When Aspyr dropped the Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1 and 2 Remasters, I was over the Moon. Something I’d been waiting for, for more than a decade, had finally happened: the remastering of one of the greatest video games and video game narratives of all time. Soul Reaver is, in my opinion, an absolute masterpiece. The only issue with that remastered collection was that the final part in Raziels’ saga, Legacy of Kain Defiance, wasn’t a part of it. And it really should have been.
And now, Aspyr and Crystal Dynamics have released a superb remaster of Raziel’s swansong with Legacy of Kain Defiance Remastered. Don’t get me wrong, I still believe this should be part of a trilogy pack, but damn if I’m not over the Moon again that I can finally play one of my favourite videogame sagas of all time on current gen hardware with ease!
Story and Narrative Excellence
Legacy of Kain Defiance Remastered starts off with our heroes – or should that be anti-heroes? – where Soul Reaver 2 left them. Kain is on his way to pay Mobius an exsanguinary visit while Raziel is stuck in the Spectral Realm at the mercy of the Elder God. But it isn’t long before either of these two is on a new trip across Nosgoth, unlocking its hidden history and the truth behind the fate that binds them inextricably.
It’s a breathtaking run from across one of my favourite and underused worlds to one of gaming’s most devastating endings. And you better believe it’s a kick-you-in-the-nads, bittersweet ending to some of the best videogame writing you’re ever going to have the pleasure of playing through.
The Soul Reaver arc of the Legacy of Kain saga not only has some of the best writing in a video game, but it also benefits as well from stellar voice acting and one of the most haunting scores you’re ever going to hear. Twenty-seven years later, and the game’s main theme still plays in my head.
Gameplay Then vs Now
Now, to be fair, some of the gameplay hasn’t aged all that well – those block pushing puzzles in the Cathedral, for instance -, but it’s still remarkable what Crystal Dynamics were able to put on the screen when you’re hit with the technological limitations of the time. For my money, the real-time world and geometry warping that happens when you pass between the Spectral Realm and the material world, and vice versa, is still one of the most impressive visual effects in gaming.
Now, when Legacy of Kain Defiance launched on PS2 in 2003, Crystal Dynamics went a different route with Legacy of Kain Defiance Remastered. First, the gameplay was split between Kain and Raziel, showing their stories through the same locations at different times in Nosgoth’s history while putting a bit of Devil May Cry spin on the combat, which focused on special moves and, quite prominently, air juggles and dodges. The largest visual change was the implementation of fixed camera angles, a major change from the fully 3D cameras of the previous two games.
Remaster Improvements and Visual Upgrades
As with the previous two remasters, Aspyr and Crystal Dynamics have done a stunning job in updating Legacy of Kain Defiance for modern hardware. While a significant amount of work was put into the previous two games, Legacy of Kain Defiance Remastered probably clocks in with more work having been done on it because the changes go beyond a visual update.
First off are the remastered visuals which, as with the previous two games, are wonderful and significant changes to the games character models, textures and environments. There’s a significantly massive update to Legacy of Kain Defiance Remastered lighting as well, which imparts a new and somewhat different atmosphere to the game as a whole.
And as with the previous two games, you can swop between the original game visuals and the remastered ones with the click of a button. One nice update is that you can also choose to use the new rebuilt lighting with the original visuals. Sadly you can’t use the old lighting with the new visuals.
This creates one of those cases where which you choose to use, Remastered assets or original ones, comes down to personal choice. At a higher resolution, the original visuals still look fantastic while the Remastered ones are just stunning as well. For me it’s really an aesthetic choice as the Remastered visuals versus the original promote a different atmosphere to Nosgoth’s grimy, gritty world. Either way, this is still a stunner.
Audio and Atmosphere
Fans of the series need not worry where audio is concerned. The same stunning musical score and phenomenal voice acting is still here, unchanged. And it’s still a joy to listen to the cast giving one of the best videogame performances of all time.
Bonus Content and Extras
There’s also been a slew of bonus content added on here as well. There is the requisite photo-mode along with new character skins designed around the different eras in each characters lives which you need to find to unlock, along with plenty of production artwork that you also have to find scattered around the levels. There’s a comprehensive Lore section so you can get up-to-date on everything Nosgoth.
The creme-de-la-creme for fans is the release of both unreleased content in the form of cut levels and the work-in-progress levels from the games cancelled sequel. They’re wonderful additions to show you where more Legcay of Kain would have gone while making sure that these bits and bobs of data aren’t lost to time either.
Combat, Exploration and Progression
From a gameplay perspective, while somethings have aged as I said before, it’s still a wonderful game to play through though a little more heavy on the combat side than the previous games. The simplified Devil May Cry style combat system is empowering enough to make you feel like a supernatural bad-ass while also making sure it’s not quite a cakewalk.
Between fights and exploration, there are environmental puzzles to solve, which are usually based around the abilities of the Reaver weapon and it’s elemental affiliations. The more you fight, the more experience you gain to unlock new combat moves while the different abilities provide you with shockwaves to hurt enemies or to set them on fire. Kain and Raziel largely share the same move-set so there’s no need to readjust to a different play-style with each character swop.
The New Camera System
The one major game changer to this Remaster that elevates it above the original is the addition of a brand new third-person camera system. The original game relied on fixed camera angles but now you get to see this game from every conceivable, modern angle. The amount of work that probably went into this new addition would be quite a bit as the developers would have had to take a look at the environments to fix up any geometry errors or holes that you wouldn’t have been able to see before.
A golden rule in 3D, especially for gaming, has always been that if the player isn’t going to see it, then it doesn’t need to be fully modelled and textured to save on resources. Anyone whose modded for different games and loaded up some of those game assets will understand this.
Now while this also means you get to see some of the environmental seams in trying to depict large areas, usually at the edges of cliffs that now give you a good view of the world limitations, it’s also a nice touch to see the different tips and tricks that used to be deployed to hide software and hardware limitations while presenting an engrossing world.
I love the addition of this camera. It makes the combat and platforming a whole lot easier and I, for one, can’t see myself going back to the original camera at all. Oh, and as worth the visual settings, you can swop between the original fixed camera and the new third-person one on the fly.
Final Verdict
If it hasn’t become abundantly clear by now, I adore the Soul Reaver games. With it’s stunning story, amazing writing and some of the most phenomenal and iconic voice acting and musical score in videogaming, these games – especially as a whole – are masterpieces of the medium that are as much art as they are entertainment. And having them all available om modern hardware in a more beautiful package is exactly what I’ve waited years for.
Legacy of Kain Defiance Remastered rounds out the Soul Reaver saga with a gorgeous, layered package that is a must have for every collection.
Legacy of Kain Defiance Remastered
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The game was provided to us for the express purpose of reviewing.
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