I'm a strange sort of gamer that plays Castlevania and Legacy of Kain, Castlevania in which you oppose Dracula and the creatures of the night, and Legacy of Kain where you control a vampire lord named Kain, a real switch. But here's my review of Legacy of Kain: Defiance

Plot: Legacy of Kain has a bit of a complicated storyline. Luckily, a lot of it is easy to look up. Legacy of Kain: Defiance is the fourth proper cannon game of the Legacy of Kain series (Blood Omen 2 is considered to be a spin-off). It takes place after Soul Reaver 2, and has you playing as both Kain and Raziel, trying to defy the chains of fate yada yada yada. Basically one guy is a vampire who wants to discover the true nature of his powers and the history of his people, and one is a wraith who wants to earn his free will. One drinks blood, the other consumes souls. One uses a physical blade that absorbs the blood it is soaked in, one uses a living spectral sword that sucks the souls of those that it cuts. And they both hate each other, and hold the keys to killing each other. Raziel can only kill the immortal Kain by draining his soul, Kain's sword can utterly destroy Raziel's wraith form. But which one is the good guy? Both are anti-heroes, so you really don't know.

Graphics: Nothing outstanding, though some effects are pretty impressive. The creatures you take on and the supernatural elements are very impressive, but not the best i've seen.

Gameplay: Kain and Raziel are controlled at different times, Kain tends to take on more human enemies and tends to be more dynamic and direct in his approaches, while Raziel must pass through obstacles and evade enemies by constantly switching from the Spectral Realm and Material Realm. Each one also has some stark differences in abilities. Kain has greater telepathic abilities and as a vampire can drink the blood of his enemies to rapidly regain health, but you have to take great care as Kain cannot stand the touch of water. Raziel has weak telepathic abilities, but he gains several more elemental abilities than Kain, and also can choose his fights because as a Wraith he can constantly discard and reform his physical body, but his body decays faster without souls. There is also a large puzzle element. The map is pre-rendered, but there is a first person view option. Gameplay can be compared to that of Castlevania: Lament of Innocence. Nothing too difficult, but nothing special.

Difficulty: The fights are actually very easy because you can regain health constantly if you drain the blood or soul of your enemy. The catch is that there are a lot of puzzles and exploration, and navigation is a bit of a pain. You'll notice the flaws are a lot more apparent with Raziel also.

Music: Decent music, but you also get some pretty good voice acting. Something about Kain shouting "VIE VICTUS" as he plunges his sword into his enemies abdomen and drains their blood just is very satisfying.

Overall: A real time consumer. Legacy of Kain is like Devil May Cry with a strategy and puzzle element. It is worth checking out, just be prepared to devote a lot of time and patience to it.

Final rating: 7/10