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Michael Bell

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Monster Vine

Legacy of Kain: Ascendance Review – A Disappointing Return for a Classic Series

Legacy of Kain: Ascendance offers a disappointing return for the classic series, featuring lackluster gameplay, a short and unengaging story, and repetitive combat. While the voice acting is strong and the low-poly PlayStation 1-style graphics during quizzes are a unique aesthetic choice, these elements cannot salvage the overall experience.

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Monster Vine

Legacy of Kain: Ascendance Review – A Disappointing Return for a Classic Series

Legacy of Kain: Ascendance offers a disappointing return for the classic series, featuring lackluster gameplay, a short and boring story, and tedious dialogue. While the voice acting is strong and the low-poly PlayStation 1-style graphics are a unique aesthetic choice, the combat is simple and the narrative fails to deliver a satisfying payoff.

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Games Press

Nosgoth Awaits! Legacy of Kain: Ascendance Launches Today on PC & Consoles

Legacy of Kain: Ascendance, a new 2D action platformer set in the dark world of Nosgoth, has launched today on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. The game features original voice actors reprising their roles and a mix of 2D gameplay with PS1-era inspired 3D sequences. Additionally, Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered is now available on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, with both titles offered in the Heart of Darkness Collection bundle.

Giant Bomb

Legacy of Kain: Ascendance Review | Giant Bomb

Legacy of Kain: Ascendance is a new retro 2D platformer that attempts to expand the series' lore with a controversial retcon. While it features familiar characters like Raziel and Kain, the story shifts focus to Raziel's sister, Elaleth, whose role in past events is drastically altered. The game suffers from inconsistent art direction and gameplay mechanics that become chores, ultimately feeling like a weak addition to the franchise despite bringing back much of the original voice cast.

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Giant Bomb

Legacy of Kain: Ascendance Review

Legacy of Kain: Ascendance is a new retro 2D platformer that attempts to expand the series' lore with a controversial retcon. While it features returning voice actors and some interesting gameplay mechanics, the story changes and inconsistent art direction detract from the experience. The game introduces Raziel's sister, Elaleth, as a central figure, but her role significantly alters established series events.

Niche Gamer

Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered Review

Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered offers a faithful revival of the 2003 action-adventure game, featuring enhanced visuals and an optional new camera system. The remaster continues the complex narrative of Kain and Raziel, exploring themes of free will and destiny, though the core gameplay and combat remain dated. Despite its shortcomings, it serves as a bittersweet conclusion to Raziel's story and a compelling revisit for fans of the series.

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The Sixth Axis

Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered Review – Too long in the tooth

This review of the Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remaster finds that while the game's narrative, world-building, and voice acting remain superb, the gameplay mechanics and level design have not aged well. Despite updated graphics and some quality-of-life improvements, the remaster fails to disguise the dated nature of the original, particularly Kain's clunky controls and repetitive combat.