of that personal salvation.
The game is pretty solid, not even for its age, just period. Raziel and Kain each have shared abilities and tactics like the need to feed (souls and blood respectfully), but unique ones, too. Raziel, for example, can imbue his legendary wraith sword, the Reaver, with the elements of light and dark once discovered, utilizing each to solve puzzles or defeat foes in the material realm where he is given the form of a corpse. Kain likewise gets his own elements to wield with his Reaver sword (yes, they’re both Reaver swords, long story) like flame and dimension, and a cool mist form to help dodging or pass through barred doors. His combat prowess is centuries-honed and therefore a mark more confident and flashy than Raziel’s who feels more primal and desperate, however effective it might be.
You visit cemeteries, underworlds, immense strongholds, and much more, all fitting locales and architecture of this era of gaming and also Defiance itself. This includes hallowed lore-critical locations like the Pillars of Nosgoth that are pivotal to Legacy of Kain as a story. Castlevania fans would do well to peep this game for its Gothic-adjacent aesthetic alone. The world, though desolate in some cases, feels lovingly crafted and darkly alluring.
So, the game itself is good. It has some frustrating and obtuse sections, but how is it as a remaster package? Its foundation is virtually unchanged and what is changed, or at least offered, is for the better so it fits more cleanly into a modern landscape. For instance, the new behind-the-shoulder camera. As much as I appreciate the intentionality of something like a fixed camera, where the devs can frame an environment artistically and lead the eyes to key areas, I do like control more. Some fights or platforming are just done easier and better with the ability to line up shots as you wish and swing your view around with the right stick. It isn’t perfect sometimes and I wish it pulled back a bit from your character, but it’s usually better than the default.
One big addition that is much more hit-or-miss are the HD graphics. Mercifully toggleable whenever you want with the press of a button, even in the main menu, you can switch between the old graphics that are upscaled to whatever display you’re using, and the new ones. It’s not just raw textures that were touched up or redone, but the lighting as well and this is where I have some issues with the HD graphics.
Why do so many HD updated games have lighting that often nukes the atmosphere or composition of the original? When I stand in one vast area of Defiance Remastered and flick between the settings, it’s about a 50/50 shot on which will look better to me, which isn’t the best ratio when I’m sure a lot of work went into the HD version of things. It mostly came down to lighting for me. The textures of a lot of areas might appear better with less smearing or blur, but the lighting of the original complemented the mood better. Thankfully, you can go further with this in the options and force to have lighting be one way or another regardless of which textures you select. It’s a happy medium, but I still stuck with the originals over the HD ones often.
Let’s get to the real meat of this remastered package. On offer with the standard edition of Defiance Remastered are a number of things that turbo fans will be interested in. Learn about Nosgoth, the Circle of Nine sorcerers, vampires as a species, as well as Raziel and Kain as characters in the History of Nosgoth encyclopedic lore viewer. It’s lightweight, bolstered with sketches that fit the lore being presented by captions, but still a very functional primer for someone like me. Arcane tomes also contain concept art and world maps across the whole Blood Omen and Legacy of Kain series up to this point which is nice.
You also get “lost levels,” some being prototypes of environments or levels in the full game, and others totally “new” and unused areas from the cutting room floor. They’re presented as standalone levels with low stakes, but they offer a look at what the original devs were toying with in terms of ambition, concepts, art, and other oddities that were unseen until now.
Deluxe edition owners get even more goodies for just an extra $5 USD, including three comic books, one of them presented in English for the first time, as well as a playable demo of Dark Prophecy, the canceled sequel to Defiance. This sort of “lost media” take is a nice thing for remasters to dig into the vaults for. Not only does it bolster the value for fans and further justify purchases, but, again, for people like me, it offers a gateway into potential fandom for the game and its world. Because of all of these tidbits nailed onto a pretty good base game, it now commands my attention as an interest. I even bought the original Blood Omen game on GOG.com to try at some point! I digress.
I had my share of technical hangups. One particularly bad one is at the end of chapter two as Raziel, you’re to climb out of a chasm of the underworld to escape. It’s timed via a rising mist that kills you so you can imagine the stress I was under. I failed the first time and on my second attempt, my view on the original fixed camera was so obscured by the partially transparent mist as if it didn’t reset properly when the game reloaded and it was very, very hard to complete on subsequent tries. I even restarted the entire game and it didn’t help, like my save was bugged somehow. I did end up making it without changing to the new camera because I was trying to be a purist at first, but that experience alone made me realize that some concessions might have to be made to enjoy the game as intended.
I feel like I’m working my way up on the scale of quality with the Legacy of Kain games starting with what is now considered the worst game through its more contentious middle ground on the way to peak. This also happens to be, mostly, in reverse chronological order by release date. I’m excited to delve deeper into what had millions of people clamoring for more all these years, and it’s mostly thanks to this solid remaster package that did most things right and others well enough all atop a game that was a product of its time, but far from archaic or prohibitively aged.
Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered is a feature-rich endeavor, action-packed with things for long-time fans and to orient new ones with compelling lore and cogent gameplay in an affordable purchase. I recommend it as a curiosity at the very least, but it’s worth a full playthrough and exploration of its depths. Who knows, you may find yourself a fan at the end of the night.
Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered
