How old is Sonic the Hedgehog?

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is a game with a very interesting history. The game originally released in 1999 on the PlayStation and PC, with a SEGA Dreamcast release early in 2000. It was a direct sequel to open ended adventure game Blood Oman: Legacy of Kain, but unlike its 2D top-view predecessor, Soul Reaver took things to a whole other dimension; the third dimension. 

Building off of what Blood Oman started, Soul Reaver was an impressive feat, with countless areas to explore, puzzles to solve, and an intriguing story that had its fair share of surprises. It was a game that seemed straight forward at a first glance, but in reality, it was an adventure players could easily spend dozens of hours, and still never see everything it had to offer. Again, it was impressive; especially for 1999.

But that was the then.

And this is now. 

With Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered now upon us, it has never been a better time for newcomers to jump into the series. Long time fans already love the games and know (mostly) what to expect, but those who have never played before have no idea what they are going to be in for. I was one of these people.

Although I grew up playing the demo disc as a kid, Soul Reaver wasn’t a game my parents bought me, and it honestly gave me the creeps. Little me got scared pretty easily, so a game about vampires and monsters for sure would’ve freaked me out. As an adult however, I found myself wanting to know more about the series I missed out on, and the announcement of the Remastered collection was the perfect opportunity! So when I was offered an early review copy of Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered, I was both extremely grateful, and excited to finally get a chance to jump in head first. I knew the brief history of what the series was, thanks to my previous curiosity, but even that didn’t prepare me for what was to come.

So here we are with my very own review of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver from the Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered collection. Before we move on however, I want to make this very clear that this review is only covering the first Soul Reaver, and that the collection does in fact include both games. In other words, you cannot buy them separately. If you want one, you are going to end up with the other either way. Both games are pretty unique with a slightly different gameplay style, so the reviews are separate. (Note: This review will be updated to include the link to the second game’s review once it is ready!)

The other thing I wanted to make clear about this review, is the fact that I played through this game how I would’ve back in 1999. This means going in completely blind, and figuring things out on my own. Those who follow a guide for Soul Reaver will have a different experience than those who go in alone, and that is simply because of the exploration based nature of the title. Knowing where to go at all times can take away from the game, but it can be tempting to look things up. This is exactly where the official guide books would’ve came in back in the day, but I didn’t have access to one.

Anyway, let’s find out exactly what Soul Reaver is, and if you should play it in today’s modern world!

The Story of Soul Reaver

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver begins with a bit of background information. Players learn of the land of Nosgoth, which has been filled with conflicts between the humans that live there and the vampires, and of Kain, the man who eventually put an end to humanity. 

As seen in Blood Oman, Kain set out to kill each of the corrupt guardians of the world, only to discover that he was in fact the final one. Refusing to kill himself however, Kain embraced his current vampire state, and lead his own vampires to take over the world. Thanks to this, Nosgoth decayed, vampires reigned supreme, and Kain sat as the supreme leader over all. It was a good day for the vampires as the Sarafan, whom once stood to eradicate the vampires, were instead stomped out themselves. Again, the vampires won, and the lieutenants under Kain awaited their rewards.

Enter Raziel.

Raziel was one of Kain’s top vampires, and one of the main reasons he was even able to take over Nosgoth. Raziel worked hard to secure the world in favor of the vampires, and was set to be one of the leaders in their new world order. However, Kain had other ideas for him.

Instead of thanking him, as he did Raziel’s “brothers,” Kain ripped Raziel’s newly grown wings off, and casted him into the Lake of the Dead. Although this should’ve been the end of Raziel, unknown to the vampires someone still hides under Nosgoth. The “Elder God.”

The Elder God is in control of the Wheel of Fate, and controls reincarnation of the world. Human souls are a part of this loop and keep the world in a constant cycle, while vampire souls are not. With vampires now in control of the world, new souls are not created, and old souls are being destroyed. The world is set for destruction as long as Kain continues to be in power, and he needs to be stopped. So, the Elder God revives Raziel as a Wraith, and sets him out on a quest to “save the world” and to get his revenge on Kain. To do so, Raziel must take down each of his former allies, and hopefully restore Nosgoth to its original state… That is, if it isn’t too late.

