There are two prevailing schools of thought on how a franchise should continue. The first embraces expansion – sequels, prequels, spin-offs, the whole shebang. The second takes a more cautious stance and doesn’t want any additions unless they preserve that special something the originals had. This critic often aligns with the latter, preferring to see beloved settings and story arcs come to an end rather than witness them being treated without respect.
Like-minded pessimists such as he would occasionally experience a rare piece of media that pleasantly defied their expectations (like id Software’s 2016 Doom, or Capcom’s Resident Evil 2), but usually their concerns have proven justified. The pain is twice as intense when the wait has been a long one, as is the case with the 23-year gap between Legacy of Kain: Defiance and the brand-new Legacy of Kain: Ascendance; a mind-numbingly disappointing entry, which can safely be described as the absolute worst in the series.
Hmm. That last sentence actually hurt to type…
Yours truly is that kind of nerd that doesn’t really care that much about expanded media, and as such missed out on the prequel comic book The Dead Shall Rise, which introduces a new character, Elaleth, Raziel’s previously unknown sister. Ascendance, which adapts the story from this poorly received comic, makes it clear why fans weren’t exactly thrilled with it. Simply put, she is a character forcibly inserted into a story that never needed her.
What was once a carefully woven tale of fate, free will, and tragic inevitability is now reframed around a character who feels like fan fiction given canon status, as she takes the role of the central manipulator of the events that led to Soul Reaver, actively diminishing agency from icons like Kain and Raziel; characters whose key characteristic is how they defied destiny with every ounce of their being, and even managed to reach a point where they could see through the lies of powerful time sorcerers, demons and eldritch gods.
By contrast, Elaleth embodies the modern “Strong Female Protagonist” archetype, effortlessly overshadowing all opposition, without the narrative spending any time to explain to the one holding the gamepad how in Nosgoth she has earned the right and power to do so. You are expected to just accept her inclusion. She is also quite unlikable, which feels weird in a series where players can actually understand, sympathise and side with a vampire tyrant who damned the world at a whim. She is basically the Ray Skywalker of Legacy of Kain.
Oh, boy. That was even more painful to type…
Even worse than the events at hand is how they are all presented. Even at its worst, Legacy of Kain’s main hallmark has been its highly poetic, almost Shakespearean dialogue and sublime writing. That has been replaced with blunt exposition that spends too much time saying nothing or stating the obvious, with mundane interactions between characters that lack the nuance the series has been known for. You can also forget any sort of cut-scenes where people move and show emotion, as this uses visual novel-style static portraits that have that hollow, half-alive quality where characters move…but don’t truly do so.
This occasionally perks up, but it’s almost always when Raziel – or even better, Kain – enters the scene. Suddenly the dialogue sharpens, even if it still can’t hold a gothic candelabra to previous titles. Even though the writing lacks gravitas, hearing their original voice actors is a treat. Michael Bell’s Raziel may show his age (the guy is freaking 87!), but the performances give these moments weight and personality. In an experience otherwise weighed down by mediocrity, they’re a rare spark of life.
As a final comment on its presentation, Legacy of Kain: Ascendance suffers from a clear identity crisis, lacking any cohesive visual direction. The core gameplay uses 2D pixel art that, aside from the occasional striking background, feels overly generic, paired with stiff, awkward character animations that might have been acceptable in the age of the SNES. Then there are PS1-era demake-style cutscenes that look good but are not particularly fluid, a flashback sequence presented through images resembling a children’s cartoon, and a couple of low quality anime-style scenes. The resulting mix is a dissonant blend of clashing art styles, reflecting a project that never fully settled on a clear artistic direction or benefited from a steady, confident creative vision.
Traditionally, strong storytelling and writing made the flaws of all past titles a little easier to overlook. Could this be the point where the reverse is true? Sadly, this is where things truly fall apart. One of the first things you will notice is the shift in genre. A departure from the 3D action-adventuring of the past, this is a side-scrolling platformer with hack ‘n’ slash combat. That alone isn’t the problem, as the series was never shy of experimenting with gameplay styles. What matters is whether this is fun…and it just isn’t…
Controls feel clunky, movement lacks fluidity, jumps feel unreliable, and combat boils down to repetitive button mashing against enemies that offer challenge by appearing out of nowhere or having a behaviour that’s hard to read since they either stand around like idiots or decide that it’s time to start jumping around like crazy. Additionally, they tend to overwhelm players while they try to complete all sorts of platforming challenges, with the imprecise controls not helping much. It’s not a test of skill; it’s a trial in endurance and patience. This doesn’t just feel like a bad game; it feels like a bad NES one.
Level design fares no better. The stages meander aimlessly, lacking any sense of structure or restrain. Platforms appear arbitrarily placed, hazards feel cheap rather than cleverly constructed, and the game never seems to know when enough is enough. This is an extremely short game, which lasts four hours only because stages didn’t know where to stop. An unexciting, exhausting parade of uninspired obstacles. Also, don’t make the mistake of stopping playing, thinking that this features an autosave system. No, going to the title screen or shutting off the game resets your progress no matter how far into a level you’ve been.
If Legacy of Kain: Ascendance was just boring it would be okay, but it is mainly frustrating, especially with the heavy imbalance between characters. From the outset, Elaleth is absurdly overpowered, her levels rarely offering much resistance, and failure feeling inconsequential thanks to overly generous checkpoints. Then comes stage two, where you are in control of a mortal Raziel, and suddenly, checkpoints are scarce, healing opportunities nearly non-existent, and enemies don’t give him much room to do his thing. The boss waiting for him at the end? A joke with wings that can be defeated with one hand tied behind your back.
Every aspect of Legacy of Kain: Ascendance reeks of carelessness, as if it was either never properly tested or made by a team unsure of what they were doing. Between a story that undermines the franchise’s iconic characters, uneven gameplay, incoherent visual presentation and maddeningly inconsistent difficulty, there’s little hope for redemption. Newcomers will be lost, long-time fans will become angry and depressed, and anyone hoping for a return to the series’ gothic grandeur will leave shaking their heads. This serves as a stark reminder of why some legacies are better left undisturbed. One can only hope this misstep doesn’t doom the series entirely.
