Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
| Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver | |
|---|---|
| File:Legacy Of Kain- Sould Reaver Cover.jpg | |
| Developer(s) | Crystal Dynamics |
| Publisher(s) | Eidos Interactive |
| Series | Legacy of Kain series |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation, Windows, Dreamcast |
| Release | (PS1, WIN) 2000 (DC) |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is a video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos in 1999. It is the second game in the Legacy of Kain series and the first game in the series not developed by Silicon Knights. Soul Reaver was released on the PlayStation, Sega Dreamcast and PC in 1999. In the events of the first game, Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, the Vampire Lord Kain refuses to sacrifice himself to restore the land of Nosgoth, dooming it to an eternity of decay as Kain builds an empire upon its ruins. Soul Reaver chronicles the journey of Kain's lieutenant Raziel as he is killed by Kain and returns from the dead to exact his revenge upon his Vampire brethren. The game was well received by critics and highly praised for its eerie atmosphere and a deeply intriguing gothic story but slightly criticized for having a vast, difficult to navigate world.[2][3]
Gameplay
Gameplay in Soul Reaver relies largely on shifting between the spectral and material realms. Although Raziel's interaction with the environment is limited in the spectral realm, he is able to use this to his advantage by passing through water like air and phasing through gates. However, blocks, doors and switches can only be interacted with in the material realm, forcing Raziel to explore both.[2] There exist numerous block puzzles in the game, requiring the rotation and flipping of large blocks and pushing them into place, often while avoiding other obstacles like enemies. Other puzzles are based on the differences between the spectral and material realms, such as various platforms and environment features shifting form to open new paths, as well as time-based switches — time does not pass in the spectral realm and certain time-based challenges require shifting.[2]
Combat includes the usage of torches and spears, with Raziel bludgeoning his enemies and impaling them or lighting them on fire as a finishing move. Raziel can also use the environment, and throw enemies into beams of sunlight, wall-mounted spikes or into pools of water.[2] Upon being killed, enemies leave behind a soul that Raziel can consume to replenish his health. Enemies are limited to humans and Vampires, each with their own variations; some humans are servants of Kain and attack Raziel while others are Vampire hunters and will ally with him, and there exist five different Vampire broods each with their own abilities. During the course of the game Raziel acquires the Soul Reaver, allowing him to exist in the material realm without the need for souls and, unlike other weapons which are dropped while shifting, can be used by Raziel in the spectral realm.[2] Beyond weapons, Raziel can also find and utilize various magical glyphs that can be used to attack groups of enemies with varying rates of effectiveness — the Sunlight Glyph is deadly to Vampires but does not harm humans, while the Stone Glyph affects all types of enemies but only does minimal damage.
Story
The story begins with a narration of the Vampire lord Kain sieging Nosgoth and seizing control over most of the land. His six vampiric lieutenants all serve him loyally, until one of them, Raziel, evolves wings before Kain; previously, the lieutenants would evolve new powers only after Kain. As punishment, Kain rips Raziel's wings to shreds and has him tossed in the Lake of the Dead to burn forever.[4] However, Raziel is plucked from the lake by The Elder God, who tells Raziel it is the hub of the Wheel of Fate, a cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Because Vampires are immortal, their souls do not spin with the Wheel and this causes the land to decay as the Wheel stalls. The Elder God has thus revived Raziel as a wraith to return to Nosgoth and take his vengeance by killing Kain, in doing so returning the souls of the Vampires to the Wheel.[5]
Raziel returns to find the land in ruins, the Sanctuary of the Clans where the lieutenants met decrepit, and the Vampires reduced to vaguely human monsters. Raziel infiltrates an abandoned Necropolis inhabited by the Melchiahim Vampires. At the bottom of the Necropolis he finds his brother Melchiah, devolved to the point where he is now a large, bestial being who cannot sustain his own flesh and thus skins others to keep himself together.[6] Raziel kills Melchiah and absorbs his soul. Using the power gained from this, Raziel invades the Sanctuary of the Clans and finds Kain at his abandoned throne. Kain draws the Soul Reaver, a powerful blade that absorbs the souls of its victims, and after a short battle, uses the Reaver to attempt to kill Raziel. However, the Reaver shatters, and Raziel slips into the spectral realm to find the blade's spectral self there. The spectral Reaver bonds with him, becoming one. After this, Raziel meets Ariel, a guardian of the Pillars of Nosgoth where Kain's throne lies, who tells him that as long as Kain lives, the Pillars that govern the land will crumble and Nosgoth can never be restored.[7]
Raziel ventures into a large cathedral once inhabited by the humans and finds his brother Zephon and his clan, who is now a large arachnid whose very body is part of the cathedral spire it dwells in. Raziel kills Zephon and uses the power gained from doing this to infiltrate an ancient crypt. In the crypt, Raziel discovers a series of coffins for members of the Sarafan, an elite tribe of Vampire hunters that had been killed off ages ago. To Raziel's horror, the names in the crypt are those of him and his brethren: in life, Kain's Vampire lieutenants had been Vampire hunters, and he chose the Sarafan to serve him as a cruel irony.[8] Raziel ventures under the crypt and finds a flooded abbey used by the Rahabim Vampires as a base. Raziel confronts his brother Rahab with what he has learned, but Rahab is unmoved and tells him Kain has already visited him and told him Raziel would kill him. Raziel does so and gains the power to swim. Using this gift, Raziel traverses the Lake of the Dead and enters the mountain fortress of his brother Dumah. However, Raziel finds the fortress abandoned, and the Elder God tells him that the Dumahim Vampires were scattered following an invasion of human hunters, and Raziel finds Dumah himself shackled to his throne with his heart pierced, his soul trapped in limbo.[9] Raziel frees Dumah, who thanks him for this, but Raziel reminds Dumah he was one of the two who threw him into the Lake of the Dead, and desires revenge. Raziel leads Dumah into a giant furnace, burning him alive and absorbing his soul.