Although Soul Reaver only contains a handful of cutscenes throughout the entire adventure, it is a very story heavy game. This is a world rich with lore, and is packed full of environmental story telling. What seems like a pretty straight forward story at first, actually gets an entirely new layer added on top of it once you realize one “little” detail. (Which I obviously will not be spoiling here.) It’s things like this that make Soul Reaver’s story very unique, and those who play through it a second time will have a greater understanding of what is actually going on. It’ll even allow those who play Blood Oman after to see it in a new light as well! 

Overall, the series as a whole is very interesting, and Soul Reaver can easily be played as an entry point thanks to how the story is told. Obviously those who play Blood Oman will understand more of the callbacks, but it isn’t required. (Although there is a strong chance that Soul Reaver will make you want to go back to it.)

The Gameplay Between Two Worlds

The gameplay in Soul Reaver is very unique. 

The game is a 3D action adventure title, that has a very strong focus on exploration and puzzle solving, and features a world shift ability. When beginning the game, Raziel always begins in the underworld, and can follow the main path out to get back above ground. Along the way is a teleportation device which allows him to instantly travel back to different key checkpoints, but continuing past it will lead to the beginning above ground area. The issue however, is the fact that Raziel always begins in his spirit form, and thus cannot interact with the “real” world. So he must devour souls, and return to the mortal realm first.

Raziel’s health, located at the bottom right of the screen, controls his mortal state, and must be full to shift out of the spirit world. This is done by eating souls floating around, or by beating enemies until they are weak and eating them. Once his energy is full, Raziel can use specific key points to shift, and doing so will allow him to interact with the world. This means he’ll be able to open doors, push blocks, and fight enemies that are still living; however, his energy will constantly be draining, and he will eventually be forced back into the spirit world. Raziel can keep his energy up by consuming enemies in the world of the living, but vampires can’t just simply be killed.

The combat in Soul Reaver is pretty basic, with a simple melee combo from Raziel, and extra types of attacks when Raziel holds a weapon. Although these attacks cannot kill vampires, they can weaken them to the point where they can be finished, and this is done in different ways. Some weapons can impale vampires, which allows you to then suck their souls, but throwing them into bodies of water, or into fire works as well. Spikes on the walls are another way they can be killed, but are often pretty limited. 

As the game goes on, Raziel eventually gains access to the Soul Reaver sword, which allows him to kill vampires on his own; however, the sword is only usable when he is at max energy. Upon taking damage the sword is taken away, and cannot be used again until more souls have been consumed. This includes the projectile energy blast that is eventually unlocked, but other special skills and abilities can still be used as long as Raziel’s second form of energy is full. These abilities are not included as a part of the main story however, and must be unlocked by exploring. And that is where the main gameplay is found.

The world of Soul Reaver is massive in scale, with winding paths that take you in different directions. There are often side rooms to explore, and areas that are inaccessible until upgrades are discovered. The game never directly points you on where to go, but the Elder God will provide tips and hints to help you. Sometimes he’ll let you know an area is to the north or south, but how you get there is entirely up to you. All Raziel is equip with is a basic compass, and the game’s non linear nature doesn’t always allow you to travel in the direction you need to go. It becomes a maze you must navigate through, and often the path you need to take isn’t always that clear. Even the teleportation device can be a bit of a puzzle, because it doesn’t actually tell you where you are going. 

Instead, locations are represented by symbols, and players need to look at the in game map before hand to figure out where it is they want to warp to. Even then, sub locations within main regions are not detailed, so the Elder God telling you to go to a specific spot doesn’t always help you. Instead, you need to either know what region that spot is located in, or simply explore until you stumble across it; something that can be quite challenging.

