By Jatin Gundara

Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remaster, is a welcome return to a memorable series. Released in 1999, the original Soul Reaver was a classic from the PS1 and Dreamcast era, and its revered legacy still holds true to this day. Praised for its innovative gameplay and stellar narrative, the games hold a special place in history. Now, thanks to the efforts of Aspyr Media (the same studio that brought us the gorgeous remasters of the Tomb Raider trilogy), modern audiences can once again return to Nosgoth and experience the epic of Soul Reaver.

As a package, this game provides ample value. For just $30, there is so much jam-packed into it (Soul Reaver 1 & 2, extra gameplay elements, lore about Nosgoth, more), that it’s definitely worth picking up if you are already a fan of the Soul Reaver Series. However, if you’ve never heard of these games (Being still in high school, I hadn’t), they’re still worth looking into. The Legacy of Kain franchise follows the story of Raziel, a lieutenant to the Vampire overlord Kain, who is betrayed and cast into the underworld as punishment for surpassing his master’s abilities. An eternity later, Raziel wakes at the bottom of the underworld, a changed and decayed version of himself, with a new hunger for souls rather than blood. He sets out on a quest to find his master and avenge himself, all while slaying his vampiric brethren and uncovering the truth about Nosgoth’s destruction.

The worldbuilding of this series is remarkable. The Dark Fantasy aesthetic coupled with its movie-like cutscenes and eloquent, complex dialogue have no trouble drawing the player into the world of Nosgoth. The lore intertwines well with the gameplay, providing clues as to how to defeat certain enemies and traverse the world. The calling card of Soul Reaver is the dual-world system, in which Raziel can transfer between the spirit realm and the physical world using the power of souls which he absorbs from his enemies. In the physical world, the player encounters vampiric abominations born from the desecration of Raziel’s once noble bloodline. As such, the player learns to exploit the bloodsuckers’ weaknesses, being taught to impale, burn, or use water to defeat them. While combat is certainly an interesting part of the game, it’s hard to ignore the fact that after 10 or 20 encounters with the same type of enemies in the same scenario, the it can get a little stale. Even so, it should also be noted that once the game’s hallmark weapon and namesake is acquired by the player (the aptly named Soul Reaver, a sword of divine might), it becomes plenty of fun to be able to smite enemies.

Aside from combat, Soul Reaver has plenty to offer in terms of exploration and world traversal. Employing a semi-Metroidvania approach, each boss (a sibling of Raziel) will unlock a new ability which allows the player to backtrack and explore new areas. This feature is a welcome addition, but it doesn’t do much to disrupt the linearity of the story. However, it does add more ways to traverse the world the further the player proceeds. One aspect of the game that does somewhat detract from its appeal is the puzzle solving element. Most(at least in the first part of the game) revolve around pushing moveable cubes into different places to activate certain events or to be able to circumvent obstacles. While at first this mechanic is a nice way to break up combat and make the player feel as though they have a tangible impact, it quickly gets old. Not only is grabbing and pushing the cubes slow and clunky, it becomes incredibly boring after the first few times, and it doesn’t help that the road leading to the first boss of Soul Reaver 1 is practically littered with them.  This kind of gameplay is consistent across Soul Reaver 1 & 2, with the original following Raziel uncovering the secrets of a post-apocalyptic hellscape, while the sequel returns to a restored and rejuvenated Nosgoth. 

In terms of visual improvements, both games have been beautifully remastered. Models vastly improve on the original polygons, while not compromising the retro aesthetic by being too modern. Aspyr did a remarkable job sticking to the roots of the series, and if you’re not a fan, all it takes is one press of the right joystick to be able to return to the original models instantaneously.

In short, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remaster has clearly been made with passion and respect for the series. Providing wonderful value, and a clean, modern release, it’s a great pickup for any gamer looking for something fun to play this holiday season. There is hope that these remasters could spark a movement for the creation of a new game in the series, welcome news considering its last true game was released in 2003 (many consider the 2014 online collaborative multiplayer title “Nosgoth” not part of the Legacy of Kain’s game design ethos). I’m also excited to see what old titles Aspyr Media is going to tackle in the future. Surely, their next remaster will be of the same quality as the exceptional work they’ve done this year.

Jatin Gundara, who’s based outside Los Angeles, was our Fair Game Writing Challenge winner and is NYVGCC’s West Coast intern.

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