Fifth in the amazing Legacy of Kain series from Crystal Dynamics (the guys behind the latest outing of Tomb Raider, for your gaming culture), Defiance finally answers some of those questions that came up in the other four opuses. Not all of the questions, this is Legacy of Kain, you know. A darker, more gothic game, there is not.
Defiance is the first game in the series that lets you control both Kain, the blood-drinking lord of all that is nasty, and Raziel, the soul-sucking bad-boy out for revenge, on a level per level style getting both to meet up to... (and here we stop so as not to spoil the ending). Both characters have roughly the same combat moves, though you'll be using them a lot more with Kain than with Raziel. As far as differences go Kain's levels are more fighting based and Raziel's are more puzzle and platform, helped along with the changes between the underworld and the world of the living. And both get the great jedi-like powers - impaling someone on a spike in a bloody-mess, now available in hands-free!!
Advancing the story along with the two characters and at two different times works particularly well, sometimes letting you play an area once as Raziel then a few hundred years later as Kain.
Whether in the past or in the present you'll be meeting bad-guys, spirit-beasties and whatever else your dark gothic demented minds can cook up. And with re-vamped fighting (re-'vamp'ed - ha ha, oh never mind) and the game's great looks fighting is a pleasure. Combo moves letting you slash an enemy into the air with the soul-reaver then pound on him with a few slashes whilst he's falling gives a great taste of the fighting style inspired by over-the-top eastern cinema. It sprays blood every-where too, or ectoplasm sparks, depends on what you're fighting. This mix of eastern fighting and gothic architecture and visuals is a fusion that fits perfectly into Nosgoth and the world of Kain. With a use of exp points Kain and Raziel get to learn new moves through the game, later-on letting you pull off some stunning combos sending even more blood flying.
But don't spill too much -like my old mum said "don't waste of good food, you might be grateful for it one day"

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