Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain

"I feel so evil..."

Today the Legacy of Kain series is very popular and successful thanks to innovative gameplay and a highly original and dark story. But weren't you ever curious about the game that started it all? I was, and when I saw Blood Omen on a department store shelf for a very nice price, I just couldn't resist. And from there commenced my descent into evil.

Story 10/10
Blood Omen is the story of Kain, a nobleman who is brutally murdered. His burning anger and need for revenge keep him from death, and with the help of the Necromancer he is given new life as a vampire so that he can avenge himself on his assassins. Little does Kain realize that the Necromancer has his own agenda, and that all is not over once his murderers are dead; it is, in fact, only a beginning. Even though Kain cares little for the affairs of men, he finds himself getting caught up in them nonetheless.

With this premise, Kain is let loose in Nosgoth as a fledgeling vampire who must survive by feeding on the weak. Blood and gore abound with just the right flavor of gothic melodrama. As Kain gradually embraces this new world of horror and decay, we can watch his gradual decline from a court gentleman to a merciless and remorseless killer.

Silicon Knights, the developers of Kain, seem to really like messing with our heads. (Just look at their newest game Eternal Darkness.) In playing Blood Omen, I almost felt like Kain's decline was my own also! Frequently in dungeons Kain will come across terrified humans chained to walls whose helplessness provides him with a quick meal. Initially I felt sorry for these poor souls and tried to avoid them, but not long into the game, as blood became scarcer, I began to seek them out hungrily.

The story and atmosphere of Blood Omen are such that you can't help but become immersed in it. Whether this is for the good of your soul or not is the question...

Gameplay 4/10
Here, and only here, is where Blood Omen stumbles. It's really too bad that a game with such a high coolness factor is marred by several severe flaws to the gameplay. To begin with, the load-time is ridiculous. It takes about 5 seconds to access the items/weapons/magic menu, so each time you want to exchange weapons or load new spells and items you have to wait. There is load time going through doors, casting certain spells, and entering new areas of the map. And when the game is not outright loading, there is major lag. Having the game in normal view doesn't seem to cause lag, but often you need the zoom-out view to see everything that's going on, and this is where the lag gets horrendous. When the lag is at its worst, Kain seems to be swinging his sword in slow-motion and walking like he has weights attached to his ankles.

Enemies have predictable attack patterns so combat is a simple combination of hit-avoid-hit, etc. Unfortunately trying to fight while experiencing lag is frustrating, especially when Kain seems to be moving slower than his enemies. There is a nice variety of spells and items to supplement your attacks with, and each has a creatively fiendish way of disemboweling, exploding, burning or sucking the life out of your opponents.

The game has some puzzles as well as combat, but there is really not much I can say about them. They are all run-of-the-mill puzzles which involve pressing certain switches to open certain doors, and that kind of thing. Usually you are presented with a puzzle just after getting a new item or spell, with the purpose of using the new spell to solve the situation.

Besides his normal form, Kain can take the shape of a wolf, a bat, or mist and use these powers to reach areas not normally accessible to him. There is also a form that lets him appear human, so he can move through towns unhindered and even talk to townsfolk if he thinks they have something important to say.

Audio 10/10
The voice acting in Blood Omen is awesome, and there is a lot of it. The voice of Kain is perfect: haughty, cynical, and with a subtle British accent to give him that air of nobility. Each time Kain receives a new item, there is a voice-over description of the item and what it does, and more detailed descriptions are given by clicking on the item in the items menu. There is also a lot of narrative throughout the game as Kain comments on what he sees around him in his special disdainful vampire way. The fact that they chose to use voice-overs instead of text messages adds to the enjoyment of the game immensely.

The only bit of audio I could have done without was the chained peasants whining ''Please, help me kind sir!'' over and over. But then again, their annoying cries just provide all the more reason to kill them.

Music 8/10
The music is fittingly moody, using dark string samples and soft percussion. It isn't very melodic, but creates the perfect ambience nonetheless. In this case understatement is definitely better than overstatement. Unfortunately the music is not quite as seamless as it should be. Sometimes the music track will simply cut out for no reason in the middle of an area, and begin again a few seconds later. This lack of a proper loop is jarring, and is the only not-so-great part of the music.

Video 7/10
The graphics are dated now, there is no helping that. The overhead view is not bad in terms of detail, but in the zoomed out view it is a little difficult to pick things out. In the form selection menu it is hard to tell the wolf and bat heads apart because they look almost the same. Landscapes and dungeons are flat and blocky and could have used more texture. Where the graphics come through is in the subtle touches the developers have added. For example, if Kain's blood vial reaches maximum and he tries to feed again, the vial will overflow and the extra blood will seep down the sides. Kain looks very impressive in the menu, and his figure changes as he equips different armor and weapons.

Replayability 6/10
There are 100 secrets in Blood Omen, and you have a counter telling you how many you have found. If you can deal with the frustrating gameplay, there might be some challenge in playing again to find them all. Personally I have had my Blood Omen fix for now and won't be going back to it, at least not for a while. Probably when my memories of lag and load-times have dimmed, and only the good memories remain, I will play Blood Omen again.

To buy or rent?
You've heard my warnings, so it's really up to you to decide. If you think you have the patience to deal with the gameplay issues, then Blood Omen really does have a lot to offer. If you've only played some of the newer games in the series, this will provide some interesting plot connections and give you the history of Kain. However if you're not the most patient of people you might want to skip this one and go directly to its sequals.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 08/13/02, Updated 05/06/03