Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered Review

The full story for both Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver carries over both games. It takes place 1500 years after the events of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and tells the story of Raziel, a vampire-turned-wraith, who was a lieutenant under Kain. Kain decides to get rid of Raziel by killing him and leaving him to die. However, Raziel is revived by The Elder God only if Raziel accepts to be God’s Soul Reaver and exact his revenge.

The Soul Reaver games are 3D action, platformers where players are encourage to explore every nook and cranny. Given that both games are from a different time, don’t expect these games to hand hold you to your objectives. These games require players to pay attention to cutscenes and conversations in order to figure out your next move and objectives.

Combat in both games is (still) surprisingly solid. You can attack with your default weapons: hands with claws. The protagonist also as a normal and strong attack. Human enemies carry weapons that you’ll be able to pick up after dispatching them. To help out in combat, you can target the closest enemy in both games, but only the sequel features a (very beneficial) block option. Human and supernatural enemies will “drop” their souls after dispatching them. Holding down B will have Raziel suck the souls up and replenish his health.

What makes the Soul Reaver series standout from your typical 3D action platformer is the ability to jump between two realms: Spectral and Material Realms. You’ll start up in the Material one, but if you feel stuck or wondering what to do next, switching to the Spectral one can uncover new paths and secret that allows you to progress forward.

To help you in your revenge-filled quest, Raziel will find the Soul Reaver. This is actually Kain’s devilish sword. While very helpful to defend yourself in the Spectral realm, using in the Material one has dire repercussions. As you attack with it, the Soul Reaver meter will slowly fill up. If it maxes out, the sword will start consuming your health unless you put it away.

Speaking of the realms, they play a part in your survival. If your health runs out in the Material realm, you’ll be transported into the Spectral one. In order to return to the Material realm, there are two conditions: you’re health in the Spectral realm (different health meter) needs to be full and you need to find a light circle to return. The Realms mechanic is an interesting way to keep the gameplay fresh.

Both games look great. Sure they do look outdated compared to more recent outings of the last 10 years, but Aspyr made a great job in updating the visuals to make it more modern so to speak. The glow up can be seen with the screenshots displayed in this review. Aspyr, much like Nightdive studios, are masters in adding a layer of beautiful HD paint to classic, older games. On the audio side of things, Aspyr did manage to update it, but it’s a bit more subtle than visual changes. The voice acting is top-notch and feels like it holds up even better than expected. The soundtrack is a dark, gothic score.

While there’s nothing inherently wrong with this swift little package, the gameplay does show its age, especially the first Soul Reaver game. By today’s standards, both are also “where the fuck do I go” kind of games as they both do not offer any hand-holding whatsoever. There’s a map, but it doesn’t help much; and even after story related events, you’re rarely told where to go.

Also the dark backgrounds/environments can be confusing causing you to go around in circles. You have to pay attention to the cutscenes. Also while they did a beautiful job upscaling the visuals, they are still very dark. If you try to play these games during sunlight or with lights on in your room, you won’t see anything.

While I’m personally getting bored with the remaster/remake fad, Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered is how a remaster should be done. Aspyr did a great job giving these games a beautiful visual update while keeping the core of the game intact. The combat is solid, the realms navigation adds a unique layer of gameplay. But despite Aspyr’s visual work, lots of areas still remain way too dark; making these levels unplayable if there’s light in the room. Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered is highly recommended for some 3D action good time. But newcomers, be warned, a guide (if you can find it online) or an online walkthrough is borderline necessary to progress.