Legacy of Kain: Defiance 2003
Developed by Crystal Dynamics
- Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Adventure, Action, Horror
Legacy of Kain: Defiance is an action-adventure game developed by Crystal Dynamics and released in 2003. It is the fifth entry in the Legacy of Kain series and continues the intertwined stories of Kain and Raziel. Players alternate between controlling the two protagonists, each with distinct abilities and combat styles. The game combines exploration, puzzle-solving, and fast-paced melee combat in a gothic fantasy setting. Defiance continues from where Soul Reaver 2 ended. In Soul Reaver 2, Kain saved Raziel's life by drawing the Soul Reaver from him – Raziel was meant to enter the blade and become its soul-devouring spectral half. This causes a paradox that changes time for the worse and separates Kain and Raziel. Kain's part of the game follows him seeking Moebius the Time Streamer, a time-travelling mystic, for answers to where Raziel is, how he has changed time, and later following a lead Moebius gives him to explore a Vampire citadel. During his quest, Kain finds and completes a broken talisman of a Vampire construct known as the Balance Emblem. Kain discovers murals during his quest, dictating an ancient war between the first races to inhabit Nosgoth, the Ancient vampires and the Hylden. After sealing the Hylden in an alternate dimension using the Pillars of Nosgoth, the Hylden cursed the Ancients with bloodthirst, sterility and immortality, turning them into the first Vampires. Kain discovers from the murals that it was prophesied that both races would have a champion arise – a Vampire champion wielding the Soul Reaver, and a Hylden champion wielding a flaming sword. Because he possesses the material Soul Reaver depicted, Kain comes to believe he is the prophesied Vampire champion. The outcome of the battle between the two champions remains ambiguous.
Log it
Sign in to log this.
Character
Earnest, grave, epic and bleak.
- earnestironic
- gravecomic
- intimateepic
- warmbleak
- sparerichly built
Who loves it, who doesn't
No profiled raters yet.
Where do you stand?
Answer first; then see how everyone, and your circle, split.
“Does the ending land?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Has Legacy of Kain: Defiance aged badly?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Is the story better than the gameplay?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
Ask the title a question
Answered from what people have written, never made up: a verdict, how much when it's a matter of degree, and the sentences that say so, quoted with their names. Reviews here first, then TMDB's reviews and the title's Wikipedia plot and reception. If nothing settles it, you can put it to the curators.
Reviews
No reviews yet.
About the game
- Platforms
- Xbox, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 2
- Developer
- Crystal Dynamics
- Publisher
- Eidos Interactive
- Released
- November 11, 2003
- Modes
- Single player
- Perspective
- Third person
IGDB rating 8.1/10 from 77 ratings.
Screenshots
Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Curator Co. Other media included when they land close.
Blood Omen 2: Legacy of Kain 200286% alikeBoth earnest, grave, epic.
Shin Megami Tensei: Nine 200284% alikeBoth grave, earnest, epic.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 200182% alikeBoth epic, earnest, grave.
Drakengard 200381% alikeBoth grave, epic, earnest.
Valkyria Revolution 201781% alikeBoth earnest, grave, epic.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 199981% alikeBoth earnest, grave, epic.
Heroes of Newerth 201080% alikeBoth earnest, grave, epic.
Sacrifice 200079% alikeBoth epic, earnest, grave.
See 201981% alikeSeries · Both earnest, grave, epic.
The Founder of Diabolism 201876% alikeSeries · Both earnest, epic, grave.
Often played with
Similar games per IGDB. Opening one adds it to Curator Co.
