Legacy of Kain: Defiance

Last updated
Legacy of Kain: Defiance
Lokdefiance.jpg
Developer(s) Crystal Dynamics [a]
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
ReleasePlayStation 2, Xbox
  • NA: November 11, 2003
  • EU: February 6, 2004
Microsoft Windows
  • NA: December 17, 2003
  • EU: February 6, 2004
Genre(s) Action-adventure
Mode(s) Single-player

Legacy of Kain: Defiance is an action-adventure video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive for PlayStation 2, Xbox and Microsoft Windows. It is the fifth and final game in the Legacy of Kain series.

Contents

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.

Gameplay

Kain uses his telekinesis to throw a Sarafan priest onto a spike set into the wall. KainPriests.jpg
Kain uses his telekinesis to throw a Sarafan priest onto a spike set into the wall.

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. [2] 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. [2]

The game begins with players controlling Kain, but at set intervals they will acquire control of Raziel and play as him for a time before switching back to Kain. Both possess similar powers, including climbing walls, gliding in mid-air and phasing through certain gates. [2] However, both also have abilities exclusive to them: Kain can jump large gaps, transform into a swarm of bats and cannot swim, while Raziel swims and can shift into the spectral realm to bypass enemies and obstacles before finding an appropriate place to shift back into the material realm. Kain is also able to use his telekinesis to pick up enemies and either throw them into obstacles or pull them towards him, an ability Raziel lacks at first and must acquire during the course of the game. [2] Enemies include Sarafan warrior-priests, Vampire hunters, Hylden-possessed corpses called Revenants, and various types of Demons.

Story

The story continues from where Soul Reaver 2 ended. As the game opens, 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 time paradox that changes Nosgoth's history for the worse, and separates Kain and Raziel.

Kain's part of the game follows him seeking Moebius the Time Streamer, the guardian of time 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 Vampire construct known as the Balance Emblem. [3] Kain discovers murals during his quest dictating an ancient war between the first races to inhabit Nosgoth, the Ancients 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. [4]

Raziel's part of the game begins five hundred years later during the time of Blood Omen. Held captive by the Elder God, Raziel escapes his master and travels about Nosgoth hoping to find a way to avoid his fate of being imprisoned in the Soul Reaver. After being told by the Reaver's maker Vorador that only the deceased Janos Audron can give him the answers he seeks, Raziel travels to Avernus Cathedral to find Janos' heart and revive him. [5] Raziel also finds murals of the Hylden and Ancients, showing the Ancients committing suicide in horror of their immortality. Raziel later discovers this is because the Ancients worshiped the Elder God, who had decreed all souls had to spin in a cycle of life and death known as the Wheel of Fate. Because they were immortal, their souls could not follow this doctrine and the Ancients became the bane of the entity they once revered. [6] Raziel also finds murals of the two prophesied champions, and discovers that the Hylden champion and its flaming sword resemble him and the spectral Soul Reaver.

As Raziel enters Avernus Cathedral to search for Janos' heart, in the past Kain explores the Vampire citadel's deepest chambers and is contacted by the Elder God who tells him of what Raziel plans. Knowing what Janos' revival would cause (see Blood Omen 2 ), Kain accepts the Elder God's assistance and is sent to Raziel's time. In Avernus, after defeating the last of his brethren Turel, Raziel discovers Mortanius the Necromancer, who admits having helped Moebius lead the original crusade against the Vampires, and used Janos' heart to revive Kain as a Vampire to atone for his mistakes. [7] Raziel returns to the cathedral's chapel moments after Kain arrives. Kain attempts to reason with Raziel and convince him not to revive Janos, but Raziel is under the influence of the Hylden and refuses to listen. The two battle, with Raziel defeating Kain and tearing Janos' heart from his chest. Kain, seemingly dying, is engulfed by a portal and vanishes. Raziel returns to Vorador's Mansion and uses the Heart of Darkness to revive Janos, [b] who leads him to the Vampire citadel.

