I've already posted this in another thread, but that was a month or two ago, and I'm gonna re-post it now that there is an appropriate forum.
99% SPOILER FREE
The Legacy of Kain series has held a special place in my heart for a number of years. I was first introduced to the series with the original Soul Reaver, and was hooked. Soul Reaver 2 only served to amplify my obsession with the series tenfold, and I quickly delved into Blood Omen and Blood Omen 2 in order to quench my desire for all things Kain. Until a few months ago, I was skeptical that a new game could genuinely surpass Soul Reaver 2 in terms of sheer cinematic brilliance. I was dead wrong.
I finished Defiance for the second time a few days ago, and it was, again, simply amazing. If you haven't at least played Soul Reaver 2, then the ending might not satisfy you as much as it did for me. Every single outstanding question I had about the series as a whole was answered, with the exception of one question I still have about Blood Omen 2, and one that I have about Defiance itself. But, both of those were left purposefully vague so that they could be covered in a future Legacy of Kain game. With that said, there is a very good possibility that the Legacy of Kain series is not yet over.
Gameplay
This chapter in the Kain saga is wildly different in many ways, but still holds true to the standards of the series in others. The most obvious change at first glance is that this is the first LoK game in which the player is given the opportunity to play as
both Kain and Raziel. The player alternates between characters from chapter to chapter, each one filling out his own portion of the plot individually, their paths only crossing once or twice. Both characters control very similarly, and for the most part, this is a good thing. They both have distinct abilities and limitations, but the overall uniform design is still there. Much like the various characters in Smash Bros. Melee, they control the same, but play in different ways.
The biggest change that Defiance brings with it is a completely re-tooled combat engine. And, my God, it is glorious. The focus of Defiance draws away from uninhibited exploration (as was the case with Soul Reaver) and instead focuses more heavily on hardcore, brutal ass-kickery. Kain and Raziel are both equipped with a Reaver as their solitary weapon, Kain equipped with the physical Blood Reaver blade and Raziel equipped with the energy-based Wraith Reaver. They can juggle opponents in the air, perform devastating combo attacks and channel magic spells through their Reavers to maximaize their destructive capabilities.
However, the inarguably most gratifying combat ability that the two characters share is their mastery of Telekinesis. From the very start of the game, Kain has the ability to Telekinetically lift an opponent into the air and throw them in any direction he wishes. Off of a bridge, through a statue, onto a wall-mounted spike (so badass!) or any other number of deadly places. He can even use his TK to pull an enemy directly to
himself to set him up for a combo. Raziel does not have the same abilities
at the beginning, but he gains TK mastery equal to Kain's about 2/3 of the way through the game.
The challenge level in the game ramps up nicely, but never feels unfair or unbalanced. There are definitely ups and downs in the difficulty, but nothing that will have you throwing your controller through a wall.
Graphics
Superb. I can't really describe how satisfying it is to watch Raziel tear the soul from a screaming victim and then devour it as it tries to escape. The level of graphical detail implemented in this game is staggering. The character models are incomparable, with details such as Kain's scaly crown of horns and Raziel's exposed ribcage. Nearly every enviroment is interactive in some fasion, allowing Kain to hurl an enemy through a row of tombstones and watch them break away from the force. The lighting effects, particle effects and water effects are all top notch. Animations are varied and
painfully detailed. Overall, it's a graphical gem.
Sound
Fantastic. For the most part. The voice acting, as always, is the best I've ever heard in a game. Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy 10 don't have
anything on the intensity and character poured into this game by the cast of acting talent. All of the series regulars have returned, with Simon Templeman reprising his role as Kain, Michael Bell returning as Raziel and the always menacing Richard Doyle as the Timestreamer Moebius. There's voice acting in videogames, and then there's Legacy of Kain. It's theatre on a disc.
The music and sound effects are a mixed bag. The music is, for the most part, fantastic. All of the dark, drum driven atmosphere of the score has returned in this installment, with a number of standout pieces, but also a number of forgettable ones. The high points of the musical end of this game came from the
impeccable use of the Soul Reaver theme in two particularly climactic battles.
The sound effects are where the quality tends to dip a bit. For the most part, they're spot on, but there are a lot of occasions where some sound effects seem far too underplayed. For example, a lot of the combat effects have a sort of muted squishyness to them. When I see Kain hacking the Blood Reaver into an opponents' torso, I don't want to hear squishy noises. I want something with a little more power behind it.
Story
This is the big one. The LoK games have always centered around the plot. The story has
always taken the front seat, but never in such a fashion that the rest of the game suffered because of it. The situation here is no different.
Better in fact. The most aggrivating aspect about the LoK series thus far has been that each game has answered a number of questions only to raise more ambiguous ones in the process. Defiance has brought a new air with it, answering nearly every outstanding question rasied by SR2 and BO2, plainly and bluntly. There is resolution in Defiance, and an assload of it. To any fan of the series that hasn't played this game yet, you absolutely will not believe what happens.
Flaws
There are only a few.
1) The camera needed a bit more work. In previous 3D LoK games, the camera has always been a following/roving camera, always staying behind the player. In Defiance, Crystal Dynamics decided to use a fixed cinematic camera system, taking many hints and ideas from games such as Devil May Cry and Eternal Darkness. For the most part, it works. Occasionally, it can cause some visibility issues, but nothing too serious.
2) The puzzle selection is a bit disappointing. In my honest opinion, Soul Reaver 2, to this day still has the most ingenious and original puzzles in videogame history. That's a lot for Defiance to live up to, and in that regard, I don't scold it too much. The puzzles aren't
bad but they're certainly not better than those found in SR2. I'll put it this way, they're better than the puzzles found in Blood Omen 2 (yay,
more obnoxious block and lever puzzles).
3) This one is fairly minor. Occasionally, there are some hiccups in the framerate. Rare, and mostly ignorable.
4) This one is extremely minor due to rarity. Occasionally there are clipping glitches. In other words, every once in a while, you
might fall through the floor into blackness or get stuck in a wall. I had that happen
once after playing it twice all the way through. So, once in about 40 hours of play time.
Overall
The best game in the series. Hands down. Even if you haven't played the rest of the LoK games, I would recommend buying it. If you want answers to backstory questions, there is a
wonderful online ecyclopedia for all things Kain at
www.dark-chronicle.co.uk
And if you get really confused, you can always PM me with questions.
If you like good, visceral, soul-devouring, blood-guzzling action, then grab this game immediately. You can thank me later.
Overall Score: 9.0 (out of 10)
Linear Mode
