Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered Review (Steam)
Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered Review, Experience the epic conflict of Kain and Raziel in original form or with remastered graphics. Centuries after your former master, Kain, betrays and executes you, you rise again and embark on a relentless quest for revenge. Slay your former vampire brethren with your claws, bolts of telekinetic energy, and the elemental Wraith Blade. Grow stronger by devouring the souls of your enemies.
Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered Review Pros:
- Decent graphics.
- 10.48GB Download size.
- Steam achievements.
- Full controller support.
- Click the right stick to instantly change between the original and the new up-scaled graphics.
- Changing the graphics also changes the font of the menus.
- Photo mode is implemented into the game.
- Two games in One Legacy Of Kain Soul Reaver, and The Legacy Series Soul Reaver 2.
- The game launcher menu lets you pick a game or the bonus content. You can quit each one and return to the game launcher.
- Bonis content contains – Galleri S, Music player, lost levels, lore of Nosgoth, videos, Dark Chronicles, and credits.
- The Lost Levels – Undercity, Smokestack, Retreat, and Forges. Each choice has a handful of levels and each has a brief description of where they would have been and has any special instructions or controls. These are all playable.
- The videos in the bonus content are – opening cinematics for both games, outtakes, demos, and credits for both games.
- A great collection of memorabilia and content makes it a must-own for fans of the series.
- Both soundtracks are in the music bonus content. They are broken down by song so you can choose.
- Galleries houses – fan art, cosplay, concept art, renders, and bonus Soul Reaver 2 images.
- Action adventure gameplay.
- Soul Reaver settings – Invert axis and sensitivity slider, can remap controls for both the keyboard and the controller.
- All Revamped scaled FMV cutscenes.
- Excellent voice work.
- The menus remain the same as the
- Subtitles support.
- You can skip cutscenes and you can now skip the opening monologue in Soul Reaver. (fans will remember this went on for quite a while)
- A full 3D game world with 360-degree camera control that is really smooth and immediate.
- Soul Reaver has 7 save slots and a save-when-you-want option in the menu.
- Button prompts match the controller type you are using.
- Soul Reaver has an opening tutorial area with ongoing pop-ups.
- Hack and slash combat with a handy lock-on button you hold down.
- Some of the best soundtracks in the business.
- The worlds created in these games are so gothic and memorable.
- Soul Reaver has two worlds the Spectral and the material world, over time you will go between the two worlds in your quest for vengeance.
- Watching the world transform in real time still gives me goosebumps.
- When you die in the material world you instantly retreat back to the spectral world.
- Healing is done by eating the souls of fallen enemies and inhaling lost souls floating around.
- Puzzles are scattered throughout the world as are intricate platforming sections.
- Soul Reaver lets you bring up a map of all discovered locations and each one will show how many Collectibles there are and how many you have found.
- You can find and use weapons from around the world, impale enemies, and perform powerful combos.
- The environment can be used to kill enemies by chucking them into acid pools or sunlight, impaling them on spikes, etc.
- Soul Reaver especially does an amazing job of having the narrator (he’s more a god-like figure but still) guy explain and tell the story as you play.
- Interactive prompts pop up when needed.
- Soul Reaver 2 is a big step up with combat having more depth, you can also summon a reaver blade and impale enemies yourself so you don’t rely on weapons.
Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered Review Cons:
- You don’t get any actual game settings, for resolution, graphics, etc.
- A shame really but there are no dedicated manuals for the games.
- Combat especially the grappling can take some getting used to as it’s very clunky.
- Pop-in graphics and details do not always load a fair bit.
- Had the game lock up on a cutscene and then onto a black screen rendering the game unplayable.
- The game wiped my save twice after hard crashing.
- There is no autosave so be aware that if the game crashes you can lose a lot of playtime.
- I’m not too fond of the constant need to save all the time in case the worst should happen.
- Combat is fine but it does get annoying when you have to search out spikes or weapons to kill off certain enemies.
- Ai pathfinding does get a bit broken with them running in circles or into a brick wall.
- In Soul Reaver 1
- Soul Reaver 2 doesn’t have save when you want.
- In terms of breadcrumbs to follow, Soul Reaver 2 was less straightforward than the first game.
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Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered:
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Publisher: Aspyr
Store Links –
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8/10
Summary
The remastered versions of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 offer a nostalgic trip with decent graphics and a manageable download size of 10.48GB. The games come with Steam achievements and full controller support, enhancing the overall gaming experience. A notable feature is the ability to switch between the original and up-scaled graphics by clicking the right stick, which also changes the font of the menus. The inclusion of a photo mode adds to the visual appeal. The game launcher menu allows players to choose between the two games or access bonus content, which includes galleries, a music player, lost levels, lore of Nosgoth, videos, Dark Chronicles, and credits. The lost levels, such as Undercity, Smokestack, Retreat, and Forges, are playable and come with brief descriptions and special instructions. The bonus content videos include opening cinematics, outtakes, demos, and credits for both games. This collection of memorabilia and content makes it a must-own for fans of the series. The music bonus content features both soundtracks, broken down by song for easy selection, and the galleries house fan art, cosplay, concept art, renders, and bonus Soul Reaver 2 images.
The action-adventure gameplay is complemented by settings that allow players to invert the axis, adjust sensitivity, and remap controls for both the keyboard and controller. The revamped scaled FMV cutscenes and excellent voice work enhance the narrative experience. The menus remain consistent, and subtitles support is available. Players can skip cutscenes and the lengthy opening monologue in Soul Reaver. The game features a full 3D world with smooth 360-degree camera control, seven save slots, and a save-when-you-want option in the menu. Button prompts match the controller type, and the opening tutorial area in Soul Reaver provides ongoing pop-ups. The hack-and-slash combat includes a handy lock-on button, and the game boasts some of the best soundtracks in the business. The gothic and memorable worlds of Soul Reaver include the Spectral and Material worlds, with real-time transformations that still give goosebumps. When players die in the Material world, they instantly retreat to the Spectral world. Healing is done by consuming the souls of fallen enemies and inhaling lost souls. The game features puzzles and intricate platforming sections, and players can bring up a map of discovered locations, showing collectibles and their status. Weapons can be found and used to impale enemies and perform powerful combos, and the environment can be used to kill enemies in various ways. The narrator, a god-like figure, explains and tells the story as players progress, with interactive prompts appearing when needed.
Soul Reaver 2 improves on the combat depth, allowing players to summon a reaver blade and impale enemies without relying on weapons. However, the game lacks actual settings for resolution and graphics, and there are no dedicated manuals. Combat, especially grappling, can be clunky and takes some getting used to. Pop-in graphics and details do not always load properly, and the game can lock up during cutscenes, leading to black screens and unplayable states. The game has wiped saves twice after hard crashes, and there is no autosave feature, so players must save frequently to avoid losing progress. The constant need to save can be annoying, and combat can be frustrating when searching for spikes or weapons to kill certain enemies. AI pathfinding can be broken, with enemies running in circles or into walls. Soul Reaver 2 does not have a save-when-you-want option, and its breadcrumb system is less straightforward than the first game.
In summary, the remastered versions of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 offer a rich collection of content and nostalgic gameplay with some modern enhancements. The games’ graphics, soundtracks, and voice work are commendable, and the bonus content adds significant value for fans. However, the lack of certain game settings, clunky combat mechanics, and technical issues such as crashes and save wipes can detract from the overall experience. Despite these drawbacks, the games remain a must-have for fans of the series, offering a blend of action-adventure gameplay, gothic worlds, and memorable storytelling. I am glad to say that they did a good job with this collection and added a lot of bonus content making this the definitive version of the game you can buy.