It might have taken 22 years, but at long last, a brand-new Legacy of Kain game has been announced. Developed by BitBot Media, Legacy of Kain: Ascendance is a pixel-art platformer with plenty of action at its core, and it’ll launch for PC and console on March 31.
Set before and during the events of Soul Reaver, Ascendance explores an era of the Legacy of Kain games that has only been briefly referenced–and before time-travel shenanigans started to make things a little confusing. Kain is in the middle of his campaign to conquer Nosgoth, while Raziel appears as a human Seraphan who fights back against the vampire clans.
A third character–Elaleth from the recent Legacy of Kain: Dead Shall Rise comic book mini-series–is also playable, and she’s described as a fast-paced brawler who is adept at both combat and platforming. Crystal Dynamics and BitBot estimate that it will take roughly four hours to complete this retro-inspired platformer.
Kain naturally has his signature vampiric abilities and can wield the Soul Reaver, while Raziel can ride his war horse into battle. Time is split equally among all three characters, and, with Ascendance being a story- and dialogue-heavy game, Crystal Dynamics and BitBot have brought back the original cast for this prequel. Simon Templeman and Michael Bell once again voice Kain and Raziel, respectively, and the rest of the cast includes Richard Doyle as Mobius and Breaking Bad’s Anna Gunn as Ariel.
The other big Legacy of Kain announcement from the PlayStation State of Play livestream was the confirmation of a Defiance remaster. The 2003 action game is out even sooner than Ascendance–March 3–and it’s resurrecting the cult classic with sharp graphics and several quality-of-life upgrades.