Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain

"The beginning of the legacy"

This game begins with smooth, if somewhat archived movie scenes, and very archived graphics. The main thing I struggled with was the load time to equip weapons and armor, and to use spells, as well as the Snes-looking graphics. However, the story is very complex, dark and just downright evil. Once you get to Willendorf, you know you're in the middle of a wild ride.

Simon Templeton provides voice-overs for the demonic and aggressive Kain, the main character of the game. The other characters are mainly: Ariel, a spirit, Malek, a defender of the Pillars, Vorador, a vampire, Mortanius, a necromancer and Moebius, a timestreamer. The characterization in this game is so excellent I really couldn't believe it the first time I saw it. Every phrase that Kain utters seems driven by an intense hunger, a need, one which he seems never able to fulfill. It is up to you to push him forward through his quest, as he experiences a array of 'un-human' events.

The plot mainly involves a nobleman, Kain, shut out of a tavern at night and killed by common cutpurses. He is then found in the underworld, where he is revived by the Necromancer Mortanius. This resurrection turns him into a vampire, by which he is doomed to stalk the night hunting creatures to fulfill his bloodlust. As he reaches the Pillars of Nosgoth, he discovers that there is only one way to free him from his curse- to kill those corrupting the Pillars. Therefore, he is sent into the keep of the Mentalist Nupraptor, who is to become his first victim. After returning from the kill, he is sent on mission after mission, until finally, he is sent against the Nemesis, who is not a Pillar Guardian, and thus, really has nothing to do with Kain's curse. But Kain pursues him anyway, and formerly believed to be the Oracle of Nosgoth, Moebius manipulates Kain to destroy the Nemesis as a youth and provide fuel for the crusade of the Sarafan, vampire hunters. But Kain perseveres and finally comes to the final Pillar Guardian- himself. He finds that he is, in fact, the last being whom he must kill. At the end of the game, Kain is left with a monumental choice- either kill himself and restore balance to the land, or to refuse the sacrifice. The choice is yours.

Overall, this has been, and still is, one of the best games I have ever played. Despite the old-style graphics and slow equipping system, there is enough blood, gore, treason and betrayal throughout the game to provide many, many hours of grand entertainment. I don't think anyone could pay me enough to sell this game, as great as it was made.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 09/16/02, Updated 09/16/02