A Disappointing Journey Back to Nosgoth

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As a dedicated citizen of Kain’s legacy in these parts, it has been my absolute privilege to cover and review the rebirth of the franchise. Following its slippery descent into the vampiric shadows that spawned it, Legacy of Kain has been given a new lease on life with classic flashbacks and now, finally, after what felt like a lifetime of waiting, a new core game.

While Legacy of Kain: Ascendance may not be the Defiance sequel we’ve been waiting for, since it’s a prequel that takes place before the events of Soul Reaver, it’s good to know that the people making decisions about these things see something in the IP. I know, no one wants to talk about our favorite vampires through the lens of business decisions and the cold, unfeeling lens of IP ownership, but that’s where the franchise is now.

Legacy of Cain: Defiance Revisited Review

One of Kain’s biggest adventures comes back with a new coat of paint.

Ascendance is a side-scrolling action game with multiple playable characters, including long-time characters Kain and Razel, as well as Elaleth from the recent The Dead Shall Rise comic books. Multiple protagonists, vampires, and fast-paced combat? Sounds like a game of Cain to me. It’s a tricky thing to consider, though, when you consider how closely Kain’s games are tied to the full 3D experience.

It’s not the Kain game we’ve been waiting for, but unfortunately it’s the one we’re facing right now. And while my hopes are set on the Defiance sequel coming soon, this little adventure in the Kain franchise is one that you might be debating checking out for a variety of reasons if you’re a fan of the series.

We have Cain’s legacy at Home

In many ways, I think the key, perhaps the defining feature of Legacy of Kain has always been its writing and story. The gameplay has always been good to be honest, but the real draw of the franchise has always been the narrative. It was a franchise committed to not only having a great story, but rooted in complex mythology and amazing characters doing their thing.

The Shakespearean, theatrical dialogue and amazing performances are what made me fall in love with the series in the first place. Just to be clear, Ascendance doesn’t have that. It’s trying, and doing it decently, but it’s just not where it needs to be. The writing and story have the right ideas and are clearly written by people who love the franchise and its mythology, but it really lacks the signature voice of other games.

It’s not inherently bad for what it is, and in fact, the voice acting is on par with most games of this style, but it just doesn’t hit the same chord as the old Kain games. Even Kain’s worst performance sounds better. It’s really disappointing, as that has always been one of my favorite parts of the franchise.

And I can’t help but find this story presentation style dated and disappointing in 2026. It feels like the worst parts of 2010, with uninspired portraits and poor animations. Considering how the franchise made its name with long, cinematic story sequences, seeing a retreat from this style of storytelling is incredibly disappointing.

Unfortunately, Elaleth will be a sore spot for many fans. The character has been part of some of the uninspiring characters seen in The Dead Shall Rise, and his inclusion here won’t really shake you. I think the franchise needs to introduce more new characters to support itself, since it can’t rely on old players forever, but if you’re not interested in seeing Elaleth, it’s worth noting that he’s a big part of the game.

That being said, it’s great to hear the beautiful tones of franchise icons like Michael Bell and Simon Templeman as Raziel and Kain, respectively. You can definitely hear the age in their voices, which is funny considering this is a prequel, but it doesn’t matter as these people are still consummate professionals. Everyone in the game is decent enough, but they’re usually outclassed by characters who die.

The writing and story have the right ideas and are clearly written by people who love the franchise and its mythology, but it really lacks the signature voice of other games.

The audio is also incredibly inconsistent, as you will have amazing voice acting, but the music is terrible. It’s almost as if the same song is being played over and over again, and at an alarmingly high volume. The music has no sense of character or pace to it, and is often white noise. That’s not really what I want to hear when it comes to the Kain game.

At the end of the day, you’re left with a game that’s desperately trying to recapture what could have been magic back in the day. You’d be lucky to get even in the middle, and the team here has done a really impressive job in their efforts to emulate what the franchise used to be. It’s not perfect, but the effort and desire to do so is always appreciated.

In fact, when the game brutally commits itself to that myth and its events, that’s where it really hits. There are a few moments where the game focuses on the franchise, and if you’ve enjoyed the series, these moments will hit you hard. That’s the true strength of Ascendance, where it both celebrates what the franchise is and does it with modern technology.

Hey, We’re doing it again!

Ascendance was announced during Kain’s many State of Play announcements back in February of this year, and to many fans of the franchise, including myself, it felt like a monkey’s paw situation. We’ve been waiting too long for a new game, and for it to be a 2D action-platformer it didn’t feel like going, but I had high hopes. The result didn’t do much to change my mind.

Movement and jumping are uncomfortable, as it feels like a game that never left its beta stage. The limited range of animations also makes the game feel cheap, and given how much the franchise has always emphasized animation and immersive motion, that doesn’t help. Combat feels even more sluggish, with one weak attack that looks like it came from an NES game.

Fortunately, if you hit the parry at the right time, that’s one part of the fight that feels really satisfying. The design feel to it is quite good, too, as it all has a nice visceral edge to it. This is where the good fighting aspect of the arena ends. What you’re left with afterwards is incredibly dull and frustrating, and it feels completely rotten to play.

The enemy patterns in Legacy of Kain: Ascendance seem to have learned all the worst lessons from the games that inspired it. Floating enemies that drift just out of reach, different enemies that are frustratingly difficult to put down, and each character’s unique health system is mind-blowing. I love Castlevania, but a modern game that asks me to find random chickens on the ground to regain health is not.

Ascendance was announced during Kain’s many State of Play announcements back in February of this year, and to many fans of the franchise, including myself, it felt like a monkey’s paw situation.

Making a pitch is a huge disaster. I’ve talked about my distaste for field accuracy in 2D action games, and Ascendance didn’t make me feel any different. Jumping feels painfully slow, and when you combine this with how inconsistent some of the platforming tricks are, it becomes a very stressful experience. The actual basics of platforming are not good, which is not what you want to hear when a game describes itself as an action-platformer.

This is a franchise built on intricate world-building, satisfying combat, and deep exploration. Ascendance wants to be that, but very few of those efforts turn out the way I think they wanted to. This is a very flawed experience trying to live up to one of the most iconic gaming franchises, and that’s a tall order. Unfortunately for Ascendance, the coin didn’t stay on its edge this time.

Legacy of Kain: Ascendance is the first new game in the franchise since 2003’s Defiance. It really misses the mark on a few things, not the least of which is its story, which tries valiantly but fails to make sense. In many ways, it’s a step backwards and makes the most defining feature of the franchise feel like a throwaway. It sounds awful and plays, and if you were a regular fan of Legacy of Kain back in the day, there’s not much here to recommend other than hearing Michael Bell and Simon Templeman again.