Legacy of Kain: Defiance
- November 11, 2003 15:41 PM PST
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Having defeated the Empire of Crates, Kain and Raziel turn their attention on each other.
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Dracula?s Got Nuthin
Crystal Dynamics has been mum on Defiance?s story, and for good reason. This tale of two creatures is deep, complex, and ultimately has very little to do with what you actually do in the game. It does, however, tie together the Soul Reaver and Blood Omen storylines rather well, and it?s a gripping story to boot. Kain and Raziel both have more complexity than any five characters from other action games, and that?s certainly a good thing.
Defiance shines with pure entertainment value, with crisp and gorgeous visuals and squishy sounds that invoke the feeling of steel crushing flesh. The voice acting and dialog are toned down quite a bit from that of previous games, and so Defiance sounds less like a high-school vampire play and more like a Hollywood tale of fate and revenge. What?s more, you actually feel like a master vampire or ravenous, soul-harvesting spirit as you mow through legions of enemies, tossing some onto spikes and saving the weak ones to devour after the battle. Both versions of the game are identical in presentation; you can?t go wrong with either edition of this well-polished gem.
Whipping Ass With Aplomb
Defiance differs from previous Kain-series games in several ways, the most important of which are the new camera system and the action-oriented gameplay. The camera, rather than chasing you like the previous games, watches you from static positions as if operated by a cameraman off-screen. While this is awesome for presentation and helps direct players toward their goals more easily, it also obscures jumps and hides enemies, making for some frustration in combat and jumping sequences. The new combat system, however, is a resounding success; moments into the game you?ll be taking on multiple enemies like a champion ninja, air-juggling foes like a fiend and tossing them onto spikes with your telekinesis.
All?s not wine and roses with Defiance, however. The awesome story doesn?t exactly explain the gameplay, which involves taking out tons of enemies and running about finding objects and sticking them in doors. Half of the game literally takes place in variations of a single level, with different broken platforms here and there for you to jump on. The bosses just don?t seem well thought out, especially the final boss, who is apparently just trying and frustrate and bore you to death. When a game is otherwise so well polished and complete, flaws like those are disappointing, but minor.
Blood on the Lens
Make no mistake: Defiance is a first-rate game with some serious improvements over the previous entires in the series. The flaws, which sound bad on paper, are but tiny specks on the shining glory of Kain?s resurrection.
