Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered Review (PS5) | Push Square

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When you think back on the Soul Reaver games, you think about their atmosphere, their tone, and that often immaculate voice acting. What you don't necessarily think about, is how awkward and clumsy they were to actually play — and ultimately, those same ups and downs apply to Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered.

To be clear, both Soul Reaver and Soul Reaver 2 are deserving of the remaster treatment. Even now, they stand out as unique journeys through a memorable dark fantasy setting, complete with great characters and some fantastic storytelling.

In particular, the original Soul Reaver helped define a console generation. At the time of its release in 1999, it was intriguing and mature in ways that few other action adventures were.

Player character Raziel is cast down and killed by his master, the all-powerful Kain, in the game's opening cutscene. He's then resurrected hundreds of years later, coaxed into a quest for revenge through the honeyed words of an ominous power.

Even by today's narrative standards, it's a superb setup, and as alluded, the storytelling does some very heavy lifting in carrying the entire experience. Soul Reaver's script remains elegant and compelling; the writing can appear overly dramatic, but it's brought to life by some truly excellent performances. The game was ahead of its time in this department, and it still holds up exceptionally well.

Structurally, Soul Reaver consists of mostly linear environments that connect to one another and loop back upon themselves, not unlike the design in a classic Metroidvania. What's more, Raziel unlocks new abilities that pave the way to additional areas and secrets as you progress.

In the original release, backtracking could be a source of frustration — even with the inclusion of locations that you can fast travel between. But in this remaster, the introduction of a map screen helps you maintain a better sense of direction. You'll still need to make a mental note of previously inaccessible areas