“The first, bitter taste of that terrible illusion: hope.”
After twenty-one years since the release of Defiance in 2003, the once great gothic horror adventure series: Legacy of Kain has finally been resurrected (in a way) with two remasters of the second and third entries in the franchise: Soul Reaver & Soul Reaver 2. Following the vampire-wraith: Raziel, the Soul Reaver games chart his journey of betrayal, revenge and revelation; leading him from the depths of the underworld to going back in time to discover the means of changing one’s destiny. Being a remaster, the original gameplay and story remain intact, with Aspyr going in on the aesthetic front, upgrading the games visuals, controls and performance for modern consoles. Having released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch and PC on 10th December 2024, I’ll be going over the time I’ve spent with the PlayStation 5 version of the game; deconstructing the negatives, highlighting the positives, whilst ultimately giving my opinions on whether the game is worth your time and money at the £24.99 asking price (UK PSN Store).
During my formative years and beyond, nothing has left such a profound impact on my love for gaming as much the Legacy of Kain franchise has. The dark, horror-fantasy themes of the world of Nosgoth, the Shakespearean delivery of the game’s dialogue as well as the overarching narrative as a whole of the Ancient Vampires vs. the Hylden is just something that was absent from many other franchises at the time, with nothing coming close to the level of storytelling on offer. The titular anti-hero: Kain (voiced by the excellent Simon Templeman) quickly became my favourite protagonist of all time, with 1996’s Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain being a personal highlight of the franchise for myself (I wrote at length for my love of the game here). Despite the franchise developing a stellar cult following in the late 90’s/early 2000’s which spawned multiple sequels, the franchise would fall into the realm of obscurity by the time Sony released the PlayStation 3, laying dormant for well over twenty years. Following the release of Legacy of Kain: Defiance in 2003 and two cancelled sequels later, the first rumours of a reboot/sequel started around 2017, with some cryptic tweets from Crystal Dynamic’s twitter page, later going on to get confirmed from an anonymous source that it was a remaster of Soul Reaver that was in the works; killing any hope for a long-awaited sequel. Fast forward seven years and the long-suspected remaster is here, and is the stellar work of long-time community modder and LOK veteran: Raina Audron, acting as the director of the remaster for Soul Reaver and Soul Reaver 2 (in collaboration with Aspyr Media).
Cruelty from the light: Vampires in LOK are subject to the textbook weaknesses of the literary creatures; fire and sunlight scorch them alive, as well as immersion in water (it doesn’t need to be holy in this universe).
First and foremost (and to be fair to the IP) it has to be understood that this is a Remaster, not a remake (despite the very obvious facelift) and as such gameplay elements that were present in the 1998 and 2001 titles remain very much the same, of which haven’t exactly aged the best. For starters, Soul Reaver looks absolutely phenomenal with its updated textures, everything from character models and environments have had their visuals updated with a fresh resolution for modern consoles. Gameplay in Soul Reaver consists largely of environmental puzzles, traversing the landscape whilst using the game’s primary mechanic of shifting between the material and spectral realm, primarily to pass obstacles that are somewhat unpassable depending on the dimension. The vast majority of the game’s puzzles are block based, meaning you will be spending a large amount of time shifting around blocks for the right combination, which can feel a bit like My First Vampire’s Rubik’s Cube. Combat is quite tactical, as enemies cannot be dispatched by melee hits alone, forcing you to think on your feet and use your environment to dispatch your foes. Fire, sunlight and water are deadly to vampires, other means of dispatching them involves impaling them on melee weapons and throwing them onto wall spikes. Once killed, Raziel’s health is restored by feeding on the souls of his victims, making him more of a vampire wraith by nature. Gameplay is largely the same in Soul Reaver 2 with some improved mechanics surrounding Raziel’s wraith blade and less emphasis on block puzzles. From a gameplay standpoint, it has to be reiterated that these games are products of their time and should not be judged too harshly on their somewhat archaic mechanics.
In terms of performance (and to no one’s surprise) the games run as perfectly as possible (they are effectively PS1 titles with a shiny new coat of paint on them). Both games run at a fluid 120fps (if the respective setting is turned on and your hardware supports it) at native 4K resolution, showcasing no performance drops across the twenty or so hours it took be to complete both titles. The game features a cool addition in that you can switch between both the old school PS1 textures and new ones on demand by pressing R3, something that eagle-eyed veterans of the franchise can use to check for the most subtle of changes. In addition, the game features a photo mode that can make use of the updated visuals to take excellent screenshots, a feature than is a fan-favourite of modern gaming. Controls have been updated across the board, most notably with complete control of the camera using the right stick which is definitely one of the better quality of life features afforded to the remaster. The inclusion of an on-screen compass and world map are also great features; the original games could be somewhat cumbersome to navigate at times, and with these additions they definitely make the game feel more modern. As standard, the games also feature full trophy support for those of you out there than like to 100% the games they play (I can’t remember the last Platinum I actually chased). The legendary score for both titles has returned intact also, holding down some of the most memorable soundscapes and ambient music that the industry has ever had to offer (Ozar Midrashim is a personal favourite of mine).
Our Dying World: Soul Reaver 1 and 2 showcase the land of Nosgoth at different periods of the timeline, both before and after the events of Blood Omen, as well as the wasteland that followed Kain’s decision to condemn the Pillars, and subsequently Nosgoth to ruin.
Overall, Soul Reaver and Soul Reaver 2 are arguably some of the best games in one of gaming’s most forgotten franchises. Featuring a stellar timeless narrative, with some of the best voice work ever produced by the industry. Simon Templeman as Kain, Michael Bell as Raziel and the late Tony Jay as the Elder God, is a trio of voice-acting behemoths that simply cannot be reproduced, period. Whilst the games do have some outdated gameplay design that may feel somewhat archaic, that is overshadowed greatly by the amount of quality storytelling that is on offer, being somewhat Shakespearean in its delivery. For £24.99, what we have here is an absolute steal, even if it’s not your first foray into the series. The amount of polish afforded to two of PlayStation’s greatest formative titles is indicative of the love and passion the community of this franchise has afforded it over the years; from fan art to cosplays, you only have to look at the bonus features section of the remasters to see the amount of love people have for the franchise; but to close off the review is something that I would like to address directly to Embracer Group/Crystal Dynamics, give this series the justice it deserves and either announce or begin work on a reboot/sequel; there is nothing I want more in the world. Vae Victis.
A PlayStation 5 review code was provided by Sandbox Strategies.