Using Dumah's power, Raziel enters a series of caves known as the Oracle Caves, once used by Moebius the Timestreamer as a secret lair and hiding place for the Chronoplast, a time machine. Raziel finds his way through the caves and confronts Kain in the control room for the Chronoplast. Despite Raziel's rage regarding what he had seen and learned, Kain shrugs off his accusations and responds with cryptic comments regarding destiny and the supposed illusion of free will.[10] Raziel attacks Kain, who shrugs off his blows and continues to adjust the Chronoplast's controls. A portal through time opens, and Kain escapes. Raziel attempts to follow him and is warned by the Elder God that while previously it revived Raziel whenever he died, if he enters the portal their bond will break. Raziel continues into the portal and is met with Moebius himself, whom Kain killed centuries ago, who welcomes Raziel "to his destiny".
Development
The basic concept for Soul Reaver was first conceptualized into a design document under the name Shifter, which derived from the game's plane-shifting mechanic. In its original form, the game would have incorporated a storyline similar to Soul Reaver, in which the protagonist was killed by his master and brothers and was revived to exact revenge.[11] Shifter was merely a conceptual idea between Silicon Knights and Crystal Dynamics and not intended to be related to the Legacy of Kain series, although Silicon Knights was planning on a sequel. Shifter never went into full development and much of the concepts for it were altered to be used in Soul Reaver.[11] Prior to its release the relationship between between Silicon Knights and Crystal Dynamics disolved, and the rights for the Legacy of Kain series were subject to a legal battle between the two due to the original concept being derived from Shifter, and the game was plagued by several delays.[12]
Because of its many delays, there was much material cut and various pieces of unused data exist in the game. One such pieces of data indicates there was to be another area underneath the human city, leading to a temple of vampire worshipers. A Priestess ruling over the temple would fight Raziel and give him the ability to possess others upon her defeat. The audio file for the dialogue to accompany this quest is available for download at "thelostworlds.com"[13] Various other extras include various extra Soul Reaver powers, a battle with Kain at a mountain retreat, and the "Turelim Smokestacks" where Raziel would have fought his brother Turel who is absent in the final product.[13] These materials are overall thought to be remains of an alternate ending in which Raziel successfully kills Turel and Kain, then goes to the Silenced Cathedral and activates its soundpipes to blast a deadly tune, killing every Vampire in Nosgoth and restoring the land with Kain's death. Some of the images for these deleted materials appear in the Chronoplast as visions of alternative futures that might come to be[13], and some are used in later games; one scrapped power was for the "Spirit Reaver", which Raziel acquires in Legacy of Kain: Defiance. Screenshots from early in the game's development also show the Soul Reaver as a ghostly sword with a blue aura rather than a simple blade emerging from Raziel's hand as it appears in the final product - the Soul Reaver would eventually take on such a form in Legacy of Kain: Defiance.
