Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is a 1999 action-adventure video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive for the PlayStation and Windows. Soul Reaver was followed by three games, one of which, Soul Reaver 2, is a direct sequel.

The Story Behind Legacy of Kain - Soul Reaver

According to senior designer Richard Lermarchand the "look and feel" of the game was inspired by "stylish vampire flicks...like Blade, Interview with the Vampire and Bram Stoker's Dracula", as well as "the more arty renderings of the old black and white Nosferatu and a great film for the 80s called Near Dark". The staff aimed to develop gameplay similar to Tomb Raider and used an upgraded version of Gex 3s game engine to generate the three-dimensional game world. Other aspects of the game, such as the idea of a fallen vampire who devoured souls, were inspired by the epic poem "Paradise Lost".

The Dreamcast port of the game had always been rated Mature. Soul Reaver was released for the PC and Sony PlayStation in 1999 and for the Dreamcast version in 2000. Additional demo discs were bundled with The Unholy War and an issue of Official PlayStation Magazine ahead of the game's release date.

How Legacy of Kain - Soul Reaver Plays

In the spectral realm, players fight minor enemies called Sluagh and the souls of dead vampires who have become wraiths. At first, Raziel can jump, glide using his torn wings, move blocks, and pick up and throw objects and enemies. He also gains the ability to constrict objects and enemies with a band of energy, although this feature was one of the few abilities not to feature in future games.

Initially vulnerable to water, he overcomes this weakness and learns to swim. As the game progresses, Raziel gains the powers of his clan brothers after defeating them and becomes able to phase through gates in the spectral realm and climb walls in the material realm. Glyphs are acquired through finding glyph altars, specific locations in Nosgoth where the skills can be learned, and solving a puzzle before being granted the magical ability.

Why Players Still Load It Up

Game Informer stated, "Even after years in development, Soul Reaver doesn't feel finished. Website reviewers deemed Soul Reavers gameplay too non-linear and its objectives too unclear. GameSpot criticized the warp system for using confusing symbols that did little or nothing to indicate the warp's destination, and weighed the fun of impaling vampires with the Soul Reaver against the lack of challenge presented by bosses and most enemies.

Next Generation Magazine echoed this, stating that, "even if you own the PlayStation version, you may want to rent this anyway", but expressed disappointment that no new features were added to the Dreamcast port. Computer Gaming World enjoyed the devouring of souls. Daniel Erickson reviewed the PlayStation version of the game for Next Generation, rating it four stars out of five, and stated that "Difficult puzzles and the omission of a map make this stylized game for hardcore adventure-gamers only." Soul Reavers dark and gothic atmosphere was generally well-received, and several publications praised the game's cut scenes.

Legacy of Kain - Soul Reaver — Frequently Asked Questions