Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver

"It doesn't matter it we all die"

After the moderate success of the 2D action RPG Blood Omen, the Legacy of Kain series took a dramatic twist - set thousands of years later in a world which the Kain of the original had come to all but destroy, you play betrayed vampire Raziel who though once a servant of Kain now seeks revenge, having been thrown into an abyss hundreds of years previously. Now rather than being a vampire, Raziel is an eater of souls. And perhaps most obviously, the game is now a huge 3D roaming action game with a huge seemless world (no loading times!). Pitched somewhere between Tomb Raider and Shadowman, Soul Reaver is a huge and plot heavy adventure. For the most part you will stroll around the huge and desolate ruins of Nosgoth, fighting strange creatures, solving puzzles and leaping across platforms. Think of it as a gothic Rayman 2!

From the moment you first put the game on, it's clear how great this game looks. Despite being a conversion of a PS1 game (usually these tend to be half an hour knock up jobs), the graphics have received a complete makeover and are stunning. There's far less fogging than the original, Raziel looks stunning and the huge landscapes are awe inspiring. The sound too is fantastic. The voice acting, as with all of the Kain series, is the best voice acting in a game ever. Simple as that. Kain sounds as suave as ever, Raziel is the most literary vampire you'll ever here and the bosses aren't bad either. The music is atmospheric and subtle and never gets in the way. Perhaps the only aesthetic complaint is the creatures look a little blocky, especially compared with Raziel.

Sadly I had completed Soul Reaver 2 before I'd properly got into this, so compartively speaking the gameplay doesn't hold up as well as its sequel. It can often be really frustrating, particularly the constant tedious block puzzles and falling off platforms which generally causes much retreading of paths - such problems were completely ironed out in the sequel. Despite these problems though, such is the richness of the story and the enjoyability of the combat (impale! immolate! throw onto spikes! immerse in sunlight or water!) that the pros easily outweight the cons and you'll really have an incentive to finish the game. Whilst the game is suitably big and non-linear, it doesn't last forever. And when you get to the actual ending, it's a bit of a disappointment - not that much is explained. Thankfully though, this just means you'll have to buy Soul Reaver 2, which everyone in the world should do, because it is awesome!

Despite being quite annoying at times, Soul Reaver is a fine game and is certainly by far and away the best of its type on the Dreamcast. With great graphics and sound, a stunning and engrossing plot and some of the most creative ways to kill enemies ever seen, its hard not to recommend it. Whilst not a patch on its incredible sequel, you really do need to own this game.

GRAPHICS - 9/10 - A brilliant conversion! Aside from the enemies which look a little ropey, everything is great. Raziel looks amazing and the environments are brilliantly designed, if a tad grey.

SOUND - 9/10 - The finest voice acting heard in a game. The music is pretty much faultless too and the eerie ambient sounds create a stunning atmosphere.

GAMEPLAY - 8/10 - Sublime one moment, pad breakingly frustrating the next. Luckily the former outweighs the latter, making Soul Reaver one of the most compulsive adventures ever.

LIFESPAN - 6/10 - A big game, but it's only the first third of Raziel's ongoing quest. Once you've completed it, you're unlikely to go back to it for a while.

OVERALL - 8/10 - Its fantastic production values manage to outweight the problems and create one of the DCs finest adventures. A top notch conversion if ever there was one. Now you've just got to get yourself a PS2 and Soul Reaver 2!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/13/02, Updated 12/13/02