Paths are not always clear, and sometimes Raziel must shift between the two worlds to actually see where to go. The layout of the spirit world is slightly different from the world of the living, and the world will shift around him while changing between the two. Platforms that were tall and out of reach in the real world, might actually be short and can be jumped on in the spirit realm. Walls that are solid might actually open up when shifting as well, and sometimes the changes are so slight that you might not even realize that you can now reach a higher ledge. This means players must give their full focus to the world around them, so they don’t miss out on these little changes that can make a world of difference. This is also how extra areas and hidden upgrades are discovered, but sometimes even the main story path is blocked by such small details. Not noticing these things can lead to countless hours of being lost, and that is exactly what will happen at least once during the course of the game.

Again, the world of Soul Reaver is not small by any means, and it truly is impressive for a PlayStation game.

Puzzles play a large role in Soul Reaver as well, with most of them revolving around pushing blocks. Blocks can be moved into place to create paths across gaps, but eventually the side of the block itself will matter. Blocks that have pictures on them need to be flipped and rotated to match up with the designs on walls, or sometimes they need to match up with the floor. This is seen constantly throughout the entire game, and only becomes more involved as additional abilities comes into play. Instead of simply pushing or pulling blocks, shooting them to knock them into place becomes a thing, and sometimes you need to drop them from higher levels to lower ones. While they never become too challenging, they are time consuming, and not always as clear cut.

But those aren’t the only puzzles the game has to offer.

Every single boss fight in Soul Reaver is a puzzle on its own. None of them are true direct fights, but instead require you to make use of the environment. This isn’t obvious at first, and requires exploring to actually figure out how to win. One boss in particular actually requires the use of a previously passed through location, and the game wants you to come to that realization on your own. Thankfully the game provides you with enough souls to keep yourself alive as you constantly fail, but these fights can be very long until you realize what you actually have to do. It might frustrate some, but those in the know will have no issues what so ever.

So with all of this being said…

Should you play Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver?

Yes. 100% yes! 

Although the game isn’t perfect, it really is an outstanding PlayStation title that can stand with the modern games of today. Its interesting story and setting provide a great background for this adventure, and Raziel is especially a very interesting character. The massive world filled with hidden places to find and explore is insane, and the game rewards you for going out of your way. It is a game that knows you will get lost, but it also respects your time and encourages you to overcome such roadblocks. 

The combat is pretty basic, but having to eat souls to finish off monsters is a unique concept, and the ability to shift between two worlds is incorporated very well across the entire game. Die to an enemy? Simply get forced back into the spirit realm, eat some souls, and come back for your revenge; death is never truly the end. 

On the flip side, there are some older game designs that plague the game, and must be overcome. Although the remaster features improved controls, the jumping can still be a bit stiff and clunky. This isn’t too much of an issue until areas that require near perfect platforming, but with some practice they can be beaten pretty easily. It just takes some getting used to, and overcoming some frustration as you plummet hundreds of feet back to the floor. 

Another plus side to the remaster is the option to switch between the graphics. Everything has been re-textured, with new models for the characters and enemies. These updates look really nice and help the game feel more like a later PlayStation 2 title, but the original graphics are an option as well. These too still look pretty nice, with the classic PlayStation models and textures really popping when seen in HD. I personally found myself switching between both modes constantly (as it can be done with a press of a button), just to compare how everything used to look to how it is now; a habit I developed back when Halo first did something similar. In the end, I played through the game half the time with the new style and half the time in the original; with the exceptions of cutscenes as the remastered visuals added lip flaps when characters speak… A very nice improvement if you ask me.

Overall, Soul Reaver is a game that those who enjoy exploration based games should play for sure. Yes, it is older, and yes you will get lost, but it is a unique experience that deserves being given a chance. This is a game that can easily bring new fans to the series, but it can also take a little bit of time for it to click. 

As for long time fans? If you loved the original, then you already know what you are getting with this complete package. One of your favorite games, with remastered graphics, and running at a much higher HD resolution. Nothing has been fundamentally changed, and that is exactly what something like this should be. It is the best version of a classic, and now it is easily accessible on modern day hardware. 

So is it worth playing? If you understand what this game is, and if it sounds interesting to you... Then I’d say so! It really is a lot of fun, and it is the game that made me a fan of the series.