Raziel stumbles into a side chamber, the place where Kain had met the Elder God, and finds a forge designed to give the Soul Reaver its greatest power. However, the Elder God's tentacles emerge and attempt to bury the forge. Raziel fights off his master and has the Soul Reaver absorb the soul of Ariel, rendering the Reaver as pure of spirit. Ariel tells Raziel that this purified Soul Reaver is meant to be used by the Scion of Balance; evidence points towards Kain being the Scion of Balance, confusing Raziel as he returns to Janos. [8]

At this time during the events of Blood Omen, Kain's past self refuses to sacrifice himself to restore the Pillars of Nosgoth, weakening the Ancients' seal enough for the Hylden Lord to possess Janos. The possessed Janos strikes down Raziel's physical body and causes him to shift to the spectral realm where he is again held captive in the Elder God's lair. Kain awakens, very much alive, trapped within the Demon Realm of the Hylden, and fights off their demons to return to Nosgoth. Entering the Vampire citadel, Kain finds Moebius reporting to the Elder God. Kain kills Moebius, causing his soul to shift to the Spectral Realm where Raziel impales him on the spectral Soul Reaver, revealing the Elder God's true form to him before devouring him. Undaunted, the Elder God informs him that he no longer had any use for Moebius, and it now intends to trap Kain and Raziel within the citadel for all time to prevent them from interfering with its plans any further. [9] Raziel then considers all he has learned, and realizes that, through starting the war between the Ancients and the Hylden, and the war between humans and Vampires through Moebius, that the Elder God has been the cause of almost every hardship the land has faced in an attempt to keep its Wheel of Fate turning. [10]

Realizing what has to be done as his final act of free will, Raziel uses Moebius' corpse to manifest in the Material Realm and tricks Kain into stabbing him with the material Soul Reaver before the manifestation completes. Kain is horrified and attempts to remove the sword, but Raziel reaffirms both his free will and his loyalty to Kain, stopping him in the process. Raziel passes on the purified Soul Reaver into Kain to heal both Kain's corruption caused by Nupraptor's madness as well as the open wound in his chest from Janos' missing heart. It also allows Kain to see the Elder God but at the same time sacrifices Raziel to the Blood Reaver, making it the original Soul Reaver. Kain now has two versions of the Soul Reaver, uniting what had been torn asunder by Moebius and the Elder God's manipulations. [11] This gives Kain the power to defeat the Elder God and the entity warns it cannot be killed and will return before being buried under the rubble of the collapsing Reaver forge. [12] As the story closes with Kain looking out on the Pillars of Nosgoth his past self had just corrupted, he thanks Raziel for giving him hope for the future. [13]

Development

Reception

The spectral realm was criticized for having distracting and disorienting graphics. Raziel Fighting the Guardians.jpg
The spectral realm was criticized for having distracting and disorienting graphics.

The PlayStation 2 version received "generally favorable reviews", while the PC and Xbox versions received "average" reviews, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. [14] [15] [16]

Douglass C. Perry of IGN praised the game's plotline for finally resolving many questions that previous installments had left unanswered, as well as being able to play as both Raziel and Kain and the new combat system revolving around various combos and spells unleashed by the Soul Reaver. The differences in their gameplay, with Kain's quests revolving around combat and Raziel's around puzzle solving, were also enjoyed. However, the poor collision system, auto-locking combat view and awkward camera controls were criticized for making combat difficult as the player would target enemies that could not be seen. Perry also noted the graphics for the Spectral Realm were distracting and made combat difficult. [2] [27] Greg Kasavin of GameSpot praised the series as a whole for not one but two involving and memorable protagonists, but the camera controls were noted to be confusing and the combat system was criticized for focusing on the Soul Reaver as well as the lack of variety in enemies, leading to players utilizing the same combos over and over to defeat them. The site also noted that Raziel and Kain play identically with very similar controls and abilities. Raziel's need to shift between the Material and Spectral planes to complete his quest was criticized for being too tired since the mechanic was introduced in the first game and were less fun than Kain's combat-oriented quests. Overall, Kasavin said the storyline would please fans of the series, but the gameplay was disappointing. [21] [22]

