Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered [PC] | REVIEW

The Legacy of Kain franchise is one of gaming’s most revered series, known for its intricate storytelling, gothic atmosphere, and innovative gameplay. It’s also one that fans have been missing greatly, with the last mainline entry releasing back in 2003 – over twenty years ago.

With Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered, Aspyr revisits two of the series’ standout entries and brings them to modern platforms, offering visual and quality of life enhancements to ensure each experience manages to stand the test of time. And sure, they’re not without their flaws, but the collection still manages to offer a rewarding experience that ensures that the legacy of Nosgoth is very much alive.

Check out some screenshots down below:

The remastered collection focuses on the journey of Raziel, a tragic antihero betrayed by his master, the vampire lord Kain. Cast into an abyss for surpassing Kain in evolution by growing wings (shouldn’t have drunk that Red Bull), Raziel is resurrected years later as a wraith. In Soul Reaver, his quest for vengeance takes him through a decayed Nosgoth, where he confronts his former master. The sequel, Soul Reaver 2, sees Raziel uncover the secrets of his own past and Nosgoth’s history, all whilst continuing his journey to bring down Kain.

The storytelling remains a highlight of the experience, bolstered by stellar voice acting from Michael Bell and Simon Templeman as Raziel and Kain. Their performances elevate the wonderful dialogue, lending gravitas to the characters’ complex dynamics and their journey to reach their induvial goals. It’s something I didn’t appreciate quite as much when I played the game in my younger years, but man, the voice acting really helps pull you into the world and makes it feel all the more believable. While the narrative complexity intensifies in the sequel, both games excel in weaving gothic fantasy with cosmic horror, creating an enduringly rich world.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered’s gameplay blends third-person puzzle-solving, exploration, and combat within semi-open worlds, with players given freedom to explore as they deal with each obstacle in their path. They will traverse Nosgoth’s landscapes, solving environmental puzzles and engaging in combat against vampires, humans, and other foes along the way, all whilst utilising Raziel’s unique skillset to ensure they get the upper hand over their enemies. Raziel’s ability to shift between the Material and Spirit realms is central to both games, offering a unique mechanic where obstacles in one realm can be bypassed in the other – it’s something that has been done a lot in modern titles, but I always remember being wowed by it when I played the games back when they originally released. This dual-realm traversal adds depth to exploration and puzzle-solving, with it managing to remain a standout feature even decades later.

“Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered successfully revives two classic titles that remain hallmarks of storytelling and atmospheric world design to this day.”

Combat in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered is pretty straight forward, with Raziel using claws, improvised weapons, and his evolving Soul Reaver blade to vanquish foes. Environmental interactions, such as impaling vampires on spikes or burning them with sunlight, feel satisfying, whilst the game’s allowance of button-mashing ensures encounters and frantic but rewarding. Of course, there are some variations between both titles, with the sequel offering an expanded skillset for Raziel as well as additional weaponry, but the core mechanics feel the same. It feels good, and whilst it obviously doesn’t offer the intricacies or depth of modern third-person action titles, it’s still a lot of fun – just keep your expectations in check… both games ARE over twenty-years old now.

Exploration has Metroidvania-inspired progression, with new abilities unlocked by defeating bosses which allows access to previously unreachable areas. This means there’s a lot of backtracking, which can admittedly feel a little bit tedious due to the linearity of some paths and the somewhat dated level design. Whilst the visuals have been improved, a lack of depth and detail in some locales can feel obvious the longer you play, with this the one area I think the game could’ve done with some re-designing to improve upon the experience. But hey, this a remastered release rather than a remake, so it does makes sense. It just might have been nice to see a bit more grandeur to some locations to make them feel a bit more interesting to explore, and whilst it never felt boring (and it’s something that’s due to the game’s older age so it is forgivable), players that are new to the franchise might have expected a little bit more.

Check out some screenshots down below:

That being said, the remastered visuals provide a substantial improvement over the original, with more detailed character models and sharper re-designed textures found in the environment. I was a big fan of the effort made in the remaster of the original Tomb Raider trilogy by Aspyr, and that same high standard is found here, with every aspect of the game’s visuals seeing a revamp. Being able to toggle between the original and remastered visuals really emphasises just how much work has been done to make everything look prettier, with Aspyr doing a really good job of making these decades old titles feel… well… new.

Performance-wise, the games run smoothly, with modern additions such as configurable camera sensitivity and controller remapping enhancing the experience for modern gamers. There’s also a treasure trove of bonus content on offer, making for a real a love letter to fans of the series. Players can access lost levels, concept art, behind-the-scenes footage, and lore materials that delve into Nosgoth’s history. The addition of playable cut content adds a layer of nostalgia and insight into the development process too, and whilst it’s clearly unfinished, it’s refreshing to experience something new within the world of Nosgoth. It just makes the collection feel all the more worthwhile and substantial to those returning gamers that really want to celebrate what made the Soul Reaver titles so damn good to begin with.

Developer: Aspyr, Crystal Dynamics
Publisher: Aspyr
Platform(s): PC (Reviewed), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Website: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2521380/Legacy_of_Kain_Soul_Reaver_12_Remastered