Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered

A masterful rebuild from the ground up, Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered is not only everything you could want in a remaster, it fixes multiple long-standing critical issues with controls, cameras, audio, and so much more. Yes, it's a product of its time, in design and execution, but what PlayEveryWare has delivered is incredible, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

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.

A solid remaster that improves the camera and navigation while preserving everything that worked and some of the original’s rough edges. The combat system feels somewhat dated by modern standards, but remains enjoyable. The game is still carried by its excellent voice acting, music, and story, which delivers a satisfying conclusion that unifies the events of Soul Reaver and the original Legacy of Kain into a cohesive whole.

Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered is the latest in Crystal Dynamics' efforts to bring the franchise back from the dead. It is packed to the brim with content, including deleted levels and a playable demo of one of the franchise's most compelling canceled entries. If you've been exploring the series for the first time thanks to the remasters, you're getting one of the most outstanding mainline titles in the franchise, and a deep dive into what made this game so special to begin with.

Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered does a good job overall of modernizing a video game from over twenty years ago. The narrative charm of the saga remains intact, and the "quality of life" options—most notably the fully 3D camera—help to at least partially freshen up a gameplay afflicted by severe repetitiveness. It is a pity about some overly invasive aesthetic tweaks, primarily regarding the lighting, which ruin the decadent gothic atmosphere of the original. An original that, fortunately, is always right there: you just need to press two buttons to switch to the 2003 release, which has remained almost entirely intact, for better or worse.

Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered is the definitive edition of a seminal platformer, and my personal favorite from this series. Seeing this game’s new HD graphics, refined controls and great camera update made me very happy, because this is the best way to play an amazing classic. It’s also great that they added photo mode, alternative skins and lost levels from the original. As a complete package, Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered is worth considering for everyone who enjoys 3D platformers or who played the originals. Newcomers to the series will find some elements like platforming or swimming to be a tad difficult. Then again, the game is backed by an amazing story and exceptional lore, so it’s worth enduring those mishaps.