Legacy of Kain: Defiance

 PC
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 99 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 81 out of 99
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 99
  3. Negative: 4 out of 99
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  1. StefanP.
    Jan 17, 2004
    10
    Great game . If you are ceeping with Legacy of kain series . At first I was a little frustrated by the camera ,but with time I get use to it . The story line is Superb . There are many unpredictable twists and thurns ,for you get the chanse to fight both Kain and Raziel . And again Kain and Raziel fight for dominion over destiny . DEsperetly surching for a new path , for a choise , to Great game . If you are ceeping with Legacy of kain series . At first I was a little frustrated by the camera ,but with time I get use to it . The story line is Superb . There are many unpredictable twists and thurns ,for you get the chanse to fight both Kain and Raziel . And again Kain and Raziel fight for dominion over destiny . DEsperetly surching for a new path , for a choise , to breake the promised future . It's a interesting concept to fight agenst destiny for free will . LOK relegate with the medieval princip of the two swords of power . The one in the hand of the king , the other in the hand of the pope .... Great idea .... The grapihc is realy greate better than the previous series . The new battle system is also vrey fun for you can lift enemies , and kick their asses in the air . … Expand
  2. FilippoB.
    Dec 29, 2003
    9
    Great game for me. The combats are extremely funny, and in the game I looked foreword to find another stupid enemy to beat. Great graphics and sound. The story is now clear and beautiful.
  3. MariusK.
    Feb 11, 2005
    10
    The best advenure game ever.
  4. CoffinSandman
    Oct 9, 2007
    5
    Not much more that a poor man's Devil May Cry. The gameplay is mediocre and shallow, the fights are repetative, the enemy AI sux, and the levels and environments are dull. The controls are made even worse by the keyboard. Do yourself a favor and pick up DMC instead.
  5. JerenyR.
    Mar 16, 2004
    10
    This game had me on the edge of my seat the graphics are incredible the puzzles are challenging but not to hard so I give this game a ten.. Any game that can hold my attention this long deserves a 10 thankyou.
  6. IzZo
    Jan 10, 2004
    7
    Well...This Game is Way Better Than Blood Omen 2, Graphically better than Soul Reaver 2 as well, Really Digged the chance 2 Play Both Kain & Raziel in the Same Game,Like Kain's Attitude + Personality but think Raziel is a much cooler Fighter.I would put this game in the same catergory as PoP:Sands of Time, except that it has Cons,Like the Camera, Half the Time i dont know whether Well...This Game is Way Better Than Blood Omen 2, Graphically better than Soul Reaver 2 as well, Really Digged the chance 2 Play Both Kain & Raziel in the Same Game,Like Kain's Attitude + Personality but think Raziel is a much cooler Fighter.I would put this game in the same catergory as PoP:Sands of Time, except that it has Cons,Like the Camera, Half the Time i dont know whether i'm alone or enemies r nearby,but the fighting system is pretty kool,mid-air Kombat Rocks! its Not the best game ever played but its definetely the best in the series so far,a must have for 'Legacy of Kain' Fans.… Expand
  7. theNILE
    Mar 14, 2013
    2
    So, to sum it up Defiance is basically DMC with everything other than the storyline/lore being horrific. The camera is infuriating at times and is more of a challenge than the actual game. The game-play itself is tragic, it quickly becomes an irritating platformer with dull, repetitive fights you have to deal with which you care not for. There are simple tricks to make most enemiesSo, to sum it up Defiance is basically DMC with everything other than the storyline/lore being horrific. The camera is infuriating at times and is more of a challenge than the actual game. The game-play itself is tragic, it quickly becomes an irritating platformer with dull, repetitive fights you have to deal with which you care not for. There are simple tricks to make most enemies incredibly easy and faster to kill specifically jumping and down-slashing. The different weapons you get don't really matter combat-wise as the game is mostly easy; they play a larger role in the lackluster repetitive puzzle platforming; to clarify, there are four temples, you have to go into them at least four times during the game, the first run takes long enough to bore you as all four temples are near IDENTICAL structure-wise. You have two SETS of IDENTICAL battles as well in these temples. The music and sounds are incredibly raw and basic for a game made in 2003 although there is a little charm. My main peeve is going through portals, the sound is REALLY loud and annoying so be prepared to turn your sound down. You're mostly running around the game trying to find "answers" as Raziel, a main character. Raziel is an idiot whereas his counterpart Kain, is the opposite. Raziel runs past murals which clearly tell you what he later states at a new mural. He also condemns the world twice. Then for some weird reason, he can return to the material world without a portal. He is also able to enter water unlike the previous games which again is not explained and doesn't make sense.… Expand
  8. SpastS.
    Jan 12, 2004
    10
    Nice game, I liked the other parts Soul Reaver 1 and 2.
  9. ManiGoldo
    Jan 23, 2015
    10
    amazing game lok is one nice game i love this game
    este juego es maravilloso me encanta lo amo es una lastima que no sigan los desarrolladores trabajando en este juego que tiene tanto potencial lo recomiendo totalmente tienen que jugarlo
  10. jimbobslimbob
    Nov 24, 2014
    6
    Not one of the strongest entries in the LoK franchise, although not the worst either. It's a fairly good game. The story is brilliant, as always, as is the voice acting. The gameplay is a bit of a mixed bag.

