Legacy of Kain: Ascendance Review
Summary: Ascendance is a nostalgia-filled title that is not even worthy of borrowing the titular name of the franchise, let alone be the title that the fans waited decades for: it’s an unredeemable abomination.
2.4
A Disgrace To A Legacy
Legacy of Kain: Ascendance is the new installment in one of the most influential albeit underrated video game franchises. After 23 years of waiting, this 2D action platformer gives the fans the chance to return to Nosgoth once again, a chance that perhaps is too little too late.
Legacy of Kain: Ascendance follows the adventures of Raziel, Kain, and the new protagonist Elaleth -Raziel’s human sister- through some of the most iconic moments of the series. As the main protagonist, the human-turned-vampire Elaleth seeks revenge against her brother, she travels back and forth through time to some of the pivotal moments of Nosgoth’s history. The story of Legacy of Kain: Ascendance not only does not add anything new to the series, but even suffers from very prominent plot holes. For example, according to Ascendance, Elaleth informs Raziel about his Sarafan past when he was still serving as Kane’s vampire lieutenant. This is in direct contrast with the events of the first Soul Reaver game; where Raziel learns about his fate after he becomes the Reaver wraith.
The game also lacks narrative coherence. While most of the story is told via in-game written character dialogues with added voice acting, there are some 3D-rendered QTE sequences that try to bridge the gap between gameplay and cutscenes, and the subsequent cutscenes are sometimes presented as 2D comic book-like panels and some other time as 2D fully-animated sequences. This constantly changing narrative medium adds even more frustration to the already subpar story.
On the gameplay side, the game is even more disappointing. The three-hour-long campaign is mostly just platforming over obstacles and fighting generic enemies with almost no variety, with very basic actions including attacking with the sword, defending against enemy attacks, and finishing them off with a blood-sucking healing finisher. Ascendance lacks the puzzles, world-building, action-packed-feature-filled combat and genuine innovative mechanics that the series is famous for.
One of the only glimmers of light during my dark, wretched adventure with the game was its original score, providing a frantic feeling and some excitement to the doll combat thanks to its heavy metal and electronic theme. The other enjoyable aspect of the game was the reunion of the original voice actors of the series. Hearing the well-written dialogues that fully captured the essence of the dark, mature fantasy themes that the protagonists of the series are dealing with was a delight and honestly, a pretty rare experience in this modern day and age of video games.
Final Thoughts
Legacy of Kain: Ascendance is a disgrace to the legacy of the talented game developers like Amy Hennig and Paul Jenkins, who not only created one of the most underrated fantasy worlds of the gaming industry, but also managed to gather around a dedicated fan base that keep the soul of the series alive via YouTube video essays and Subreddit conversations. Ascendance is a nostalgia-filled title that is not even worthy of borrowing the titular name of the franchise, let alone be the title that the fans waited decades for: it’s an unredeemable abomination.
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