Legacy of Kain: Ascendance

Harken mortals! I, Kain, the Scion of Balance, the once and future king of Nosgoth, deign to speak upon this paltry offering titled Legacy of Kain: Ascension. True, it bears my name and treads the blood soaked stones of my eternal domain, yet were it not shackled thus to the grand tapestry of my saga, none would spare it a single glance. It would drift into oblivion - unlamented, unremembered, unworthy of the meagerest of tombs. 2 STARS for Templeman and Bell

You may have uncovered the past, but you know nothing of it.

Huge fan of LOK... and admittedly I had fairly low expectations, but was excited for anything LOK. That being said, this game breaks my heart. Story is mediocre at best, and the gameplay less than fun. It's functional for sure, but incredibly flat. It amazes me that such a great universe can produce something so uninspired.

The sprite art is good and it's nice to hear the original voice actors again. The gameplay looks like classic Castlevania, but it plays more like classic Ninja Gaiden with janky controls and awkward platforming. But the worst thing about this game is the story. It's like really bad fan fiction stapled onto the lore of the series, starring a insufferable OC character that just so happens to instigate every major plot point in the series. Just awful.

If you care for the story that the LoK series is known for then this game is not for you. It's a poorly written fan fic with little to no regard or respect for the continuity that built this franchise. Gameplay style is cool, LoK always changed things up but is also underwhelming. It really feels like a cheap castlevainia rip-off. Controls feel ok at best but unpolished. Weirdly feels both stiff and responsive, also unnecessarily difficult. I only hope the money I've wasted here goes to a better game in the future that fans actually want. Nobody wants/cares for the new characters presented here, there are so many others that could've been used to make a game but are just left forgotten. Umah is a better character than Elaleth. Truly a disservice to sell this slop. We all deserve better. This is the bitter taste of that terrible illusion... Hope