Changing into the stuff of legend isn’t any simple feat. However it’s totally applicable {that a} compelling and sophisticated story about vengeful vampires has not solely lasted so long as it has, however triumphantly arisen from its resting place.
From its common 1996 debut, The Legacy of Kain sequence has a long-standing historical past throughout PlayStation, from introducing memorable characters to pioneering in 3D recreation design. So, with Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered on its option to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5, and Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Blood Omen 2 coming to PlayStation Plus Classics, it’s the proper time to dig up the small print on why The Legacy of Kain sequence has endured. As a bonus, the unique builders be part of us to recall some related anecdotes on the best way…
A brand new gameplay video showcases Raziel’s otherwordly skills in The Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered.
“I’m tremendous pleased with the best way we wove our time journey plot all through the video games – writing time journey tales is tough!”
– Amy Hennig, Design Supervisor (Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain), Director and Lead Author (Soul Reaver, Soul Reaver 2, Legacy of Kain: Defiance)
1996 – Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain – PlayStation – Silicon Knights/Crystal Dynamics
Motion-adventures took a flip for the macabre as The Legacy of Kain sequence launched us to the shadowy world of Nosgoth. Blood Omen set the tone with Kain in search of a remedy for his vampiric curse, solely to slide deeper into an ethical abyss.
Participating hack-and-slash gameplay combined with magic, shapeshifting, and puzzle-layered exploration solid an intoxicating spell encased by a wise and gripping story that laid the groundwork for all that adopted. So it was no shock that the triumphant debut of the titular vampire lord was met with a longing for extra. Solely three years later, that craving was glad…
“It was one of many best-looking video games for PlayStation.”
– Daniel Cabuco, lead enemy artist (Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver); lead artist (Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2) and artwork director (Legacy of Kain: Defiance)
1999 – Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver – PlayStation – Crystal Dynamics/Eidos Interactive
If Blood Omen started the crimson-stained lineage for the sequence in 2D, Soul Reaver took up the path and innovated it into totally shaped 3D. This time the results of Kain’s actions are immediately in your fingers, assuming management of the long-lasting Raziel, a former vampire lieutenant slain by Kain. Resurrected right into a wraith, Raziel is given his mission by The Elder God – to destroy Kain and restore the now-broken wasteland of Nosgoth to its former glory.
The evolution into 3D allowed the sequence to push the boundaries of its presentation much more, particularly when teamed with the already charming narrative, which allowed gamers to journey between the fabric and spectral realms.
“The writing, dialogue, and unbelievable voice performing all took issues to the following stage,” says Cabuco. “At each level the artists, designers, musicians, and engineers requested themselves how they may make the expertise higher. It was an unbelievable second in time the place each side was firing on all cylinders.”
It’s a sentiment shared by the sport’s chief of engineering, Scott Krotz: “The streaming know-how we developed was nice, and I feel we solely had one loading display in the complete recreation as soon as entering into it. The mix of stable gameplay and know-how, a darkish world stuffed with attention-grabbing lore, an incredible story and characters, and superb voice actors all got here collectively to make it a fairly particular recreation.”
“The amazingly effectively directed cinematics with lip sync had been merely thoughts blowing.”
– Monika Erosova, head of growth (Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered)
2001 – Soul Reaver 2 – PlayStation 2 – Crystal Dynamics/Eidos Interactive
After Soul Reaver launched the long-lasting Raziel, its sequel vastly expanded on his human previous, touring via time to disclose Nosgoth’s secrets and techniques which have immense repercussions on not solely Raziel and his house, however Kain as effectively.
Between its fight, puzzles, and exploration, Soul Reaver 2 efficiently elevated a lot of what made its predecessor so effectively acquired, however a specific highlight fell on its story and characters. “Amy Hennig masterfully interconnected Raziel’s journey again to Blood Omen,” says Erosova. “I loved exploring the world in numerous eras.”
“Soul Reaver 2 was initially alleged to be on the unique PlayStation, however our workforce was decided to make use of the facility of PS2 to raise the sport’s graphics and animation,” reveals Amy Hennig, who labored as design supervisor on Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, and director and lead author on Soul Reaver, Soul Reaver 2 and Legacy of Kain: Defiance. “We ported the sport onto the brand new {hardware} in a matter of weeks.”
2002 – Blood Omen 2 – PlayStation 2 – Crystal Dynamics/Eidos Interactive
In a wise connection to the time journey chaos of Soul Reaver 2, the sequence went again to its roots in Blood Omen 2 by exploring an alternate timeline set after the occasions of the very first Blood Omen. This gave gamers an opportunity to get pleasure from Kain’s undead life once more, other than his antagonistic flip within the Soul Reaver video games, layering a now wealthy and involving lore.
Whereas paying homage to its vampiric roots the place Kain is ready to feed off enemies or civilians to replenish his well being, novel gameplay components like weapon sturdiness saved the fight and problem contemporary.
2003 – Legacy of Kain: Defiance – PlayStation 2 – Crystal Dynamics/Eidos Interactive
After two video games every the place we performed as Kain or Raziel, it was maybe inevitable that we’d get an opportunity to regulate each characters in the identical recreation – which is the place Legacy of Kain: Defiance swooped in. “Given we had been revealing essential issues about our characters’ motivations and the world that formed them, it was essential for us to make Kain and Raziel twin protagonists, and to chop forwards and backwards between their playable chapters,” explains Hennig.
Utilizing completely different skills helped differentiate between the bitter enemies by way of gameplay, whereas the story supplied the now anticipated – and satisfying – philosophical pondering on determinism and morality to resolve Kain and Raziel’s blood-stained battle.
“We wished to inform an incredible, complicated story with flawed however compelling characters in a charming and authentic world,” says Hennig. “It’s extremely gratifying to see how formative and indelible these video games and tales have been for our viewers.”
You’ll be capable to get a style of the sequence’ lasting legacy when Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Blood Omen 2 arrive on PlayStation Plus Premium November 19, and when Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered hits PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on December 10.
