Legacy of Kain: Ascendance [REVIEW] – A Nostalgic Return That Lacks Bite 

Twenty-three years is a massively long time to wait for anything, let alone a fresh instalment in a beloved gaming franchise, but for long-suffering fans of the Legacy of Kain series, that massive gap has FINALLY been bridged. However, rather than the sprawling 3D adventure many might have been dreaming about, we have been handed a 2D pixel-art action platformer. And it’s… well… a little bit disappointing.  

Check out some screenshots down below: 

The narrative itself is steeped in deep series lore, pulling heavily from recent comic book expansions to give the tale more depth. It revolves around Elaleth, Raziel’s sister, who is trapped in a time vortex and out for revenge against her brother after a tragic backstory involving her transformed lover and a severed hand… yeah, there’s a lot going on there. Admittedly, Elaleth feels quite one-dimensional compared to the brooding complexity of Kain and Raziel, whilst the game makes zero concessions for newcomers – if you are not already intimately familiar with the sprawling mythology of Nosgoth, you are going to feel completely lost. But for those who are well-versed in all things Legacy of Kain? There’s plenty going on to keep you invested until the end. 

Gameplay-wise, you will spend your roughly five-hour playthrough swapping between Elaleth, Kain, and Raziel (whom you get to play as in both his human and vampire forms). The control scheme is pretty simple, relying mainly on a basic three-button setup for jumping, dashing, and attacking, alongside a specific magical ability for each character. For instance, Kain can turn into a flock of bats to cross gaps, while human Raziel needs to burn undead enemies to stop them from returning… the sort of things you’d expect from the characters really, but that do keep the character-swapping interesting. 

“It is obvious that the developers have a lot of love for the franchise, and those fleeting moments where the lore lines up and the gameplay comes together do feel good.” 

The main issue within the gameplay is that the movement feels incredibly stiff. In an era where modern indie games have perfected 2D platforming, Legacy of Kain: Ascendance just lacks fluidity and feels a little rigid – jumping is slow and there’s a sense of imprecision to your movements. It doesn’t help that the level design isn’t especially interesting, with levels being a little generic and lacking sparks of creativity within their platforming or puzzling. Don’t get me wrong, it has its moments where a string of fun platforming sections and combat encounters shine through, but it doesn’t feel as consistent as other releases in the 2D side-scrolling adventure genre. 

The combat suffers a similar fate. You will find yourself using the same basic slashes that get a little repetitive thanks to a lack of variety within your combos, and to make matters worse, the game relies on some truly archaic mechanics that feel like they work against the player. Playing as a vampire means your health is constantly draining, forcing you to play aggressively to feed on enemies, but the game also features sudden difficulty spikes that require a slow, cautious approach, creating a frustrating contradiction in how you are supposed to play. It’s nothing that a patch or two won’t fix, but on first impressions, it’s hard not to find it a bit tedious. 

Check out some screenshots down below: 

Visually, Legacy of Kain: Ascendance sports a lovely 16-bit aesthetic. The backgrounds are bleak and detailed, giving off a Castlelvania-vibe that feels very fitting for the tone of the game. Sure, the cinematic sequences are a little weird with their mish-mash of art styles, but I still liked them. It’s definitely clear that a lot of attention went into making sure that Legacy of Kain: Ascendance looks the part, and in fairness, its visuals stand out as one of its main strengths.  

Where the game undeniably shines is with its voice acting. Getting Michael Bell and Simon Templeman back to voice Raziel and Kain is the undisputed highlight of the entire package, and they give great performances. It isn’t always tonally on par with previous entries in the series, but it did feel like I was spending time with friends I hadn’t seen in a long, long time when playing.

Developer: Bit Bot Media 
Publisher: Crystal Dynamics 
Platform(s): PC (Reviewed), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch 
Website: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4233530/Legacy_of_Kain_Ascendance/