20) Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (1999)

Originally released in 1999, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is a sequel to Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, though I feel that does little service to the fascinating story behind the scenes at Crystal Dynamics. Blood Omen was developed by Silicon Knights with heavy influences from vampire mythology, Shakespeare's plays, and The Wheel of Time book series, among others. Crystal Dynamics played the role of publisher for the first game. A lot of research and time went into the lore and world of the game, so when the relationship between Silicon Knights and Crystal Dynamics soured, things got complicated. Soul Reaver was delayed multiple times, and due these delays, a significant amount of material had to be cut. Still, what remained is an incredibly ambitious game that was well ahead of its time.

The story begins with our soon to be protagonist, Raziel, serving as a loyal follower of the vampire Kain. Raziel shows off some new wings that he's grown, only to have his master Kain forcefully remove them and then kill him, because Kain doesn't like when others have nice things. Raziel is then brought back as a wraith by The Elder God, who controls the Wheel of Fate. By the time this happens, centuries have passed, and because vampires are bad for both the economy and environment, the world has gone to shit. It's up to Raziel to find and kill Kain, ostensibly to restore order, but really for that sweet, sweet revenge.

The gameplay is like a mix of Legend of Zelda and Tomb Raider, with plenty of puzzles to solve, some light platforming, and a surprisingly in-depth combat system. You can use Raziel's torn wings for limited gliding, and attack enemies with your claws, rocks, spears, the environment, and the titular Soul Reaver, an energy sword that extends from your hand when at full health. Once you kill an enemy, you can suck up their soul to replenish your health while in the material plane. Oh, that's right, you actually have two separate planes to traverse. You can shift to the spectral plane at any time, and do so automatically when you die. To return to the material plane, you must make it to specific portals at full health. The dual planes are used often for puzzle solving, as routes may exist in one, but not the other.

As you proceed through the game, you acquire different power ups and abilities, and exploration is always rewarded. The world itself is presented to you fully at the outset, with each area organically flowing into the next. New areas become accessible as you gain new traversal options, making it well worth your time to revisit old areas to see if there's a route you can now explore. The only complaint I have about this is that the map you're given is less than helpful. It's like giving someone a map of the entire US, then expecting them to navigate a specific city. Still, all things considered, this is a minor issue.

I didn't play the game upon initial release, which is probably for the best as I was (and still am) an idiot. Luckily, Soul Reaver and its sequel were remastered earlier this year, and serve as an excellent way to experience the games. While I have no doubt that the controls were improved for modern audiences, I was pleasantly surprised by the inclusion of one of my favorite features in remasters. The visuals were updated, but at any time you can press a button and switch to the original visuals. What I love most about this is seeing just how good the original graphics were for the time, with a lot of the little details in the textures shining even brighter.

In addition to all of this, the game is fully voice acted, which was pretty rare at the time. Moreover, it's voice acted well, with some amazing talent behind it. We have Simon Templeton in one of his earliest roles as Kain, Tony Jay as The Elder God, and even Anna Gunn in one of her few voice acting roles. The only voice I wasn't especially keen on was Michael Bell as Raziel, which comes across a bit flat. I'm more than willing to overlook that as it's not bad, and considering Raziel doesn't have a lower jaw and just came back after being dead for hundreds of years, it works fine.

For years, I encountered two distinct groups of people, the ones who had never played the Legacy of Kain games, and the ones who swore by them. Having gone the majority of my life in the former camp, I now count myself among the converted. The rich lore, though a bit edgelordy for me at times, is merely the foundation for a gaming experience well ahead of its time. As I played, I kept seeing shades of things from other, more modern games. Specifically, I felt like I was playing an extremely forgiving early version of a Dark Souls game, and I mean that in the best way possible. I look forward to playing more games in the series, and hope that modern audiences can give this cult classic the respect it deserves.