Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered Review

thesixthaxis.com:

When it comes to early 3D gaming classics, Soul Reaver is definitely up there. It may not have become as prolific a series as, say, Tomb Raider or Metal Gear Solid yet it definitely had something special, so much so that fans have been pining for a new Legacy of Kain game for more than two decades.

To celebrate the original game’s 25th anniversary, Crystal Dynamics has teamed up with Aspyr to remaster Soul Reaver and its 2001 sequel. But is Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered the definitive way to experience these games? The short answer is yes, though the makeover isn’t as thorough as we’ve come to expect from modern remasters, and the experience is hampered by bugs and the absence of a major quality of life feature.

For those completely new to the series, Soul Reaver isn’t the first Legacy of Kain title. It all started a few years earlier with the release of Blood Omen, a top-down action adventure game that cast players as a noble-turned-vampire whose quest for revenge leads to a seismic upheaval within the gothic lands of Nosgoth. On the cusp of restoring balance, Kain is offered a choice: sacrifice himself to save the world, or condemn it to oblivion.

In Soul Reaver, the developers chose to make Blood Omen’s bad ending canon, thrusting the narrative forward several centuries. Suspecting that his chief vampire lieutenant will one day surpass him, Kain murders our hero Raziel, who is then risen by an Elder God to embark on a revenge odyssey of his own.

The Legacy of Kain boasts a rich narrative and setting that, at the time, seemed a strange fit for a 3D action game. The superb performances of Soul Reaver’s voice cast serves to elevate this, especially Michael Bell’s monologuing as Raziel throughout which is even more prevalent in the sequel. There’s a gothic grittiness to the presentation of these games too, spliced with themes of dark magic and decadence.

Aspyr’s remasters feature improved character models, textures, and effects, though the end result is