Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain

"The start of a great series - a game with great plot - check it out !!"

FOREWORD

I bought this game second-hand at a store in town thinking "hmmmmmmmm ... a vampire game ... why the hell not ??". Got it home, slammed it into my Playstation and played it for a few minutes ... "extremely hammy voice-acting and flowery language" were my first two thoughts ... but then I got to the first cut-scene and the hairs on my neck stood on end. I was ... in love ...

OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVE OF THE GAME

Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain is a top-down action/adventure game (similar to Legend of Zelda in terms of its perspective), which sees you control Kain - a noble tragically slain by bandits and then resurrected as a Vampire by a Necromancer for the purpose of avenging his death.

... but it doesn't stop there ...

As the plot unfolds you begin to realise that there is FAR more afoot than just your death and rebirth - greater wheels are spinning and you have to puzzle out what's going on to make it through the game.

GRAPHICS - 7/10

Graphically the game ISN'T stellar ... the perspective is top-down, so the angles you get on the characters leave a lot to the imagination in some places. As with most Playstation games, the graphics look a LITTLE dated by today's standards, but they definitely do NOT detract from the gameplay. The cut-scenes have been well thought out and well executed. The quirkiness of the graphics helps the game create its own vibe which is well-received ultimately.

All in all, whilst the graphics are not going to rock your world (with the possible exception of the cut-scenes), they do NOT feel as though they have been rushed ... they have been deliberately designed to fulfil their role.

SOUND - 8/10

Whilst there is a distinct lack of VARIETY amongst the sound effects in the game (swish swish goes the sword, gurgle gurgle goes the blood of your enemies and so on), the voice-acting is very clear and each of the characters has a different voice-actor, which helps preserve the impression that you are dealing with a large cast of characters, and that each one is unique.

At the outset I found that Kain's voice irritated the cr@p out of me - "What ? No mug of ael for a weeary travellar from distant Korhaygen ? Eye can rewardh you well, for hi am of neauble blood" and so on REALLY wound me up, BUT that changed when he became a Vampire ... some of the descriptions he gives to the items he uses, and the sheer enjoyment he obviously derives from saying words like "rend", "blood-soaked bone" and other little gems, really do come across while you're playing.

Kain makes it COOL to be the bad guy ... and that's not always an easy trick to master.

So whilst the sound effects themselves are not overly varied, the voice-acting more than makes up for this.

CONTROLS - 6/10

Kain is a rather sluggish character to control ... perhaps it's the perspective, perhaps it's the fact that his clipping on objects CAN be a little bit of a pain in the bum to get right (like when he's pushing boulders and so on), but once you have learned how to get the most out of him he kinda slips into place.

One thing that I do NOT like, however, is the long loading time between calling up the menus ... it's sometimes AGONISING if you hit the wrong button whilst you're playing and you then have to wait for the menus to load up. *sigh*

PLOT - 9/10

THIS is where this title shines. It is the first title in what is to be a series of games that see Kain (and later Raziel) thrown into turmoil, and as an opener for the plot of the series it does its job well.

Basically Kain is slain (by Mortanius the Necromancer's wishes), and resurrected BY Mortanius as a Vampire and told to avenge his death, which he does.

Kain is then led to the Pillars of Nosgoth - the Pillars keep the world of Nosgoth in harmony, but their guardians have fallen into madness, depravity and worse ... Kain embarks upon a quest to slay the guardians and free the Pillars, thereby HOPEFULLY restoring Nosgoth to balance.

As the game progresses Kain realises that his role in the future of Nosgoth is FAR more complex than he has been led to believe - he ISN'T just a vampiric assassin - he himself is going to be largely instrumental in how Nosgoth's future is shaped ... and this ULTIMATELY winds up becoming the MAJOR point of the game ...

You get to decide the future of Nosgoth ... thus setting the scene for the next game and so on and so forth ... it's a very engrossing plot and, whilst it may come across as convoluted at times, it is NOTHING compared to later titles in the series, so keep your wits about you ;)

GAMEPLAY - 8/10

I have to say there is a certain satisfaction in slaying the hapless as a Vampire ... deriving pleasure from their pain and suffering ... drinking the blood of poor wretches chained to walls, and casting spells to slay fleeing peasants ...

... it takes a little getting used to, and I would NOT recommend the title to younger and/or more impressionable (or squeamish) players, as there are points when even I was like ... yuk !! But once you've played it for a while you get used to the control method, and might even (like me) start to really LIKE Kain as a Vampire ... as the game's plot unfolds you become more and more drawn into it, and by the end you get all "YES !!" as the final pieces of the puzzle are pieced together.

REPLAY VALUE - 7/10

The first time you replay it will PROBABLY to see what making the "other" choice at the end would have caused ... but after this you might want to come back to it periodically because it's just so damned EVIL !! I mean Kain is a real mutha - he DELIGHTS in pain and mayhem, and playing him can be quite diverting after a tough day at the office ... I feel this title does have definite replay value.

VALUE FOR MONEY - 8/10

Given that you should be able to pick up a copy on the cheap today, and when that cost is contrasted against the HOURS and hours of enjoyment (and frustration) that you should get from the title, I feel that it's WELL worth the money.

OVERALL - 8/10 (This is NOT an average)

Although slightly dated by today's standards, Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain is a very enjoyable game once you get into it - look beyond the graphics and sounds to the sheer depth of plot and complexity of storyline to get some REAL enjoyment out of it.

MAIN GOOD POINTS

* VERY immersive storyline that gets better and better as time progresses.
* Some REALLY nicely done cut-scenes to provide much needed eye candy.
* Good voice acting
* YOU GET TO PLAY A VAMPIRE !!!!! =)

MAIN BAD POINTS

* Top-down perspective is graphically uninspiring
* Lack of variety in the sound effects department
* Poor loading times on the menus

SO SHOULD YOU GET IT ?

Yeah ! If you can get your hands on a copy cheaply and want to see how the "Legacy of Kain" series of games starts plot-wise ? THIS is the title to get ... I recommend it :)

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/21/04