Soul Reaver One and Two Remaster Review (PlayStation 5)

by Jim Smale · Published December 9, 2024 · Updated April 2, 2025

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.

Soul Reaver One and Two Remaster Review Pros:

Decent graphics.
Download size.
Two sets of trophies, one for each game. (55 for Soul Reaver 1 and 29 for Soul Reaver 2)
You get the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5 versions of the game.
Better performance than the Steam version.
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 in the game.
Two games in One: Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver and The Legacy of Kain: 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.
Bonus 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.
Gallery 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.
The Dead Shall Rise Kickstarter Backers list is in the Credits section.
The E3 1998 Demo is in the Bonus Material section.
Updated Nosgoth Lore with new locations and improved descriptions.
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 of 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.
Faster loading times than the Steam version.
Uses the touchpad as a button.
Same trophy list as the Steam achievements.

Soul Reaver One and Two Remaster 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.
No haptic feedback or anything unique to the PlayStation 5 controller.
Doesn’t use the speaker for the voices, which could have been cool.
Like the Steam version, you have no out-of-game settings or anything in terms of graphics or performance.
Just the one music soundtrack type, what I mean is there aren’t original or remastered versions.
Same trophy list as the Steam achievements.
Had the game lock up on a cutscene and then onto a black scree, rendering the game unplayable.
The game wiped my save twice after a hard crash.
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.
Soul Reaver 2 doesn’t have a save when you want.
In terms of breadcrumbs to follow, Soul Reaver 2 was less straightforward than the first game.

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