Tony Guidi of TeamXbox noted the simultaneous similarities and differences in the controls for Raziel and Kain. However, the need to re-imbue the Soul Reaver with elemental powers that it had already gained in previous games was noted to be confusing and led to similar gameplay as in previous installments revolving around gaining a new Reaver power and using that power to move forward. The camera system was heavily criticized for being confusing and leading players to unwillingly backtrack when the camera angle shifts suddenly. The game's shift to combat and away from puzzle solving was also criticized. The graphics were noted to be high quality, but not as groundbreaking as previous games in the series. [31] Tariq Baker of GameSpy praised the combat system of the PS2 and Xbox versions but criticized their puzzle element for being reliant of block puzzles as its predecessors were. Despite the praise for the combat system, the similarities between the controls for Raziel and Kain were cited as the game's weakest point, to the extent where abilities either of them possessed in previous installments were dropped to make them play almost identically. The need to backtrack without the assistance of a map or clear objectives was also criticized. Overall, Baker said the combat system and graphics were well done, but the game's reliance on puzzles and backtracking was a weak point. [23] [24] Joe Rybicki of Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine praised the game's plot, voice acting, animation, character design and architecture, and said that it had "loads and loads of atmosphere", but called it "a terrible, terrible game", due to his belief that its gameplay is "so appallingly unimaginative, so awfully monotonous that by the end of it, I was wondering why they even bothered making a game out of it." Rybicki concluded: "If it weren't for the story in [the] last, say, 10 percent of the game [...] I probably would have scored Defiance a full point lower. Translation: This is for serious fans of the series only." [28]

Notes

  1. ↑ Ported to Xbox and Microsoft Windows by Nixxes Software [1]
  2. ↑ against Kain's warnings to not do so in the finale of Soul Reaver 2

Related Research Articles

The Sluagh, or Sluagh na marbh, were the hosts of the unforgiven dead in Irish and Scottish folklore. In the words of British folklorist Lewis Spence, "In the Western Isles of Scotland the Sluagh, or fairy host, was regarded as composed of the souls of the dead flying through the air, and the feast of the dead at Hallowe'en was likewise the festival of the fairies." Usually taking a crescent form, similar to a flight of grey birds, they were said to be able to approach and pick up a person from any direction and then transport them far away through the air, from one island to another. Although they would sometimes rescue humans from dangerous rock clefts, they were generally portrayed as dangerous to mortals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurt Harland</span> American singer, songwriter, and audio engineer

Kurt Harland is an American singer, songwriter, and audio engineer and is the lead singer of Information Society. He also works on video game scores, including two of the soundtracks for the Legacy of Kain video game series.

Kain (<i>Legacy of Kain</i>) Title character of the Legacy of Kain series

Kain is a character and the main protagonist and title character of the Legacy of Kain video game series. First introduced in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain in 1996, he was created by Denis Dyack and Silicon Knights, and has appeared in all subsequent Legacy of Kain games under the direction of developer Crystal Dynamics. Between games, he serves as either the central playable character, or as an antagonist, but in all his depictions he has consistently been described as an antihero.

Legacy of Kain is a series of dark fantasy action-adventure video games primarily developed by Crystal Dynamics and formerly published by Eidos Interactive. The first title, Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, was created by Silicon Knights in association with Crystal Dynamics, but, after a legal battle, Crystal Dynamics retained the rights to the game's intellectual property, and continued its story with four sequels. To date, five games comprise the series, all initially developed for video game consoles and later ported to Microsoft Windows. Focusing on the eponymous character of Kain, a vampire antihero, each title features action, exploration and puzzle-solving, with some role-playing game elements.

Raziel (<i>Legacy of Kain</i>) Fictional character

Raziel is a fictional character and a main protagonist in the Legacy of Kain video game series. Introduced in 1999 as the lead and playable character of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, he was created by Amy Hennig, Seth Carus and Arnold Ayala of Crystal Dynamics. He reappears as the protagonist of Soul Reaver 2, and returns as a playable character alongside series eponym, Kain, in Legacy of Kain: Defiance, which closes his story arc.

<i>Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver</i> 1999 video game

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is a 1999 action-adventure video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive for the PlayStation and Windows. A port to the Dreamcast developed by Nixxes Software was released in 2000, serving as Nixxes' first project. The second game in the Legacy of Kain series, Soul Reaver is the sequel to Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. Soul Reaver was followed by three games, one of which, Soul Reaver 2, is a direct sequel.

<i>Project Snowblind</i> 2005 video game

Project: Snowblind is a first-person shooter video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive for PlayStation 2, Xbox and Microsoft Windows. The game follows soldier Nathan Frost, who is enhanced with nanotechnology following injuries on a mission and sent against a military regime known as the Republic. Players control Frost through a series of linear levels, using enhancements both in combat and to manipulate security devices such as cameras. The online multiplayer allows up to sixteen players to take part in modes ranging from team-based to solo battles.

