When Legacy of Kain: Defiance came out, we had two pretty great Soul Reaver games. Raziel was a worthy protagonist whose journey to defy destiny and seek revenge resonated with players and dazzled them with awesome performances and stellar visuals. We also had a direct sequel to Blood Omen, where we finally got to play as Kain again, but it was a mediocre midquel that didn’t fit into the Soul Reaver timeline.
Defiance was going to build up to a climax that we never got. Sadly, this franchise is plagued by canceled games and cut content, a string of missed opportunities that have kept it from ever reaching its full potential. Legacy of Kain: Dark Prophecy was canceled, and the closest we got was a demo, which has been semi-preserved in this remaster for anyone who bought the Deluxe Edition.
After Square Enix bought Eidos and Crystal Dynamics and owned Kain and the gang, they did nothing with them, and all hope seemed lost. Now that Kain and the boys are free from Square Enix’s clutches, Nosgoth-heads have been enjoying a revival. Does Defiance hold up? What’s with the new camera system? Find out in our Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered review!
Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered
Developer: Crystal Dynamics, PlayEveryWare, Nixxes Software
Publisher: Crystal Dynamics, Eidos
Platforms: Windows, Nintendo Switch, Xbox (as Legacy of Kain: Defiance), Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 2 (as Legacy of Kain: Defiance), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 (reviewed)
Release Date: November 11, 2003 / March 3, 2026
Price: $24.99
If you haven’t played the first two Soul Reaver games, prepare to be completely lost, as Defiance is an epic continuation of the series, picking up right after Soul Reaver 2’s cliffhanger. Kain and Raziel are separated across time and the spectral realms, each unknowingly pushing forward the same cosmic plan. It’s a profound meditation on free will versus predestination, portraying fate not as an immutable force but as a meticulously engineered prison built by higher powers.
Kain, the ruthless vampire lord, rushes to resurrect the ancient vampire Janos Audron and claim the corrupted Pillars of Nosgoth, convinced he can rebuild his empire and lift the curse plaguing his kind. Meanwhile, Raziel, a former vampire lieutenant turned wraith after Kain executed him, pursues redemption and truth, clashing with Moebius, the time guardian, and facing the parasitic Elder God, who has fed on Nosgoth’s souls for millennia through the Wheel of Fate.
As their journeys collide through time-bending twists and startling discoveries, they learn the real cause of the vampire-Hylden war, the Pillars’ part in locking away an entire race, and Raziel’s chilling fate as the purified spirit bound within the Soul Reaver blade. It’s the fourth (technically sixth) part of a larger story that dives into moral ambiguity and redemption, following two tragic anti-heroes whose every so-called “heroic” deed only deepens the suffering around them.
It might be Kain’s legacy of the corrupting lure of power, the steep philosophical cost of transcendence. Yet it all culminates in Raziel’s final act of defiance: a willing surrender, proving that true choice can emerge only by breaking the illusion of destiny in a world steeped in gothic tragedy and Nietzschean ideas. Regretfully, Defiance ends on a cliffhanger yet again, and for over two decades, it hasn’t been resolved.
Dark Prophecy was never made, and may never materialize. The voice cast is aging, and some members have passed away. Raziel’s actor, Michael Bell, is almost 90, and I know I wouldn’t be able to imagine anyone else in the role. Simon Templeman, the voice of Kain, is in his 70s, and ending the series with Defiance would leave Kain’s story unfinished, much like stopping at The Empire Strikes Back.
Defiance was originally a PlayStation and Xbox action game reminiscent of Devil May Cry, blending fixed camera angles with fast-paced hack-and-slash combat and some awesome vampiric powers. Between chapters, players would alternate between Kain and Raziel, getting into combo-heavy battles, using telekinesis to hurl enemies and objects, pyrokinesis for area attacks, platforming, and collecting glyphs.
This remaster offers an optional new fully 3D camera system, which dramatically changes the look and feel of the action. For the most part, the new camera is a net benefit and makes the gothic world feel more immersive. The trade-off is that you lose the picturesque vistas and frameable frames that come with thoughtfully placed perspectives. Defiance Remastered gives gamers the choice to switch at any time, so the original experience is preserved for anyone who wants it.
The new optional graphics look great and faithfully preserve the look and feel of the original. There is no hiding the fact that this is still a sixth-gen game from the early 2000s, even with the new visuals, but there is something to be said about the timelessness of the character designs that remain iconic to this day.
It’s still a PlayStation 2 game underneath and you can also feel it when you play. While Defiance was a decent action game for its time, it still fell short compared to the likes of Devil May Cry or even God of War. In combat, Kain and Raziel’s movesets are almost identical. Their somewhat floaty melee strikes don’t measure up to the genre’s best, and the game’s lack of enemy variety doesn’t do it any favors either.
The Legacy of Kain series was never renowned for their combat, and this remained true even up until Defiance, where it was merely adequate. This is by far the most combat-packed installment in the franchise, with Kain frequently roaring “VAE VICTIS!” during his many battles, yet Defiance still holds firmly to its adventure game roots.
While the dual protagonists may feel interchangeable in battle, outside of combat, they have more distinct differences. Raziel glides further, can swim, and can shift to the spectral realm where the world’s geometry morphs. Kain is limited to the material plane, vulnerable to water, and can pass through gates in mist form. Both characters explore similar areas, often accessing places the other cannot, with Kain focusing more on combat and Raziel tackling more puzzles and platforming.
There are almost no metroidvania elements or RPG mechanics this time around. No hub area, open world, or side activities to get distracted. Defiance is a lean, 12-ish hours linear action adventure experience. It progresses as a self-contained sequence of exploration, combat arenas, environmental puzzles, and cinematic revelations that drive the intertwined destinies forward.
The exploration and audio/visual design are still the high points for this franchise. Defiance tries to push combat forward with its combo-focused system, but it misses the mark due to its various limitations. The tone, atmosphere, and the beautifully written dialogue that feels like wiping your ass with silk are still what bring the boys to the yard.
The new graphics look amazing, especially for the principal cast of characters who burst with detail. Environments mostly abide by the original meshes from the original game, but are given a big boost in detail with enhanced textures, lighting, specular effects, and a lot of bump mapping for added depth. Sometimes it kind of looks a bit garish in some areas, but when the lighting is just right, Defiance Remastered can almost pass for a modern AAA game.
Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered delivers exactly what it promises and goes a little above and beyond the norm, but not so much that it enhances the ok-ish combat. The optional visual upgrade is welcomed and makes Kain and the gang look better than ever, and the new camera system fundamentally changes the entire experience.
Thanks to this remaster, I doubt I’ll ever return to the original version. It’s a great way to revisit an often-overlooked sixth-gen classic and serves as the perfect, bittersweet conclusion to Raziel’s story, one of the most underrated video game characters ever. Will Raziel ever come back? Will we ever see Kain continue in Dark Prophecy? Perhaps we’ll get a sequel if the new prequel, Ascendance, is any good. Only destiny knows.
Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered was reviewed on PlayStation 5 using a code provided by Crystal Dynamics. Additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy is here. Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered is now available for Windows PC (via Steam), Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
