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Before the yellow-painted indicators and map markers leading us to every objective, we had Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver and its sequel, games that tested players like no other. It was full of intricate puzzles, unique ways to defeat enemies, and even realm-shifting mechanics thrown into the mix. Even if they are over two decades old, they sit comfortably on the bench of games that have aged well, and Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1-2 Remastered proves it flawlessly. While there are still some minor glitches here and there, Soul Reaver remains at the top of the dark fantasy adventure genre.
With the original game’s 25th anniversary, Aspyr took a shot at remastering one of the gaming industry’s most memorable vampire tales from the 2000s. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1-2 Remastered is a terrific improvement upon the classic entries that finally make this must-play adventure accessible for many. Even if there are some minor and sparse technical issues, I must say that playing these remasters was a blast. As someone who never finished the originals back in the day, I find it nice to see a bunch of QoL features that enhance the games without taking away what made them so unique.
A Tale of Betrayal and Vengeance
While my fellow mortgage payers should be already familiar with Soul Reaver‘s story, let me paint the bleak picture to our new fans. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1-2 Remastered tells the tale of Raziel, a fallen vampire betrayed by Kain, the protagonist of Blood Omen who plays a different role in the series. After Raziel surpasses the aforementioned betrayer, our protagonist gets thrown into a pit where he stays for thousands of years until a mysterious voice awakens him as a soul-devouring wraith. In the first game, Raziel’s journey is all about getting revenge while discovering what has happened to the once-blooming Nosgoth.
Throughout both entries, Raziel goes from wanting revenge on Kain to uncovering an even larger plot, manipulating each character, and even breaking the boundaries of time itself. Yes, it can get a bit complicated, but never too hard to follow. And even if the narrative is known far and wide by many, I won’t go into details because new players are in for a treat. In all my gamer years, I admit Soul Reaver has one of the most memorable plots out there. It never reaches eye-rolling levels of edginess. It never makes its characters into obvious cliches. Soul Reaver manages to maintain top-notch storytelling despite its convoluted topics at times. All in all, it is a must-play for dark fantasy fans who’ve never ventured into Nosgoth.
However, there are also some great things for our veteran fans who want to know more about the world our Soul Reaver inhabits. These remasters include the “Lost Levels,” which are a compilation of small sections that were cut from the game, all with their explanation and somewhat playable. There’s also the OST, some outtakes, demos, and even lore for the intricate world this series is known for. While the main game’s experience lies mostly intact, it is the added features that make these remasters a true love letter. And even as someone who didn’t follow the series closely, it was nice to see what went behind the creation of these classics.
Modern Without Losing Its Soul
Given the years these games launched, we can’t expect intricate gameplay. In truth, it is quite basic but not bad. In the first game, you have your usual attack button. You can perform a few buttons to beat enemies and even grab weapons from around the map to use them to smack foes. Defeating bosses usually earns you new upgrades to progress through new areas. Also, there’s puzzles galore. Some go from intricate and engaging to a bit frustrating. Thankfully, the Soul Reaver 1-2 Remastered has done many things to decrease that frustration.
Useful hints appear now in certain areas. You’ll get an icon next to an object showing you can interact with it. There’s a somewhat helpful map that lets you know where you’re at. Moving your camera feels much better—most of the time. There were a few instances of jank, but I’ll go over that later. Overall, Soul Reaver, the first one, is the one that benefits from the remaster much more. It enhances a classic with these new features but never takes away the difficulty and reward of exploring a gloomy place by yourself.
On the other hand, Soul Reaver 2 Remastered isn’t bad by any means, but I didn’t feel the changes to be that noteworthy. On the contrary, some felt a bit out of place. First, the good stuff: combat. Combat was drastically improved for the sequel, and it remains superb. You have more combos and more weapons. Enemy variety feels much better, and despite the years these games have, it feels even snappier than other recent titles. However, the graphical part felt a bit strange in certain scenarios.
For instance, in Soul Reaver 1 Remastered, the new textures and lighting improvements were noticeable and quite necessary to enhance the game’s areas. In the second, however, certain places felt darker and blander with the new visuals. They were not bad by any means, but some felt like they damaged the landscape more than they helped. Fortunately, it only happened in the first few areas of the sequel, and the rest was terrific.
Tailoring Your Nosgothian Adventure
The one thing I loved about Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1-2 Remastered was how customizable it was in terms of maintaining that old feel. Both games let you pick between adding a compass and hints. You can even swap visual styles at the press of a button, which was the right stick on my controller. In truth, this is a fantastic approach, especially for the purists out there who want the original experience. Still, it is great to see how accessible these remasters are.
Also, I’ve mentioned how the camera has been revamped here to make it more controllable. In general terms, it works perfectly. As someone who’s used to moving the camera around at all times, I find it nice to see how responsive these remasters feel. Yet, there were some instances of jank. In certain scenarios, the camera would move on its own, trying to realign itself with the current area. If I tried to move it, it would lead to some strange camera shaking. Fortunately, there were only a few instances of this, and they were never too distracting.
What was distracting, however, were some cutscenes in the sequel’s remaster. There’s one particular scene where the camera shakes in the original to add an extra effect to the storytelling. Looking at the original one, the shaking wasn’t too bad. Here, it was as if the characters were thrown into a blender while the cutscene happened. The silver lining was that it only occurred in this scene. But again, the sequel felt a bit bumpier regarding its remastered version. Still, it was enjoyable and didn’t suffer from any major hiccups.
Let the Reaving Begin
Ultimately, Soul Reaver is a dark fantasy adventure classic and one of the best in the gaming industry. I say this because, at the time these games launched, they had already innovated upon many aspects of the genre. The gameplay didn’t involve button-mashing mindlessly. You have to find permanent ways to defeat enemies. Boss fights involved careful planning and execution. Most puzzles were rewarding to solve, and unlocking a new area always felt great. All in all, it was a series that didn’t hold our hands. It placed us in a perilous world where our wits were our strongest weapon.
And now, Soul Reaver 1-2 Remastered brings that to modern platforms almost flawlessly. While I love both entries, the first one benefited from the new coat of paint much more. The locations felt even scarier and more immersive, thanks to the new visuals and improved VFX. The sequel isn’t bad by any means, but some textures just looked exactly the same, with only characters standing out. Still, Soul Reaver is one of the 2000s’ most memorable series, and it’s always great to see Raziel and Kain reaching a new audience because this tale of vengeance was, is, and will always remain timeless.
Review copy provided by Publisher.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1-2 Remastered (PC Reviewed)
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1-2 Remastered does more than just bring classic dark fantasy adventures under a new spotlight. It is a love letter to a beloved series of the 2000s that blends QoL features so perfectly that it is highly approachable to new and old fans alike.
Pros
- A plethora of modern QoL features
- Visual upgrades are fantastic and more noticeable in the first game
- The option to customize the game between old and new versions is amazing
Cons
- The camera can get a bit janky
- Some visual upgrades are not too noticeable in the second game
