These days vampires are seen as a glamorous and romantic race due to movies like Twilight. But when you go back to the time they were created, they were far from that, in fact they were the exact opposite. They were blood thirsty monsters who fed on the innocent, terrorized villages, and often had conflicts with others of their race for control. Legacy of Kain: Ascendance is a 2d-platformer where you act like a true vampire, flying through the air, slaying your enemies and drinking their blood.

The game itself plays decently, as it covers the basics of a 2d-platformer. You have your basic sword attack, you have wings that allow you to glide in the air, which can help you speed through levels, you can dash across gaps and towards enemies, and of course you can feed off your enemies’ blood to heal up. However there isn’t much else that adds to this game. The enemies can be a hassle to attack because a lot of them attack from a distance and don’t stay still long enough to be hit with your normal attack. You do have something of a homing attack that you can do in the air to close the distance and attack your opponent (this is especially useful during boss fights), but it isn’t the most reliable and you will take a lot of damage and will have to feed on them to recover.

Feeding on the enemies is the only way to heal and while you won’t be short on food, it does affect the flow of the battle. You stop dead in your tracks to rip off the throat and drink their blood, and while you have invincibility frames while you feed, it gets annoying after a while. They are prisoners you could feed off of as well but they are usually out of the way and are really only good in an emergency when you are low on health and you aren’t comfortable going into a fight.

The story also doesn’t make much sense especially if you are just going into the franchise. The series is based on the graphic novel and this specific game, while also based on the graphic novel, has a hard time fitting into the timeline. The last novel had ended in a cliffhanger so most people thought this game would continue the story but it goes into a new one instead with little or no explanation of the characters. Alleith is on a revenge quest against her brother Raziel but they don’t mention why she is going after her brother. They only mention a curse, but they don’t go into more detail, leaving you wondering what exactly happened between those two.

The levels themselves do fit the dark tone of the game. Dark mountains, campsites, dungeons, this game has it all. You really feel like you’re in a horror story, fighting for survival, dominance, and revenge. The level design does have some issues. The first level alone has it so it’s hard to tell where you are supposed to go. The platforms blend into the background making it hard to tell what are actually platforms and what are just background pieces. They are even torches that look like they are just decorations but they are actually hazards that harm you. Most games will have torches as either a decoration or a marker to tell the players where to go next, so most games will keep forgetting that they are dangerous and are to be jumped over.

Like most games, they are collectable to increase your health and magic. But to be honest you don’t require any of them. The game gives you plenty of starting health and magic so it’s more for a completionist than an average player. I went through most of the game and didn’t once need to upgrade my health and magic, but if you like getting 100% then go right ahead cause this game has plenty to keep you busy in that aspect.

In conclusion, Legacy of Kain: Ascendance, while a decent game, doesn’t give off the Legacy of Kain feel that the past games have. From basic controls, hard to navigate levels, and confusing story, this game needed more time in the pot to make it the game it deserved to be. If you truly want to get into this franchise, I recommend playing any of the other games and looking up the graphic novel to get an idea of the story and the world.

Score: 6 out of 10

Reviewed on PlayStation 5