Reception
| Publication | Score | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Ambitious | ||
| Gorgeous | ||
| Based on 17 reviews | ||
| Based on 31 media outlets | ||
| Similar to Tomb Raider series |
Soul Reaver was highly praised for its dark and gothic atmosphere. Gamespot and IGN praised the game's cut-scenes, and IGN's reviewer claims to have watched the introductory cinematic ten times.[2] PlanetDreamcast's reviewer cited the game's music as the best the they'd heard since Eyes Wide Shut, and praised the emotion in the voices such as Kain's contempt.[16] IGN noted the game's soundtrack blends in so well with the atmosphere as a whole that picking it out is difficult. Gamespot also praised the game's atmosphere for being rich but lacking the overstated drama of Blood Omen, as well as for its high quality graphics, especially in the Drowned Abbey areas with water.[3]
PlanetDream praised the control system for being nearly perfect, and keeping players on their toes by continualling bestowing new powers on them.[16] IGN echoed this, citing that learning the powers of Raziel's brethren and acquiring them for yourself was part of the fun, and Raziel being well animated and articulated in each of his moves.[2] Gamespot praised the camera controls for their next-to-none difficulty, akin to Banjo-Kazooie, and said that reviewers would deliberately swing the camera to watch Raziel's movements.[3]
The gameplay for Soul Reaver was also said to be non-linear, with both Gamespot and IGN claiming that without clear objectives players could roam the wasteland of Nosgoth without a clue as to where to go next.[2][3] Gamespot also criticized the game's warp system for using mysterios symbols with little or no connection to the place they led, confusing players when they tried to reach a certain area. PlanetDreamcast said the ability to shift into the spectral realm to avoid combat and regenrate health was "like invincibility in Zelda" and made the game easy.[16] Gamespot said that while impaling Vampires with the Soul Reaver never got old, the sword made the majority of enemies negligable, and the bosses of the game were simple.[3]
References
- ^ "Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver". Eidos Interactive. Retrieved October 14.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d e f g h i IGN Staff (1999-08-19). "Legacy of Kain: Soul reaver Review". IGN. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
- ^ a b c d e f Joe Fielder (1999-08-16). "Gamespot Review". Gamespot. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
- ^ Raziel: I am Raziel, first-born of His lieutenants. I stood with Kain and my brethren at the dawn of the empire. I have served Him a millennium. Over time, we became less human and more...divine. Kain would enter the state of change and emerge with a new gift. Some years after the master, our evolution would follow. Until I had the honor of surpassing my lord. For my transgression, I earned a new kind of reward... agony. There was only one possible outcome - my eternal damnation. I, Raziel, was to suffer the fate of traitors and weaklings - to burn forever in the bowels of the Lake of the Dead. Crystal Dynamics (2008-05-03). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PlayStation). Eidos Interactive.
- ^ Elder God: The birth of one of Kain’s abominations traps the essence of life. It is this soul that animates the corpse you ‘lived’ in. And that Raziel, is the demise of Nosgoth. There is no balance. The souls of the dead remain trapped. I can not spin them in the wheel of fate. They can not complete their destinies. Redeem yourself. Or if you prefer, avenge yourself. Settle your dispute with Kain. Destroy him and your brethren. Free their souls and let the wheel of fate churn again. Use your hatred to reave their souls...I can make it possible. Become my soul reaver, my angel of death... Crystal Dynamics (2008-05-03). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PlayStation). Eidos Interactive.
- ^ Raziel: My brother, Melchiah, was made last, and therefore received the poorest portion of Kain’s gift. Although immortal, his soul could not sustain the flesh, which retained much of its previous human frailty. This weakness, it seemed, was passed on to his offspring. Their fragile skins barely contained the underlying decay. Crystal Dynamics (2008-05-03). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PlayStation). Eidos Interactive.
- ^ Ariel: Kain refused the sacrifice. The Pillar of Balance, corrupted to its core, stands as a monument to his blind ambition. Now these pillars serve only to bind me here -- my prison and eternal home, thanks to the avarice of your master, Kain... Crystal Dynamics (2008-05-03). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PlayStation). Eidos Interactive.
- ^ Raziel: These crypts...defiled caskets of Sarafan saints...bearing my brothers’ names... And my own...The irony of Kain’s blasphemous act rushed in on me with the crushing force of revelation... / Elder God: Yes, Raziel - you were Sarafan...born of the same force that all but destroyed your race. Before the dawn of the Empire, you were chosen.Crystal Dynamics (2008-05-03). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PlayStation). Eidos Interactive.
- ^ Elder God: It was not Kain, but Dumah’s own arrogance that brought the downfall of his clan. These are human weapons, Raziel - believing themselves invincible, Dumah and his offspring failed to see an attack coming from the least likely assailants... Complacent in their arrogance, they were taken by surprise, allowing the human vampire hunters to decimate their ranks with little resistance. The few that escaped have been reduced to scavengers. / Raziel: My brother, Dumah - a powerful warrior, in life. He would have burned with shame, to have me find him here like a stuck pig. Crystal Dynamics (2008-05-03). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PlayStation). Eidos Interactive.
- ^ Kain: These chambers offer insight for those patient enough to look - in your haste to find me, perhaps you have not gazed deeply enough. Our futures are predestined. Moebius foretold mine a millennium ago. We each play out the parts fate has written for us. We are compelled ineluctably down pre-ordained paths. Free will is an illusion. Crystal Dynamics (2008-05-03). Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver (PlayStation). Eidos Interactive.
- ^ a b Ben Lincoln (2007-02-25). "Shifter". thelostworlds. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
- ^ "Silicon Knights History". Unknown. Unknown. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Text "Unknown" ignored (help) - ^ a b c Ben Lincoln (2007-02-20). "Deleted Material In Soul Reaver". thelostworlds. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
- ^ Metacritic Reviewers (Unknown). "Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver Review". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ "Legacy of Kain: Soul REaver Reviews". Game Rankings. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
- ^ a b c d PlanetDreamcast Staff (Unknown). "Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver Review". PlanetDreamcast. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)