Legacy of Kain

Are there any other serious fans of this series still around?

Personally I don't think I have nor will I ever play a series with characters as convincing, deep or interesting as those in LoK. The plot is unmatched (3/5 titles were written by Amy Hennig, whom by now you all know well as the Uncharted series director and head writer), the dialogue is impeccable and the voice acting is stellar.

The intro for Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is still probably my favorite game introduction:



The story is complicated but worth every effort to understand. If you've experienced and liked Uncharted, then you can be sure to find the same (or better) quality story in these titles.

[Blood Omen 1]
The pillars of Nosgoth, essentially the only thing preserving the realm, are corrupting after the murder of the Guardian of Balance Ariel. Kain, a human turned vampire, is tasked with killing every corrupt Guardian of the pillars, and then with either sacrificing himself to restore the Pillars of Nosgoth (allegedly the key to preventing the fall of the realm of Nosgoth) or refusing and damning the realm. You can find out what he chooses to do by listening to the below track



[Soul Reaver 1] (first game written by Hennig)
1500 years after Kain's birth, he now commands a corrupted vampire legion, and at the helm of this legion are both he and his trusted lieutenant Raziel, whom for reasons unbeknownst to the player at the time, he throws into the Lake of the Dead and damns to a fate worse than death. Seeking vengeance, Raziel returns with the help of a powerful entity known as the Elder God to destroy his former brothers, who had assisted in casting him into the abyss, one-by-one. The game is well known for its difficult puzzle solving rooms and boss fights, and its plane-shifting gameplay (you can switch between Spectral and Material realms to drastically alter the area you are in).

The plot of the other titles picks up on these two base games, and believe me, if you are a fan of dark and adult storytelling you should look no further than this series. The culminating title, Defiance, while not the most stellar game in terms of sheer gameplay (though the combat system is very fun), has you play as both Raziel and Kain in a plot-tying torrent. The ending of the game is extremely promising, but during production Hennig left to join Naughty Dog and I will forever curse that day, and the Uncharted series, for destroying what I think is the most imaginative series in gaming. It also has an incredible soundtrack, Kurt Harland's Ozar Midrashim was created as the titular theme for Soul Reaver and solidified his spot as the series' composer. And man, what a track.



The titles not produced with Hennig's direction are great in their own right. Blood Omen 1 is a classic and lays the groundwork for the series, in tandem with Soul Reaver 1 [where the series gimmick of creating time paradoxes/frequent time travel is first explored (although not thoroughly until Soul Reaver 2)]. Blood Omen 2 is actually an excellent title as far as story goes, and introduces an entirely new and terrifying enemy [the Hylden] that was masterfully retconned into the series via Hennig in Soul Reaver 2 and Defiance, tying things together very nicely.



The interactions between Kain and Raziel throughout the titles is definitely the series' strong point, and both characters are extremely different and extremely memorable. Kain is probably my favorite video game character of all time in terms of well, everything. Simon Templeman is an incredible voice actor, and I cannot think of a more iconic voice aside from David Hayter as Snake.

I seriously recommend these titles to fans of dark fantasy and adult-themed titles. It's a shame that the latest title in the series undersold and as a result, it's been on hiatus for 10 years. Hennig may be gone, but with Blood Omen 2 as an example, I believe Crystal Dynamics could make a worthy sequel if they put in enough effort. I'm hoping Tomb Raider sells and does well, maybe if CD becomes relevant again they will revive this long dead series. And they should. One of the greatest stories ever told and it left off at the absolute most exciting point of its plot.



As of recently, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1, 2 and Defiance have been made available on Steam for $25/all (or $10 each). I recommend these titles highly.

Gex 3 CD had the demo of this game in it. I never played too much because it was too scary.

N4G Adventure Part 1 - screw it

Kon


Gex 3 CD had the demo of this game in it. I never played too much because it was too scary.

I don't blame you. When I was a kid and I saw this



I thought my whole family was going to die

Played Defiance only, but really enjoyed it, Amy Henning is one of the best script writers in the industry imho

moegooner88


Played Defiance only, but really enjoyed it, Amy Henning is one of the best script writers in the industry imho

Defiance is quite good, but I think the culmination of the plot is a lot more enjoyable if you've at least played one of the Soul Reaver and one of the Blood Omen titles as well


Though I'd say Kain is generally considered the strong character of the series, and I'd tend to agree, Raziel has his own moments of extreme extremity, as can be seen in the following scene from Soul Reaver 2 where he absolutely shuts down all hope and meaning in Ariel's (un)life.




