While many of you wouldn’t have batted an eyelid to the fact, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 have been re-released today. Frankly, I’m just not seeing nearly enough rejoicing online about this fact. Or, indeed, cheap deal guides on where to buy these two long-forgotten classics for the least amount of coins possible. That being the case, I’ve taken it upon myself to fix both of those problems with a quick article that’s equal parts praise and price-slashing…
What is Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver exactly? In evolutionary terms, it was basically the edgy, goth step-sibling of the original Tomb Raider. In 1999, developer Crystal Dynamics (who, incidentally, would go on to inherit the house of Croft seven years later) effectively aped and integrated Lara’s catacomb skulking 3D platforming with supernatural abilities and the dark fantasy of the dystopian land of Nosgoth.
Forget pulling on the tank top of a buxom heiress; you’ll need to slip into the barely functional epidermis of Raziel, a ludicrously articulate vampire lieutenant whose unfair demotion almost resulted in his total dissolution. The hideously clawed hand that wrought this injustice: Kain, a Machiavellian Draculaesque deity who’s playing 4D chess with the destinies of everybody and everything around him.
In a good old-fashioned revenge tale. Raziel must then discover and fortify a new set of wraith abilities to become an avenging angel of un-death. The basic gist is to work your way up the food chain, hunting your betrayer “brother” lieutenants as you Highlander-acquire their respective vampiric gifts which have also devolved them during your centuries of torment. As you’d expect, that wrinkle provides fertile ground for spine-chilling creature designs and creative (for the time) boss encounters.
I’ll not spoil the proceedings much more than that; suffice it to say that Soul Reaver’s greatest strength lies in its high-concept storyline and phenomenal plot twists. You can chalk much of this magic up to a brilliant group of voice actors and absolute top-tier writing from Amy Hennig (whose future credits would include the seminal masterpieces Uncharted 2 and Uncharted 3).
Honestly, I don't want to say any more than I have about Soul Reaver, as it lives and dies on its suprises. Obviously, the same is true of its bundled-in sequel, an almost equally long-forgotten PS2 gem named Soul Reaver 2. Instead, I'm just going to lay out some current prices and suggest that maybe you should take an (admittedly small and inexpensive) leap of faith into a series that, like its protagonist, spent far too long in purgatory before being resurrected into something even more killer than before.
Cheapest Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1&2 Remaster Prices
Digital:
PlayStation Store – $44.95
Xbox Store – $39.95
Steam – $43.95
Adam Mathew is our Aussie deals wrangler. He plays practically everything, often on YouTube.
