Story The story will pick up where SR2 left off. The game is primarily set in the time of the original Blood Omen. As in SR2, Raziel and Kain remain at odds with each other, yet will be forced to realize that they share a greater threat than one another. Kain’s first concern will be searching for Raziel.  He will begin the game in the location depicted in the many screenshots that show him fighting armored soldiers, (probably Sarafan) in what was likely the place at which SR2 left him: the Sarafan Stronghold. Raziel will begin the game trapped in the Spectral Plane by the Elder, and separated from Kain by an additional 5 centuries.  His first goal will be to escape. It has been confirmed that The Elder, Vorador, and Janos will appear in Defiance.  Unsurprisingly, Moebius’ schemes are not yet done. Many of the unexplained mysteries from the previous games are promised to be addressed. New questions will arise.     Gameplay Both Raziel and Kain will be playable characters, with the perspective alternating between them at fixed points in the story. Raziel will retain his ability to glide, scale walls, shift between the Material and Spectral Planes, and use telekinetic projectiles. Kain’s abilities will include advanced telekinesis (allowing him to topple obstacles), bat form, and the floating jump and super jump moves from BO2. More abilities will be acquired throughout the course of the game. Emphasis and greater attention has been given to the combat system.  Additions to the combat system include air “juggles”, combos, charge attacks, and more multi-enemy battles. Kain and Raziel will each be armed with a different incarnation of the Soul Reaver, and will not use any other weapons throughout the course of the game, making a wider variety of combat moves available, rather than a wider variety of weapons. The Reavers' need to feed will compete with that of the main characters’.  Feeding the Reaver will allow for more powerful attacks. Raziel’s Soul Reaver will feed on souls, just as it did in the previous games.  However, Kain will possess the original version of the sword that feeds on blood. For the first time in an LoK game, Kain will be able to feed by biting, in addition to telekinetically drawing blood from his prey from a safe distance, (as was done in previous games). As in the original Blood Omen, human prisoners who have been chained to walls will provide Kain and Raziel will opportunities to feed outside of combat. Both Kain and Raziel will use telekinesis to solve puzzles and fight battles. The ability to use telekinesis will be regulated by a meter. The camera system will be more cinematic, showing more of the surrounding area and action than those of the previous games in the series. The ability to inspect an area from a first-person perspective will be optional. The game will be divided into chapters, however, both characters will still be free to back-track, and explore the world as they wish.  They will not be locked into a specific level. Bonuses are promised for voluntary exploration of Nosgoth. The game will feature a diversity of environments, including some that are recognizable from previous games. The puzzles are now more environmentally based. Challenges have been added to the Spectral Plane for Raziel. Raziel is reported to now need to somehow possess the bodies of his defeated enemies in order to will himself into the Material Plane. Raziel’s means of shifting to the Spectral Plane has become more gruesome looking as well. Players will be able to save their progress in the game at any time, rather being required to seek out save points. The improved AI of enemies will keep them busy during combat, rather than standing idle while the player is fighting another target. There will be 5 boss battles, and 8 sub-boss battles.  Janos is one of the bosses.     Development All of the voice actors whose characters are present in Defiance will return to play their roles. DVD bonus material will be added to, at least, the PS2 version of the game. Devil May Cry has been noted for giving inspiration to the combat system, while ICO has been noted for giving inspiration to the camera system. It is being made for PS2 and Xbox. It has now been announced that a PC version is slated for November, along with the PS2 and Xbox versions. Defiance is currently scheduled to be released in November, (but with any cooperation on Eidos’ part, and that of the fans, it will be released when it's done, to avoid such things as the lack of lip-synching in the final level of BO2 and the inexplicably missing characters of SR1.) All of the people who we know to be working on Defiance thus far previously worked on the Soul Reaver games.  However, there are members of the Defiance team that worked on BO2 in addition to the Soul Reaver games. The story is being written in such a way that newcomers to the series will still be able to understand what takes place in Defiance without needing to play the previous games.

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