    To start with: the camera. The camera is no longer a chase-cam, like the last 3 games. Instead, it's a kind of Devil May Cry camera that shifts, rotates and generally gets on your    Not one of the strongest entries in the LoK franchise, although not the worst either. It's a fairly good game. The story is brilliant, as always, as is the voice acting. The gameplay is a bit of a mixed bag.

    To start with: the camera. The camera is no longer a chase-cam, like the last 3 games. Instead, it's a kind of Devil May Cry camera that shifts, rotates and generally gets on your nerves. It frequently changes when you are in the middle of performing a precise action, like jumping - which screws up what you were doing.

    Secondly: too much repetitive combat. Okay, to be fair, the other games have also suffered from this, but LoK seems to simply have more of it. It gets tiresome and I found myself avoiding combat wherever possible. Certain levels have you running backwards and forth with wave after wave of enemy re-spawning after every battle. It gets annoying very quickly.

    Those things aside, the rest of the game is pretty solid. It looks lovely, sounds great and the puzzles are a little more diverse than titles such as BO2. Story is great and it is good fun to be able to play both Kain and Raziel (although bar some animation differences, they play very similar to each other). The main difference between the two is that Raziel is blessed with more engrossing puzzles, while Kain is simply given more enemies to mash. Raziel also has the spectral realm to play around in, which of course, Kain does not have.

    LoK fans will like it (as I have), but it leaves you wondering just what they could have accomplished with the format - and such a shame that certain elements were not improved upon.

    Jimbo Rating: 6/10    … Expand
  11. IONOSGAMES
    Jun 24, 2017
    8
    Un buen juego que tiene como protagonista a Kain, no tan carismatico como Raziel, un gameplay parecudo y una historia algo inferior. Inferior al resto de la saga pero un gran juego.

Awards & Rankings

88
#88 Most Discussed PC Game of 2003
68
#68 Most Shared PC Game of 2003

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 11
  3. Negative: 1 out of 11
  1. Computer and Video Games
    79
    Worse still (by about a million times), is the fact that you have to visit the exact same bloody temple at least ten times during the course of the game, solving its baffling 'mysteries' every time. [PC Zone]
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  2. TotalGames.net
    65
    The previous games in the series have all been relatively successful, and Defiance looked set to continue that tradition, until the poor camera angles and misjudged over-emphasis on combat scuppered things somewhat. As it stands, this is very much a game for fans of the series only.
  3. ActionTrip
    69
    Hard-core fans will love the story and eventually, if they're persistent and patient enough they'll get over the horrendous controls and camera and other gameplay drawbacks.
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