Legacy of Kain: Defiance cover

Legacy of Kain: Defiance

First release
Nov 11, 2003
Genres
Hack and slash/Beat 'em up, Adventure · Action, Horror

Legacy of Kain: Defiance is an action-adventure game developed by Crystal Dynamics and released in 2003. It is the fifth entry in the Legacy of Kain series and continues the intertwined stories of Kain and Raziel. Players alternate between controlling the two protagonists, each with distinct abilities and combat styles. The game combines exploration, puzzle-solving, and fast-paced melee combat in a gothic fantasy setting.

Attributes

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Details

Storyline, release dates, time to beat, age ratings, modes, links, keywords

Storyline
Defiance continues from where Soul Reaver 2 ended. In Soul Reaver 2, 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 paradox that changes time for the worse and separates Kain and Raziel. Kain's part of the game follows him seeking Moebius the Time Streamer, a time-travelling mystic, 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 a Vampire construct known as the Balance Emblem. Kain discovers murals during his quest, dictating an ancient war between the first races to inhabit Nosgoth, the Ancient vampires 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.Read more

Defiance continues from where Soul Reaver 2 ended. In Soul Reaver 2, 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 paradox that changes time for the worse and separates Kain and Raziel. Kain's part of the game follows him seeking Moebius the Time Streamer, a time-travelling mystic, 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 a Vampire construct known as the Balance Emblem. Kain discovers murals during his quest, dictating an ancient war between the first races to inhabit Nosgoth, the Ancient vampires 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.

Release dates
PlayStation 2
Nov 11, 2003
Xbox
Nov 11, 2003
PC (Microsoft Windows)
Dec 17, 2003
All 6 release dates
PC (Microsoft Windows)
Feb 06, 2004
PlayStation 2
Feb 06, 2004
Xbox
Feb 06, 2004
Game modes
Single player
Perspective
Third person
Where to buy
Keywords
post-apocalyptic, bloody, time travel, immortality, vampire
… All 30, magic, death, steam, multiple protagonists, teleportation, gods, digital distribution, voice acting, human, polygonal 3d, betrayal, unreliable narrator, plot twist, villain turned good, time paradox, telekinesis, soul reaper, disfigurement, tragic hero, heroic sacrifice, plane shifting, soul steal, ancient curse, gog preservation program, available on - luna gog

How it plays

Languages

  • Englishinterface, audio
  • Deutschinterface, audio
IGDB · recorded 2 Oct 2026
Also in 1 other language

Language data: IGDB · recorded 2 Oct 2026