Crystal Dynamics, Inc. is an American video game developer based in San Mateo, California. The studio is best known for its games in the Tomb Raider, Legacy of Kain, and Gex series.

<i>Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain</i> 1996 action-adventure video game

Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain is a 1996 action-adventure video game developed by Silicon Knights and published by Crystal Dynamics for the PlayStation. A Microsoft Windows port developed by Semi Logic Entertainments was released by Activision under license from Crystal Dynamics in 1997, which was re-released digitally via GOG.com in 2021. The game is the first title in the Legacy of Kain series.

<i>Nosgoth</i> Video game

Nosgoth was a free-to-play multiplayer action game, developed by Psyonix and published by Square Enix for Microsoft Windows through digital distribution. It was a spin-off from the Legacy of Kain series of action-adventure games, and took place in its eponymous fictional universe. Nosgoth employed a player versus player system in which each match consisted of two rounds. Teams were composed of characters assigned to one of two races: vampires, designed around hack and slash combat; and humans, whose gameplay was styled after third-person shooters. Between rounds, teams would switch to control the opposing race, and the team which accumulated the most points by fighting their counterparts won the match.

<i>Soul Reaver 2</i> 2001 video game

Soul Reaver 2 is a 2001 action-adventure video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive. It is a sequel to Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver and the third game in the Legacy of Kain series. Originally developed as a PlayStation and Dreamcast project, it was reworked into a PlayStation 2 and Windows title in early production. Soul Reaver 2 was followed by two sequels, Blood Omen 2 and Legacy of Kain: Defiance, in 2002 and 2003.

<i>Tomb Raider: Legend</i> 2006 video game

Tomb Raider: Legend is an action-adventure video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive. It is the seventh main entry in the Tomb Raider series, and is described as a "reimagining" of the series and its protagonist Lara Croft. The game was released in 2006 for PlayStation 2, Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and mobile phones. A PlayStation 3 port was released in 2011 as part of The Tomb Raider Trilogy.

<i>Blood Omen 2</i> 2002 video game

Blood Omen 2 is an action-adventure video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive for PlayStation 2, Xbox, Microsoft Windows and GameCube. It is the fourth title in the Legacy of Kain series and is the sequel to the first game in the series, Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, with Blood Omen's protagonist, the vampire Kain, returning as the central character.

GlyphX Inc. was a computer graphics designer studio that produced promotional videos, cinematics and artwork for various video games for several years before going into video game design. The third-person shooter Advent Rising, the first and only video game created by GlyphX Games, LLC, the game designer branch of the company, had been long anticipated by critics and fans of the genre, but turned out to be rather a disappointment for both. GlyphX was acquired by Sandman Studios circa 2006.

Zynga Eugene is an American video game developer based in Eugene, Oregon. The company was founded as Buzz Monkey Software in late 2001 by four former Dynamix employees: senior producer Randy Thompson, senior engineers Jon Milnes and Steve Cordon, and lead artist Barry Drew.

<i>Legacy of Kain: Dead Sun</i> Video game

Legacy of Kain: Dead Sun is a cancelled action-adventure video game that was in development by Climax Studios for Square Enix Europe, with an accompanying multiplayer component developed separately by Psyonix. Conceived as the sixth entry in the Legacy of Kain series, Dead Sun entered production for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Xbox 360. It was cancelled in 2012 after three years of development. Square Enix Europe and Psyonix salvaged the planned multiplayer mode, which they reconceptualized as Nosgoth, a standalone free-to-play title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nixxes Software</span> Dutch video game developer

Nixxes Software B.V. is a Dutch video game developer based in Utrecht. It was founded by former demoscene developer Jurjen Katsman in 1999 to port the game Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver to the Dreamcast. In July 2021, the company was acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment to help bring its games from PlayStation platforms to personal computers. As of 2020, 40% of Nixxes' work comprises game ports, with the remainder being co-development efforts like the production of art assets.

<i>Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver – The Dead Shall Rise</i> 2025 graphic novel

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver – The Dead Shall Rise is an upcoming 2025 dark fantasy action-adventure graphic novel written by Joshua Viola and Angie Hodapp with pencil/inks by Juan Samu, colors by Zac Atkinson, letters by Jeremiah Lambert, cover art by Dave Rapoza, Matthew Therrien, and Aaron Lovett, and concept art by Daniel Cabuco, Aaron Lovett, and Juan Samu. The graphic novel is set to be published by Bit Bot Media. A part of the Legacy of Kain franchise, it is a prequel to Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver featuring Raziel and Kain.

