Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered | PS5 Review

For most of my life, I have been tormented by the knowledge that legendary game designer Amy Hennig wrote a five-game vampire epic that had passed me by. The whole series was never collected, and my personal console access never lined up in a way that gave me confidence I could play through them all. Finally, after years of anguish, Aspyr has provided a path into this macabre and tormented world with Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered.

Rise, Raziel

I’m relatively new to these games, but I grew up during their era, so I might be more inclined to this era of game design than some other players. I just want that known as my perspective before I begin talking about them. Both Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver games earn every bit of their stellar reputation.

The story is filled with intriguing twists and complex characters. Kain is our primary antagonist and overlord of the apocalyptic world of Nosgoth. Vampires rule these lands, and Kain rules these vampires. His favored son, Raziel, dares to surpass him in ability and is quickly punished with death by way of the Lake of the Dead.

The Elder God steps in and puts an end to Raziel’s torment, though at the cost of our protagonist becoming a wraith, an eater of souls, a Soul Reaver. If the narrative setup of an apocalyptic revenge epic fuelled by eldritch gods and vampire lords doesn’t excite you, you probably have less of a pulse than the vampires themselves. Unfortunately, I can’t speak about the setup for Soul Reaver 2 without spoiling Soul Reaver.

Go Forth, Into Nosgoth

The two games are similar, but with key differences. The explorable areas of Nosgoth in Soul Reaver are an interconnected hub-and-spoke world where new abilities earned from bosses open up areas to explore. Each vampire lord you hunt down has their own lair, filled with puzzles to solve and find your way into the boss room. It’s an excellent world to explore. Soul Reaver 2 takes you to interesting areas in very interesting ways, but is a far more linear game. I wouldn’t say either one is better structured than the other, but they are definitely different. It makes for a really fun back-to-back package.

Combat is certainly simple, but has unique hooks that keeps it feeling fresh. You’re primarily combatting vampires, and as such there are rules to follow. You can weaken foes with standard attacks, but to finish them off you’ll have to get creative. Raziel can pick vampires up and throw them onto spikes embedded in the wall, knock them into sunlight, or pierce their heart using a weapon from the environment. If you find yourself at full health, you’ll have access to the Soul Reaver sword and can straight up explode your enemies. Eat their souls afterwards, and the enemy is finished. It’s a thrillingly original combat system.

Speak Well, Brother

Before I discuss the remaster efforts themselves, I have to talk about the writing and acting. Both Soul Reaver games utilize a complex vocabulary that no other game of the era was using in quite the same way. The way characters speak on the complex intertwining natures of predestination and free will have an almost Shakespearean quality to them. Raziel and Kain have a rather verbose way of speaking, and actors Michael Bell and Simon Templeman are perfect. Every line, whether simply describing a room or discussing the damning nature of fate itself, has the actors giving a performance to be admired. All the other performances are likewise excellent, which was never a guarantee from games 25 years ago.

Aspire to Greatness

As is expected with Aspyr, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered is a collection to be proud of. The new graphics are stunning and make the characters look like the actual box art finally, so no longer must your imagination do half of the work. The touch ups to the environment are also gorgeous, and actually help distinguish things for easier navigation. Don’t fear, however, you need only press a button to see the original PS1 stylings at any time, and it’s hard not to get addicted to seeing the differences. Can every remaster include this feature, please?

Resurrected, Though Not as You Were

Graphics aren’t the only thing you get, of course. Modern controls have been implemented, and I can’t begin to tell you what a difference full camera control makes. Soul Reaver is a surprisingly vertical world for the PS1, and having to stand still to look around was frustrating and tedious. Here in these remasters, you can look around as you move! A revelation! A compass and map have also been added, but as nice as they look, I can’t say I found them overly helpful. I actually found it less confusing to memorize the world of Nosgoth than utilize the world map.

For the hardcore fans, Aspyr has gone above and beyond. Concept art, promo material, and music are included as they should be. There’s also a small lore encyclopedia full of interesting information about different areas and characters. The full script of both games are here too, so we can all read in awe of the work of Amy Hennig.

Most exciting is the inclusion of cut content. Soul Reaver is somewhat infamous for the amount of cut content it had, but much of it is here due to Aspyr working with the fan community. Though there’s not much to do within them, you can finally see and walk around these work-in-progress areas for yourself. It’s one of the coolest pieces of game preservation I can think of, and should make Legacy of Kain fans new and old giddy with delight.

The Coin Has Finally Landed on Its Edge

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered would be an absolute steal at twice the price. These two games have been brought back looking incredible, but playing just as they originally did. It’s a preservation effort that should be applauded. Both games hold up amazingly all these years later, and these remasters really show you how ahead of their time they were. You’d be hard-pressed to find other games of this age with such complicated and beautiful prose. So if you’ve ever had a passing interest in the series, don’t you dare let them pass you by again. Aspyr has once again delivered a remaster that shows others how it should be done.

To hear me talk more about Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered, be sure to listen to the December 12, 2024 episode of The Gaming Outsider podcast.

This review is based on a PlayStation 5 copy of Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered provided by Sandbox Strategies for coverage purposes. It is also available on PlayStation 4, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam, GOG, and Epic Games Store.