It feels like only yesterday that I was booting up Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver for the first time. Back then, I was very young and more than a little creeped-out by the game’s dark tone and undead protagonist. Luckily, over the years, I managed to get into the game, and now it’s left me in the perfect position to write this Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered review. So, let’s dive in to see if they’ve managed to pull off another top-notch update or a janky mess.
What Is Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered?
If you’ve not already heard of it, Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered is the final tarted-up re-release of the classic Legacy of Kain franchise (unless they suddenly announce a Blood Omen remaster tomorrow). This time, the plot follows both Kain, the immortal vampire, and Raziel, his betrayed right-hand man, in equal measure. With the storyline heading for a dramatic closure, you’ll have to intermittently follow both protagonists to bring things to their dramatic conclusion.
Gameplay-wise, Defiance is similar to the previous titles in the franchise. We’re talking a third-person action-adventure title with hack-and-slash combat, upgradable moves and stats, and sprawling gothic environments to explore. As you go, you’ll also collect different ‘elemental’ forms for both the physical and spectral forms of the Soul Reaver itself, the game’s titular blade. By the end of the story, the three-game-long rivalry will be concluded.
Changing for the Better
I’m somewhat uniquely placed to review Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered because as soon as I was done with Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered, I played straight through Defiance as well, so the OG is fresh in my mind. If you’re an old-hand at the game, there’s one major change that you’re likely to notice as soon as you boot up the remaster: the camera.
In the original Defiance, the camera was sort of out of your control. Each area would have specific camera positions, and you had limited control over where the camera focused-on within that specific angle. For the remaster, that system is entirely done away with. Now, the camera is directly behind the character you’re controlling, and you have exact control over it. While it does mean you lose out on the “epic” camera angles of certain scenes, it makes the game a damn-sight more playable than the original version was.
Fight!
In terms of combat, things haven’t changed much in Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered. You’ve still got all of the same sword combos, psychokinesis and the ability to suck either blood or souls out of your enemies, it’s just that now you can see the exact look on your victim’s face as you sink your teeth into them. Combat styles between Raziel and Kain are nominally different, though they both have the similar feeling of “mash the combos until the man falls down”, especially early on.
As you get into the later game, you come across some enemies that require more finesse, such as using the block-button every so often, but even then, you’re unlikely to find yourself pressed much outside of the final boss fight. On the plus side, you’ll also have access to all of the original cheats from the PS2 game, but only once you’ve actually finished it through once rather than by typing in codes in sequence.
A Jacobian Tragedy
As it was with the other entries in the series, the real draw of Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered comes from the storyline and the characters. The original voice work on all of the characters is still used here, and with a bit of digital scrubbing up, you can really appreciate the voice actors’ skill. Some of the conversations that go on between the Elder God and Raziel especially feel like they could have been ripped right out of The Revenger’s Tragedy and no one would have noticed.
It’s a good thing that Defiance also got the remastered treatment because it nicely caps off the storyline without having a black-and-white ending to it. The events of this game feel like they’re the bringing together of hundreds of years of history between these different characters and factions in the world of Nosgoth, and the utter satisfaction of the ending is something that’s been built up since the opening moments of the original Soul Reaver.
Visual Splendour
Obviously, the visual improvements to Defiance aren’t as noticeable as they were with Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered. While Defiance is from the same PS2 era as Soul Reaver 2, both SR1 and 2 were originally intended as PS1 games, and you can sort of tell when you get the more advanced graphics of the newer releases. With Defiance, the difference is still certainly there, but it’s way less noticeable. Most of the really big changes affect the UI, with a much cleaner, more modern UI replacing the blocky, gothic style of the original.
The biggest compliment to both the updated visuals and the sound is that they do a great job of getting out of the way and letting you enjoy the fantastic storyline and characters you’re here to see. The new graphics make the game infinitely more playable than the original, and it’s nice to have a proper HD release of these games that really let you dig deep into the different areas that you explore, and it might even give you more of an appreciation for the world of Nosgoth itself.
The Final Word
Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered is a fantastic re-release of an awesome game that will serve to make it considerably more playable than the original might have been to modern gamers. The new camera will literally give you a new perspective on the world you thought you knew, and the story is just as lovingly crafted as it ever was. With nothing but improvements over the original while maintaining everything that made the franchise brilliant, this is an easy recommendation for anyone and everyone who might care to give it a try.
Developer: Crystal Dynamics, PlayEveryWare
Publisher: Crystal Dynamics
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, PC
Release Date: 3rd March 2026
Gaming Respawn’s copy of Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered was provided by the publisher.