<i>Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered</i> 2024 video game

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered is an action-adventure video game compilation developed and published by Aspyr. It contains remastered versions of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (1999) and Soul Reaver 2 (2001), entries in the Legacy of Kain series originally developed by Crystal Dynamics. It was released on December 10, 2024, to coincide with the 25th anniversary of Soul Reaver.

References

  1. ↑ "Legacy of Kain: Defiance". Nixxes. Archived from the original on 8 September 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Perry, Douglass C. (December 18, 2003). "Legacy of Kain: Defiance Review (PC)". IGN . Ziff Davis . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  3. ↑ Crystal Dynamics (November 11, 2003). Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive. Moebius: Here you are at last. I see you found a fragment of the Balance Emblem. This will be of even further use to you - if you can find the other three. Now, shall we - ? / Kain: Yes. Let us continue our conversation.
  4. ↑ Crystal Dynamics (November 11, 2003). Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive. Kain: I was confronted again with depictions of the Vampires' champion, the bearer of the Reaver blade. And here too was his Hylden adversary, with blazing eyes, brandishing a flaming sword. Two heroes locked in combat which only one would survive. But which one? These murals prophesied two possible outcomes.
  5. ↑ Crystal Dynamics (November 11, 2003). Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive. Vorador: I crafted the Reaver blade, but only at the behest of my sire, Janos Audron. What sorcery he and the others laid upon the sword afterward, I cannot say. / Raziel: Janos tried to give me the Reaver before he died. He said that it was forged for me... but what did he mean? As my weapon, or my prison? / Vorador: Perhaps you should ask him yourself. / Raziel: Janos is here? / Vorador: In a manner of speaking.
  6. ↑ Crystal Dynamics (November 11, 2003). Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive. Raziel: I had seen this symbol throughout these ruins. I should have realized what it was they worshiped. Now there was no question. For this scene depicted the ancient Vampires' torment and despair as their curse cast them from the Wheel of Fate. So this was the god whose abandonment had driven them to madness and suicide. Finally I understood – it was not their bloodthirst, but their immortality that was the true nature of their enemies' curse. The wisest, strongest, most noble race – gulled by the voice of that old parasite. But I had seen him – and whatever he was, he was no god.
  7. ↑ Crystal Dynamics (November 11, 2003). Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive. Mortanius: Ah, now you think of that. But as I told you, you are too late. The Heart has served its function. I have used it to set prophecy in motion. I created the champion foretold by my masters, who is destined to be your destroyer. The Scion of Balance will save Nosgoth -- the Pillars will return to vampire guardianship as intended, and your race will be cast down forever. / Raziel: Kain. You used the Heart of Darkness to create Kain.
  8. ↑ Crystal Dynamics (November 11, 2003). Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive. Ariel: You have done well, Raziel. But there is one more trial for you to bear. You must unite that which has been set asunder... only then will the Scion of Balance be armed for his true endeavor. Only then... / Raziel: The Reaver now blazed with purifying flame. But far from being enlightened, I found myself entangled in an even greater web of mysteries. What had Janos expected me to learn? And what of Ariel's cryptic message? If the sword was endowed for the Scion of Balance - for Kain - and he was now dead, what hope remained? I needed to find Janos, and soon. I dreaded to think what these ominous rumblings might portend.
  9. ↑ Crystal Dynamics (November 11, 2003). Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive. Elder God: Your petty actions are irrelevant, Raziel. Moebius was a good servant, but he was of no further use. His long life had run its course. You see, even when you rebel, your are doing my will. / Raziel: Perhaps, but something has changed, hasn't it? You didn't foresee Kain's return. / Elder God: You have both traced your paths along the Wheel. This is where the journey ends. / Raziel: You haven't the means to kill either one of us. / Elder God: Ah, but you can be stopped, and you will come to understand how oblivion can be a mercy. You and Kain will spend eternity buried here together, praying for the merciful release of a death that will never come.
  10. ↑ Crystal Dynamics (November 11, 2003). Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive. Raziel: All the conflict and strife throughout history, all the fear and hatred, served but one purpose - to keep my master's Wheel turning. All souls were prisoners, trapped in the pointless round of existence, leading distracted, blunted lives until death returned them - always in ignorance - to the Wheel.
