Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is now in high-definition!

As some of you know, one of my favorite gaming trends nowadays is HD, upgraded remasters of the hits from yesteryear. This trend has found its way with a remastered collection of two games I knew next to nothing about yet knew just for being a gamer of a certain age: Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver and Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2. As of this writing, I finished the first game and I’m eager to get into the second. This is yet another series I’ve been curious about but never got around to. So, this HD remaster was a perfect entry point.

Soul Reaver takes place in the dark, gothic world of Nosgoth. Populated by vampires, demons, and other creatures of the night, Nosgoth has a hierarchy and set of traditions like those in real world. One of the higher ranked vampires in Nosgoth is Raziel, a first lieutenant that somehow achieved a higher state of evolution. His leader, Kain, despises this atrocity and plunges him into an abyss. Centuries pass. Raziel awakens in a new, bizarre form and wants revenge against his former leader. Nosgoth looks entirely different than it did in its glory days. Guided by a mysterious voice, Raziel will venture between the material world and the spectral world in his quest for vengeance. Anyone that gets in his way will get their soul appropriately reaved.

The setting and story of Soul Reaver were the perfect combination of serious and camp. Raziel and the various faces he interacted with communicated with one another in a silly yet fitting way that felt perfectly at home in a gothic world like Nosgoth. It made uncovering the story more fun. The script, while outlandish, still managed to be believable. Much of that was thanks to the brilliant voice acting. It’s wild to me that this was a game released when voice acting was somewhat new and hardly anything worthy of a listen. Raziel, Kain, and the rest of the characters sound impeccable. The music took a backseat to the sounds and voice acting, but that’s hardly a critique since the music fits the haunting, empty setting.

It’s important to remember that Soul Reaver was a game from 1999, originally on the PC and Sega Dreamcast. An impressive script and story can feel like an afterthought when you’re taking control of Raziel. This version of Soul Reaver simply received an HD upgrade. So, you’re getting a prettier version of a game of a certain age and era. 3D adventure games from back then required a lot of patience, and that applies today. Players help Raziel as he navigates the spectral realm and material realm gathering clues about Kain’s whereabouts, destroying his vampire brethren, and acquiring new powers. The world of Nosgoth was a vast, mazelike open world that was easy to get lost in. It’s not always clear where Raziel’s next story point lied. There’s a “map” that can be accessed that showed missing collectable items, but in terms of what you’re supposed to do, things got hairy. To add, there were a lot of hidden areas to discover as Raziel unlocked more abilities. Soul Reaver was another “collectathon” but with a different setting.

But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Some of Raziel’s journey is spent massacring enemies for their souls to provide him with nourishment. At the start of the game, Raziel can perform a combo with this fists or picked up weapons to stun them. To kill them, however, you have to be creative with the environment. Pick up a spear to use for impaling. Toss an enemy into sunlight or a burning fire. Throw them into water. There are plenty of options that are over the top and ridiculous, yet always satisfying. Eventually, Raziel acquires the spectral, titular sword that uses dark energy to rend his foes apart. This sword only activates if Raziel is at full health. Despite his powers, Raziel’s new form is a weak, fleshy shell of what it once was. He takes damage easily. Other abilities include a jump, a high jump, a slow downward float, and sneaking. More will get unlocked as the adventure continues. He’ll also acquire powerful magic that is fun to use when players want to clear a room with little effort.

Fighting enemies was a good time, despite it feeling stiff. This includes boss battles. Bosses in this game were more like puzzles, but still challenging and enjoyable. When not soul reaving or vampire slaying, exploration and navigation involved moving boxes. Lots and lots boxes. Boxes on boxes on boxes. Boxes of various sizes and functions. Boxes that required Raziel to cling to, push, and pull over and over again. Raziel was a capable warrior but moving boxes was a slow process from start to finish. A good three quarters of the game involved moving and positioning boxes. To call it tedious would be an understatement. You’ll be in each area for a while as you navigate each box puzzle. Nosgoth looks great, especially with its HD upgrade, but get used to seeing the same environments for a minute as you deal all the box puzzles. A misbehaving camera that would get extra erratic during jumping segments didn’t help, either.

Truthfully, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver was a short game. Its seven hour playtime just felt longer due to the unequal distribution of puzzles/exploration and narrative. There’s no mini-map; getting lost was a common occurrence. I highly recommend having some sort of guide on hand to avoid getting constantly turned around. Once the game ends, you’ll be treated to three of the most despised words in entertainment: “To be continued.” Indeed, Raziel’s journey was just beginning. I recommend going into this game knowing that you’re about to get an old-school, open-world experience. The great voice acting, writing, and atmosphere should hopefully be enough to overcome the tedium of moving boxes with a stiff control scheme.

Overall, 6.5/10: Reaving souls and listening to Raziel talk smack was enjoyable. Moving boxes and getting lost was not. Despite the issues, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver HD remained fun.