Legacy of Kain: Defiance
| Legacy of Kain: Defiance | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Developer(s) |
Crystal Dynamics Nixxes Software BV (PC, Xbox) |
| Publisher(s) | Eidos Interactive |
| Director(s) | Amy Hennig |
| Producer(s) | Rosaura Sandoval |
| Designer(s) | Riley Cooper |
| Programmer(s) | Jason Bell |
| Artist(s) | Daniel Cabuco |
| Writer(s) | Amy Hennig Carol Wolf |
| Composer(s) | Jim Hedges |
| Series | Legacy of Kain |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2, Xbox, Microsoft Windows |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Legacy of Kain: Defiance is an action-adventure game developed by Crystal Dynamics and Nixxes Software BV, and published by Eidos. It is the fifth game in the Legacy of Kain series. It was released in North America in November and December 2003, and in Europe in February 2004. The game acquired high reviews upon its release, with the site Gamespy giving it three out of five stars, and both IGN and TeamXbox rating it eight out of ten. The game was praised for finally answering many questions posed in previous installments, but criticized for its repetitive gameplay and awkward camera controls.
Defiance continues the journey of the Vampire lord Kain and his lieutenant-turned-wraith Raziel. After having Raziel killed to be revived by the Elder God as a wraith during the events of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Kain travels backwards through time and is followed by Raziel into Nosgoth's past, uncovering the conspiratorial events that led to the land being doomed to an eternity of corruption. After establishing his free will by refusing to kill Kain when prophesied, Raziel discovers that Moebius the Time Streamer had originally manipulated Kain into igniting a genocidal war against Vampires until he was the last of his kind. In manipulating Raziel who has free will and thus whose decisions and actions cannot be foreseen by Moebius, Kain hopes to find a way to undo the consequences of his actions and restore Nosgoth to its former glory.
Defiance is the only game in the series where both Raziel and Kain are playable: previous Soul Reaver installments focused on Raziel while the Blood Omen series focused on Kain. Unlike previous games where Kain could acquire different types of weapons, in Defiance the only available weapon for Kain is the Soul Reaver - Kain possesses the material Reaver while Raziel possesses the Reaver's spectral form and several elemental reavers. However while Kain uses one weapon, he can obtain five emblems to enhance the Soul Reaver which are: balance, conflict, dimension, energy and time. Raziel retains all his previous weapons like in the first games. By killing enemies, Raziel and Kain learn new combat techniques, including uppercuts, mid-air slashes, and firing orbs of telekinetic energy. Some techniques are shared by the two, others are unique to them, such as Kain's "Cadaverous Laceration". Raziel and Kain can also acquire various elemental powers that give them new abilities - the Conflict Emblem lets Kain use pyrokinesis to light torches while Raziel's Dark Reaver lets him turn invisible and pass certain obstacles and enemies without being noticed. When an enemy is weakened, Kain and Raziel can either absorb their blood/soul to replenish their health, or slay them with the Reaver, gradually filling up a meter that lets the Reaver unleash an area of effect spell to attack groups of enemies. Both Raziel and Kain can acquire various runes to increase their health and allow them to use their telekinetic powers more often. A menu system is used to display the character's combat experience, the runes they have collected and the various combos they have learned to execute.
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