Legacy of Kain holds a special place in the heart of this old-school gamer, a world rich in gothic tragedy and existential dread. Legacy of Kain: Ascendance promised to tap into that lineage… But the end result feels more like a concept hastily cobbled together than a true return to Nosgoth’s haunting heights.
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Legacy of Kain: Ascendance delivers its biggest win out of the gate by reuniting the original voice actors. Hearing Simon Templeman as Kain and Michael Bell as Raziel is genuinely stirring, instantly transporting me back into the franchise’s murky mythos.
Unfortunately, what follows feels undercooked. The gameplay is remarkably simple, leaning too hard into the retro-style action. Despite there being four characters to control, combat loops aren’t varied enough and exploration lacks depth, resulting in an experience that’s shallow and repetitive rather than deliberately old-school.
Meanwhile, the story and cutscenes hop around with little concern for rhythm or clarity, making narrative beats feel disjointed rather than dramatic. The game features ‘PS1 style’, anime and comic style cutscenes, while all well done in their own right, the variance just adds to the disjointed nature of the story.
It’s clear the game wants to lean hard on nostalgia, but without compelling mechanics or coherent pacing to back it up, Ascendance ends up like a half-told tale. It’s familiar in voice but fleeting in impact.
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What I love about Legacy of Kain: Ascendance:
- The original voice cast returning.
- Moments that whisper of the franchise’s once-powerful narrative tone.
- Revisiting this world.
What I don’t love about Legacy of Kain: Ascendance:
- Extremely simple, dated gameplay that rarely evolves.
- Story and cutscenes that jump around without grounding.
- It feels rushed and reliant on nostalgia rather than substance.
Is Legacy of Kain: Ascendance worth your time?
If you’re primarily chasing familiar voices and old memories of Nosgoth’s darker days, there’s a fleeting spark here. But for players seeking meaningful adventure, engaging systems, or a narrative that grips from start to finish — this ascent feels too shallow to justify the climb.
Legacy of Kain: Ascendance is available now on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.
Access to Legacy of Kain: Ascendance was supplied to Quest Daily for the purpose of this review.