The soliloquies in these games are superb, and probably the only series in existence that that can even be said for.

The original LoK for the PS1/PC remains amongst my favorite games of all time. The writing, soundtrack, characters, and the scope and depth of the game itself, were practically unmatched for the time. The only drawback that I remember distinctly, were the annoyingly slow load times. That aside, it was nearly a perfect game and one that showed Crystal Dynamics at the top of their game, imo. I even still pop on the soundtrack every so often just to bring back a bit of childhood nostalgia. I bought and played Soul Reaver on the PC back when it was released, but never did finish it. And then when Legacy of Kain 2 came out for the Xbox/PS2, I played that as well, but also never finished it b/c I thought the gameplay and execution were poor. I never played the remaining games, although I've heard Defiance was an excellent entry and a return to form for the fans who loved the original. Is that true or no?

Crystal Dynamics have a Soul Reaver reboot in the works according to VG247.

I bought the original recently, but haven't got around to playing it yet.

maelstromb


The original LoK for the PS1/PC remains amongst my favorite games of all time. The writing, soundtrack, characters, and the scope and depth of the game itself, were practically unmatched for the time. The only drawback that I remember distinctly, were the annoyingly slow load times. That aside, it was nearly a perfect game and one that showed Crystal Dynamics at the top of their game, imo. I even still pop on the soundtrack every so often just to bring back a bit of childhood nostalgia.

The original LoK as in Blood Omen 1? Soul Reaver 1, interestingly enough, is notable for having no load times

TheLastGuardian
 

Crystal Dynamics have a Soul Reaver reboot in the works according to VG247. 

I bought the original recently, but haven't got around to playing it yet. 

 


I want to believe that but I find it hard to. I wish they'd finished the series rather than attempting a reboot...I understand from a marketing/sales perspective the reasons behind it, but the plot was ingenious and needed a solid send off title.

I'd definitely recommend playing it when you have time. Just know that the puzzles can be exceedingly difficult at times.

Yeah, I meant Blood Omen. :)

maelstromb


Yeah, I meant Blood Omen. :)

I actually need to play BO1. Though I'm very familiar with the story of the game I only played the Crystal Dynamics titles (which would be every game but that one). The gameplay is rather drastically different but I'm aware it is a great game in its own right. It'd be nice if Steam had BO1, but I know you can get it on PSN. As for Blood Omen 2, I still have my Xbox copy and I love that game. It was the most badass game ever when I was a kid - that's where I first played the series. Other than Metal Gear Solid 2 nothing gripped me like that as far as characters went

I keep saying that we need a return to form with the top-down view found in Blood Omen 1. It just worked so damn well. And think about it...every game these days is either an fps or third-person. It would definitely stand out amongst the crowd. I mean hell, look at how popular the Dark Alliance games were! While I didn't care much for them, those were also top down and people ate those games up. So I definitely think it could be done again. I would definitely go back and play Blood Omen 1 though, especially if you're a fan of the series. It will give you a bit more perspective on Kain's character for sure. While I don't know how well it holds up by today's standards, I'm sure it's worth a try.

This game is the reason I bought a ps3. Praying to years for a remake

Satanas


Just know that the puzzles can be exceedingly difficult at times

He's not exaggerating at all. Soul

maelstromb


I keep saying that we need a return to form with the top-down view found in Blood Omen 1. It just worked so damn well. And think about it...every game these days is either an fps or third-person. It would definitely stand out amongst the crowd. I mean hell, look at how popular the Dark Alliance games were! While I didn't care much for them, those were also top down and people ate those games up. So I definitely think it could be done again. I would definitely go back and play Blood Omen 1 though, especially if you're a fan of the series. It will give you a bit more perspective on Kain's character for sure. While I don't know how well it holds up by today's standards, I'm sure it's worth a try.

While I don't necessarily like top-down perspectives myself, and I generally consider moving away from them to be an improvement (ie. MGS2->MGS3 Subsistence), I am not opposed to playing games that had used them. But I think LoK truly shined as a complete game package with Soul Reaver. I'd like to see CD capture what made that title so good and combine it with modern day combat advancements, and I think they could really make something excellent.

