We analyzed for Xbox the great Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered.
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The remastered versions of Soul Reaver 1 and 2 were a resounding success from every angle. Mainly because the saga has a large number of truly passionate fans who have been following the story of Kain and Raziel for a long time.
The remastering of the last installment of this franchise had an additional challenge that fell entirely on the team of PlayEveryWare, the same ones who worked on big names like Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, Among US, and many others, and who, I must say, did their job with great skill.
The original version of the title was released back in 2003 on the original Xbox and PlayStation 2 and told the last part of the battle of the two protagonists against the Hylden. The story of the game continues after the tragic ending of Soul Reaver 2 and puts the player in control of Kain and Raziel in a narrative that will have time paradoxes, views from two different perspectives, and the common denominator of leaving aside the manipulation by Moebius, the Time Generator, and the Elder God.
Join me to see the end of a cult saga, one that always knows how to make a place in the heart of those who enjoy it.
Technical Section
The narrative itself is really very good and doesn’t seem to have aged badly at all, despite the many years that separate us from its original release. Along with this point, the voices of the actors who bring the dialogue to life in English and Spanish also appear, and since its original version, they have kept Simon Templeton in the role of Kain, a role that he still fulfills in a spectacular way, as does Michael Bell in the voice of Raziel. The good thing is that the scripts are available to read in the remastering extras, a feature that the two previous remasterings also had.
The music keeps the melodies of Kurt Harland with epic tones everywhere, but also from the main menu, it is possible to access the music player that includes, in addition to the tracks from this game, many of those that were part of the atmosphere of Soul Reaver 1, 2, and even Blood Omen, the first title in the saga.
It’s also worth highlighting the work done on the graphics section, which contains a lot of optimizations in character modeling and, mainly, in the scenarios, which now have many more details than in their first version. The only criticism I can make about this point is that the lighting varies greatly in quality, improving the original at times and worsening it at others due to how clear everything looks, especially in the spiritual world, a detail that contrasts with the game’s distinctly Gothic atmosphere. The good thing about all this is that the options allow playing with the original lighting if desired.
If you had the chance to play the original title and are wondering “what about the camera?”, I have good news. And that’s that this remastering adds a free and distant camera from those fixed angles of the original that was a real nightmare, mainly in the platforming sections. In any case, if masochism is your thing or you want to relive old miseries, the title also allows playing with the fixed angles of old, because, as they say, there’s something for everyone.
In terms of localization, all on-screen texts and voices are in Spanish, including dialogue subtitles, although these can be slightly out of sync at times. What was not localized were the extras, for example, the comic that was translated from German to English for the first time, which is not in Spanish. Neither is the story of Nosgoth.
Gameplay
In terms of gameplay, the story has a lot to do with the powers of each of the two protagonists; this is because both Kain and Raziel start the game with the powers acquired in the previous game, so the player will tend to feel quite powerful from the start.
Beyond that, the idea of solving small puzzles and advancing by fighting monsters, draining souls, or consuming the blood of fallen enemies remains the same as in the original version, which pursues the design of linear levels so common in the years when this saga first saw the light.
The additional material that comes with the remastering is a love letter to all fans that bids farewell to the saga in style. The extra material (which varies greatly depending on the edition purchased) includes the saga’s comics edited by Top Cow, for the first time in English, a new pack of cosmetics, access to the Dark Chronicle that allows viewing the cinematics of the remastering of Soul Reaver 1 and 2 along with the intro of this last installment in a single reel.
On the other hand, “The Story of Nosgoth” also appears, which tells the background of the universe where the story takes place in pencil drawings. Raziel and Kane’s arcane tomes are full of promotional art from the game and design sketches, even with animation tests from the first versions. Some designs will have to be unlocked as the story progresses, basically to avoid giving away a spoiler involuntarily.
Those players who haven’t played any installment or those who want to review the movements can do so in the training room, a good point mainly for those who are new to the franchise.
The lost levels include 8 phases that never made it to any game, that is, they stayed in the demo stage and can be enjoyed for the first time. Again, something that may not be very interesting for the casual player, but it’s a great point for fans of the franchise.
Duration
Of all the installments, this is one of the shortest if we don’t count all the additions. About 10 hours will be enough to finish the game, and about two more to get all the achievements; still, the amount of extras included makes all the difference.
Conclusion
I’ve had the opportunity to analyze several remastered versions in Generación Xbox, and many of them only update certain aspects without daring to do much more. In the case of Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered, the developers perfectly understood what the fans wanted and thought about the production based on them, who ultimately decide the fate of a development.
From PlayEveryWare, they can already write a thesis on how to understand the fans of a saga and, above all, how to help preserve classic titles on modern hardware. Fans of this franchise don’t have to hesitate for a single second to get the game; those people who are new to this particular universe may want to start with the remastering of Soul Reaver 1 & 2 to get the most out of the game by knowing its story and quirks.
Translator and video game localiser with a passion for retro titles and simulators. He has never let go of a controller since he was given an Atari 2600. He collaborates with different developers in the localisation of their titles into Spanish through Camelot Translations.
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