Soul Reaver 2

"Yes, a 10 is hard to believe but I've never been more satisfied (and excited for a sequel) upon completion of a game."

I am one of the many fans that has been following the Legacy of Kain series since its beginning with Blood Omen: The Legacy of Kain and in all honesty, I have never been more satisfied (and excited for a sequel) upon completion of a game. The Legacy of Kain series just gets better and better as each game is released. The plot is so twisty-turny and engaging that it puts some big name RPGs to shame. Crystal Dynamics gets very big thanks from this particular fan because they have put together an absolutely incredible and indellible piece of art for such a small team and all the trials they went through to get it where it's at.

Graphics: It's true that the graphics of Soul Reaver 2 are not as intricate or as flashy as some PS2 games have been but graphics aren't everything and its visuals are breathtaking enough as it is: caverns eroded to an organic-looking smoothness and lightly dusted with snow, crumbling ruins where dust floats off as you grab hold of a wall, icy marble floors that reflect the images of archways, and open panoramic landscapes make the setting realistic and detailed enough that you realize the graphics don't need to be overdone to be involving. 9/10

Sound: The sound, oh my goodness the sound. Footsteps echo in a vast cathedral, snow crunches as our beloved undead twice over hero runs over it, solid ice cracks and taps as his clawed feet make each step across a frozen lake. It's incredible. Kurt Harland, known by the series' fans as the mastermind behind Soul Reaver 1's mysterious and gothic score makes a wonderful return with more of his moody and marvelously atmospheric music, as well as contributing to the sound effects ~and~ dialogue script -- this guy sure is multitalented. ^_^

The best part of all when it comes to sound, though, is the voice acting. Simon Templeman returns for a third go contributing his sonorous (and *coughsexycough*) voice to the fabulously enigmatic Kain and of course the talented Michael Bell reprises his role as the headstrong savior Raziel. While Bell and Templeman as Raziel and Kain are the meat and potatoes of Soul Reaver 2, the wonderful supporting cast features old favorites from Blood Omen and Soul Reaver 1 alike (and one newcomer whose character is absolutely pivotal to the story). Overall, 10/10. (Actually, every time I watch Simon Templeman and Michael Bell and the rest of the cast go through the dialogue in concert with the cutscenes (all thanks to the AWESOME -- and often hilarious -- DVD extras included with the game itself), I want to say 20/10 but that's probably not acceptable. ^_^)

Gameplay: While using the tried-and-true third person perspective, Soul Reaver 1 and 2's versatile camera angles add depth to every area, as you have the ability to look around in every direction to marvel at the landscape -- or to try and find that ledge you need to jump or climb to or a door hidden near a waterfall. ^_^

The combat system is very similar to Soul Reaver 1's, only much more fun and realistic: dodging and guarding are a must in this game, and the AI is pretty sharp: if you repeatedly defend against an opponent's normal attacks, it will try for an unguardable heavy blow; in reverse, if you continue to use normal blows, your enemies will start to defend more. Timing is vital in the fighting and you have to get strikes in at very specific moments as your enemies become more and more difficult and guard more often. You also have a variety of different weapons available to you. (Although to be perfectly honest, there's really only two different types: swords and polearms. That doesn't make it any less fun, though. ^_^) And of course if all else fails, you can revert to Raziel's versatile claws -- and feet (kicking your enemies across a room when they've been giving you a beating is an ego boost ^_~).

While you still wield your trusty wraith blade -- the Soul Reaver -- its use is much different from the first (and even more important to the story as the first two games). As with the rest of the weapons, you have several different attacks but more importantly, we finally gain the ability to imbue the Reaver with different elements (in the first Soul Reaver, you only had access to the fire forge). This is the key to almost all of Soul Reaver 2's intricate puzzles -- no more block puzzles (aww, they weren't ~that~ bad ^_^). Every puzzle is something different and believe me, they keep you thinking.

I'd have to say that the gameplay overall is a 10/10, in my humble opinion. The sheer variety and uniqueness of the gameplay all in all contribute to a perfect score.

Story: Thus we come to the element of Soul Reaver 2 that is so incredibly fantastic: the plot.

The ending of Soul Reaver 1 was positively notorious for its ambiguity and 'To Be Continued' and while Soul Reaver 2 is no different, it surpasses both Blood Omen and Soul Reaver 1 with its emotionally engaging story (although I think it wouldn't be nearly as interesting without the voice acting -- it is in my belief that the voice acting is very close to being the single most engaging aspect of the Legacy of Kain series, second only to its twisty-turny plot and intellectual dialogue). Don't get me wrong, fellow hard-core fans that might be reading this: I hold no less allegiance for Kain just because I say Soul Reaver 2 surpasses Blood Omen -- his role in Soul Reaver 2 is just as important as Raziel's.

I think one gets more out of Soul Reaver 2 if you've has played the first two games -- especially if you played them in order -- the revelations just have a more grave impact. But you don't need to just to enjoy Soul Reaver 2; the instruction manual does a ~great~ job of explaining the events of Blood Omen and Soul Reaver 1 in full but it's just not the same, and probably not as addicting either. I could absolutely not put the game down. When I wasn't playing it, I was thinking about it. After five days of owning it, I have gone through the entire game twice (yes, it is very unfortunately short but that's okay because there's a sequel in the works and Crystal Dynamics has promised us it will be longer; I have faith in them) and to be shamelessly honest, there were one or two parts of the game that brought me to tears both times. Yes, I am very pathetic. ^_^

My score for Soul Reaver 2's plot -- another 10/10 -- might be a bit biased but might not be. My hopes were just as high as many other hard-core fans' and it seems that a good third of them are pretty disappointed. So believe what you will: but give it a try! ^_^

All in all, I highly, highly, ~highly~ recommend this game. If you're not sure about it, rent Soul Reaver 1 first. If you can, rent Blood Omen before that but due to the fact it was released in '96, it's pretty hard to come by. Either way, I find it difficult to believe that one cannot be engrossed by the epic proportions of this incredible series. The next time you're cruising through the video game section of your local rental place, pick up one of the Legacy of Kain games and have at it. You won't be disappointed.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/04/01, Updated 11/04/01