Colour me beyond shocked, because over two decades after Legacy of Kain: Defiance left fans on a semi-cliffhanger, a beloved, remarkably well-written, franchise is back with Legacy of Kain: Ascendance. Mind you, it’s a prequel to the Soul Reaver games—and it’s also a 2D action game. Suffice it to say, this fundamental gameplay shift puts it in line with other recent dormant-IP revisions, like Shinobi: Art of Vengeance. But hey. It could be cool.
And we won’t have to wait long to find out. Ascendance has been given a rather abbreviated marketing cycle, with the game launching on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch 2, and even Switch… on March 31. Of this year. Yep, seven-odd weeks away.
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Variety reports that Ascendance has been billed as the following:
“A fast-paced, 2D action platformer built around vertical movement, fluid combat, and skill-driven play, with select PS1-era–inspired 3D sequences. Story and narrative are key to the experience, woven directly into gameplay, cutscenes, and world design. Beautifully crafted retro pixel-art gameplay and anime-influenced cinematics bring Nosgoth’s dark fantasy world to life, telling a new story set in a vast world of collapsing kingdoms, haunted ruins, and shattered timelines.”
Yeah, sure sounds like a Soul Reaver prequel to me! I’m not sure what to make of the style and gameplay shifts just yet, but again. 23 years since Defiance. I’ll take what I can get. This could be good. And Simon Templeman and Michael Bell are back. That alone should get every LoK fan’s blood pumping. Ascendance is being developed by Bit Bot Media and FreakZone Games (quite the name), and published by Crystal Dynamics.
Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered, which managed to pop up at today’s State of Play when the brand-new game somehow didn’t, is looking to be a fun one. Game Informer’s article mentions it includes “previously cut content and lost levels,” and speaking as somebody who has always enjoyed Defiance quite a bit, this has me hyped beyond measure. There’s also a photo mode, if you’re into that, as well as a look at the sadly-canned sequel, Legacy of Kain 6: Dark Prophecy. You’ll have a few weeks to sink your vampiric teeth into Defiance before Ascendance hits digital storefronts, as it launches on March 6.
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Plus a release date!
