Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered review – Finally, the experience we deserved back then

The original Legacy of Kain: Defiance is a 2003 3rd-person gothic horror action-adventure title where the two main characters from Blood Omen and Soul Reaver go on a killing and puzzle-solving spree to take down an Eldritch deity.

It’s been a while, but remastering Defiance was always a good idea. Gaming narratives have matured comparatively to most games of that time, but not to the Legacy of Kain series, courtesy of its timeless writing and voice acting. Now, we finally have a remastered version, and the long wait has been worth it.

At the core of this story is the event where Kain, the vampire ruler of Nosgoth, tries to kill Raziel for a supposed betrayal, albeit one that was completely out of his control. Having somewhat survived the attempt on his life, the stage was set for Raziel's story to play out like yet another revenge tale, but the series surprised everyone as it morphed into much more complex themes of free will versus predestination, and deep examinations of the concept of self-sacrifice. Defiance's overarching plot remains the best video game example of embracing complexity without becoming an utter mess.

Defiance serves as the conclusion of this long-spanning saga, so jumping in blind to the final chapter of a story rife with wild turns and betrayals that I won't spoil would probably prove too confusing. Luckily, not only is the story great, but so is the game's treatment of anyone trying to engage with it. The remastered's bonus materials include "The History of Nosgoth," a tight explanation of everything that transpired up until the beginning of Defiance. On the surface, Crystal Dynamics did everything right to ensure a presentation that would welcome fans and newcomers alike. Let's dive deeper.

Image via Crystal Dynamics The remaster offers fresh free-roaming, excellent platforming, fun sword combat, a wide array of supernatural powers, and plenty of puzzle-solving. Between the puzzle segments, players will encounter regular enemies to dispose of through hand-to-hand combat and a few boss fights, whose encounters played like a more action-y puzzle.

We play as Raziel and Kain, two incredibly powerful vampires who have access to telekinetic abilities and swords they can use to dispose of hordes of enemies in deliciously bloody fashion. Though there are two different playable characters, most of their combat moveset is shared. Aside from a few key abilities, like Raziel's ability to shift to a different plane of existence, most of the game plays just the same regardless of character, and you're likely to enjoy both.

The original Defiance did away with the free camera style for a weird, semi-fixed camera that greatly impacts all aspects of its gameplay. The world of Nosgoth was always scary, but in a way that made you feel small compared to its grandeur, never imprisoned. Defiance's original camera made Nosgoth feel claustrophobic, the combat less fun, and, worst of all, the platforming segments absolutely torturous. That has been fixed via the new "Remastered Camera." It behaves just like the free camera you see in most third-person games nowadays, and it works great. It finally makes platforming fun again because you can once again see where you're jumping, which seems simple, but will likely shave off hours from newcomers' first playthroughs.

My Remastered playthrough lasted roughly the same nine hours that my original one did, but that's because the 20 percent of wandering around and 80 percent of repeating jumps have been replaced by a lot of time taking cool screenshots.

Taking a note from the Aspyr remasters of the classic Tomb Raider and Soul Reaver games, Crystal Dynamics' Defiance remaster also offers greatly enhanced textures, lighting, and beautifully re-modelled characters that we can all gaze upon so much better now. The graphical overhaul definitely doesn't make Defiance visually comparable to more modern titles like Expedition 33 in terms of realism, but it respects the vision behind the already beautiful models of the original, giving them more than enough charm to captivate players for the long run.

The remaster also adds lots of sweet bonus content: a ton of beautiful concept art, music, story tidbits, and a surprising number of levels that didn't make it to the original or remastered versions of the game.

There are also various welcome quality-of-life improvements. Defiance is an exploration-heavy game, and getting lost in an old game might feel even more embarrassing than in a modern one. Luckily, the remaster features all sorts of discrete little mechanics, such as an improved map and trackers that players who end up feeling lost can make use of.

Image via Crystal Dynamics The new Defiance also has all the features you'd expect from a modern remaster, and even cool new additions for people who I won't judge for enjoying pain. As became customary, players can perform on-the-fly swaps between the new graphics and the old, and now they can also swap between the “remastered” camera mode and the old one.

You can go back to the old graphics to feel the nostalgia, and you can go back to the old camera to relive all the frustration and the nightmares! No joke. Early in the game, my camera went back to the original mode, and my mind immediately raced to the thought that I had been had, that Defiance would never escape the clutches of the horrid semi-fixed camera of old, either because of a glitch, or because the devs had been working in tandem with the Elder God all along.

Neither was the case. I had just accidentally pressed the toggle button, unaware of the consequences. If you, too, are an old fan of the series now getting into the remastered Defiance to see what could’ve been, you might want to preemptively unmap R2 to avoid one of the darkest unintentional jumpscares modern gaming can deliver.

Screenshot by Destructoid Had this version released back in ‘03, it likely would’ve been a contender for best adventure platformer of its time. Still, games have evolved a lot since then, and a long-overdue camera change might not be enough to justify the $25 tag versus similar games of today.

My honest opinion, as a fan, is that this is definitely worth getting. Every new change massively improves the game. The combat is more simplistic than what you’ll find in the best Devil May Cry entries, and there are mandatory encounters against enemies that feel like unnecessary filler. Still, this unique story of gothic horror remains more than entertaining and engrossing enough even today, especially if you play it with a controller, but definitely enjoyable even on mouse and keyboard. It’s also prettier than ever.

Defiance remastered is a triumph, even if an obvious one. Unlike the Angel of Darkness remaster, a game so broken that no amount of rework could turn it fully playable, Defiance was always the simplest and most obvious of vision tweaks away from brilliance. One can only imagine how much of a splash it could’ve made way back in ‘03 if released in proper form. Here's hoping this excellent rework will find enough of a new player base to get the wheel of fate turning in its favor once more.

Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered is now out on PC, Xbox X|S, PlayStation 4, 5, Switch, and Switch 2.

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