And I agree that I should play Blood Omen 1. When I was really into the series 10 years ago, I wanted to play it but had no means of doing so. I suppose now I can just get it on PSN whenever I should choose.

UnSelf
 

This game is the reason I bought a ps3. Praying to years for a remake 

 

For many years I was opposed to the idea of a reboot because the series needs closure. But I suppose at this point, ten years with nothing, I'll take anything. Like I said - hopefully Tomb Raider will be great and LoK will follow at the height of CD's success. I'm actually looking forward to TR because it looks like CD's first worthy effort in years

Remember playing Soul Reaver on PS1 many many years ago. Didn't get too far into it, sucked at it something terrible but I enjoyed all that I played of it. A reboot might be cool but I don't expect it'd match the older titles.

Nate-Dog


Remember playing Soul Reaver on PS1 many many years ago. Didn't get too far into it, sucked at it something terrible but I enjoyed all that I played of it. A reboot might be cool but I don't expect it'd match the older titles.

I'm also worried that it won't because Hennig wouldn't be there to pen it, but we'll see how good the writing for Tomb Raider ends up being. Blood Omen 2 was written rather well without Hennig's aid, so it's possible CD could do something special around this as long as they had access to the cast from ten years ago (minus Tony Jay, RIP).

I'm a big fan of the series.  Popularity-wise it was and still is more a "cult hit" than anything else.   One of the best dialogues ever to grace the non-PC, gaming console. 

Heck, I have two versions of Raziel's Theme, aka "Ozar Midrashim" that I Bluetooth stream from my smartphone to my car stereo. 

Edit: I strongly believe that Crystal Dynamics should sell the rights to Naughty Dog for a remake and/or story continuation.  No Amy, no buy from me. 

Gen. George Patton FTW! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyUX6wV1lBQ     

 If you're reading this, you have got to be bored!

macalatus


I'm a big fan of the series.  Popularity-wise it was and still is more a "cult hit" than anything else.   One of the best dialogues ever to grace the non-PC, gaming console. 

Heck, I have two versions of Raziel's Theme, aka "Ozar Midrashim" that I Bluetooth stream from my smartphone to my car stereo. 

Edit: I strongly believe that Crystal Dynamics should sell the rights to Naughty Dog for a remake and/or story continuation.  No Amy, no buy from me. 

It graced PC as well of course, that is where I played all the titles minus Blood Omen 2 (where I played on Xbox)

Ozar Midrashim 1.1 is the titular theme that we are all used to, but all of its variants are just as good.

I can't agree with the Naughty Dog comment. As great as Hennig is, the Blood Omen titles did not require her, and Kain was created without her (though she certainly helped shape his character a great deal). Naughty Dog seems to only be capable of creating Nathan Drake or characters that are essentially Nathan Drake (ie. Joel), and the dark fantasy, puzzle gameplay of the series is something I think CD has every right to revive. The last thing I want to see is Uncharted: Kain's Fortune. I think Crystal could do this without her simply based on how they handled Blood Omen 2 rather well in terms of both story and dialogue, and how the team has handled every LoK title minus BO1 (which has dissimilar gameplay anyway).

The issue I have is whether they can truly reinvent and make the series relevant again as they are sort of doing with Tomb Raider. I feel like a lot rides on its success.

I still consider beating legacy of kain and Xenogears on the ps1 to be two of my greatest triumphs for my younger years. In fact I still haven't run into anyone in real life that has beat either. Legacy of Kain was awesome, I particularly liked throwing fence posts from a distance to impale and insta-kill vampires. Throwing the force ball was really cool too, not too many games had gameplay like that.

flyingmunky


I still consider beating legacy of kain and Xenogears on the ps1 to be two of my greatest triumphs for my younger years. In fact I still haven't run into anyone in real life that has beat either. Legacy of Kain was awesome, I particularly liked throwing fence posts from a distance to impale and insta-kill vampires. Throwing the force ball was really cool too, not too many games had gameplay like that.

Edit: Ah ok by "Legacy of Kain" you did indeed mean "LoK: Soul Reaver". Thought you were talking about Blood Omen for a second