  11. ↑ Crystal Dynamics (November 11, 2003). Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive. Kain: No. Raziel! /Raziel: The Soul Reaver - pure of all corruption - this is what it is for. This is what I am for - The two become one - both Soul Reavers - together - and the Scion of Balance is healed. And I - am not your enemy - not your destroyer - I am, as before, your right hand. Your sword. /Kain: No, Raziel - this can't be the way... /Raziel: And now you will see - the true enemy...
  12. ↑ Crystal Dynamics (November 11, 2003). Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive. Elder God: You cannot destroy me, Kain - I am the Engine of Life itself. The Wheel will turn... The plague of your kind will be purged from this world... And on that inevitable day, your wretched, stagnant soul will finally be mine. / Kain: In the meantime, you'd best burrow deep.
  13. ↑ Crystal Dynamics (November 11, 2003). Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive. Kain: Most ironic of all was the last gift that Raziel had given me: More powerful than the sword that now held his soul, more acute even than the vision his sacrifice had accorded me. The first, bitter taste of that terrible illusion - Hope.
  14. 1 2 "Legacy of Kain: Defiance for PC Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  15. 1 2 "Legacy of Kain: Defiance for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  16. 1 2 "Legacy of Kain: Defiance for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  17. ↑ Edge staff (January 2004). "Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PS2)". Edge . No. 132. Future plc. p. 107.
  18. ↑ Zoss, Jeremy (January 2004). "Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PS2)". Game Informer . No. 129. GameStop. p. 126. Archived from the original on December 28, 2007. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  19. ↑ Reiner, Andrew (January 2004). "Legacy of Kain: Defiance (Xbox)". Game Informer. No. 129. GameStop. p. 149. Archived from the original on January 5, 2008. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  20. 1 2 The D-Pad Destroyer (November 11, 2003). "Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PS2, Xbox)". GamePro . IDG Entertainment. Archived from the original on February 12, 2005. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  21. 1 2 Kasavin, Greg (December 19, 2003). "Legacy of Kain: Defiance Review (PC)". GameSpot . CBS Interactive . Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  22. 1 2 3 Kasavin, Greg (November 12, 2003). "Legacy of Kain: Defiance Review (PS2, Xbox)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  23. 1 2 Baker, Tariq (November 23, 2003). "GameSpy: Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PS2)". GameSpy . IGN Entertainment. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  24. 1 2 Baker, Tariq (November 23, 2003). "GameSpy: Legacy of Kain: Defiance (Xbox)". GameSpy. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved February 14, 2008.
  25. ↑ Lafferty, Michael (December 1, 2003). "Legacy of Kain: Defiance - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on December 31, 2008. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  26. ↑ Valentino, Nick (December 7, 2003). "Legacy of Kain: Defiance - XB - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on October 17, 2008. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  27. 1 2 3 Perry, Douglass C. (November 12, 2003). "Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PS2, Xbox)". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  28. 1 2 Rybicki, Joe (January 2004). "Legacy of Kain: Defiance". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine . Ziff Davis. p. 124. Archived from the original on December 9, 2003. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
  29. ↑ "Legacy of Kain: Defiance". Official Xbox Magazine . Future US. January 2004. p. 80.
  30. ↑ "Legacy of Kain: Defiance". PC Gamer UK . Future plc. March 2004.
  31. ↑ Guidi, Tony (November 27, 2003). "Legacy of Kain: Defiance Review (Xbox)". TeamXbox . IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on January 17, 2008. Retrieved January 20, 2008.
  32. ↑ Crystal Dynamics (November 11, 2003). Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive. Moebius: Your delusions of fulfilling the Vampires' foolish prophecies have badly distorted your judgment. And Raziel is not what you think.
  33. ↑ Crystal Dynamics (November 11, 2003). Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive. Elder God: So, Raziel... your true nature is finally revealed. You were never the Vampires' savior - it is to the Hylden race you belong. And when Kain realizes this, what do you think he will do?...
  34. ↑ Crystal Dynamics (November 11, 2003). Legacy of Kain: Defiance (PlayStation 2). Eidos Interactive. Raziel: Then you know what I am -- and who you are? / Kain: I believe I do.
  35. ↑ Lincoln, Ben (February 17, 2007). "Question and Answer with Amy Hennig". Legacy of Kain: The Lost Worlds. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.