Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver

published by Eidos in 1999-07-31, developed by Crystal Dynamics, running on PlayStation
type: beat 'em up, adventure
genre: Horror, Fantasy, Action-Adventure, Environmental puzzle, Metroidvania
series: Legacy of Kain
setting: Nosgoth
perspective: 3rd person
player options: single player
languages: eng
4.3/5

Official descriptions (2)

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver pushes the limits of adventure gaming with incredibly fluid graphics and realistic environments. As Raziel, stalk Nosgoth feeding upon the souls of your enemies as you seek to destroy your creator - Kain. Battle five different clans of vampires as you explore a vast 3D world dominated by a ruthless dynasty. Master complex puzzles with your unprecedented ability to interact with objects. Features real-time morphing, shift between the material and spectral realms. Discover the mysteries of Nosgoth, a millenium after Kain's ascension, as you uncover your own twisted past. Also features seamless game play, No load times, Grim gothic story supported with full-motion animation, and in-game cinematic events and compelling voice-over.

# 2015-03-22 16:18:39 - official description
It is one thousand years after Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. Raziel, once a mighty vampire and lieutenant of Kain, rises from eternal banishment where Kain put him out of jealous rage. Now, after having been freed by the Elder God, Raziel is out to free the world from the dreaded vampire clans and to destroy Kain himself!
The shadows of Nosgoth is a vast 3D world packed with deadly creatures, amazing graphics, and spectacular special effects. During his quest, Raziel survives by feeding on the souls of the undead and as Raziel defeats his enemies, he gains abilities and weapons that will allow him to ultimately challenge Kain himself.

# 2007-04-09 22:37:05 - official description

Comment

Several hundreds of years after Kain decided to damn Nosgoth, he is now the Master of Nosgoth. He has 6 vampire lieutenants, one of which he will punish for an apparent reason of jealousy of the lieutenant developing a dark gift before the Master.

The lieutenant, Raziel, is condemned to destruction by being cast in the Lake of the Dead, but he is somehow saved from total annihilation by an unknown entity called the Elder God. He then vows vengeance against his former master, but when he returns to the material world he finds that much has changed.

This game is fully 3D and has been wrongly compared to Tomb Raider. The controls are actually good and precise, the 3D engine was the best of its time with very large and detailed environments. Raziel is no longer a typical vampire: instead of drinking blood, he devours souls, and has actually become a vampire hunter. He kills vampires by various means such as impalement or immolation. He can also shift back and forth between the spirit/spectral realm and the material realm when need be.

A bit later in the game he will find the Soul Reaver, but a different version of the sword than from Blood Omen: it's a spectral sword that is fused to his body and his very being. The Soul Reaver will become a key element in the Legacy of Kain storyline.

# 2002-10-28 22:26:39 - 1 reply

Technical specs

display: textured polygons

Authors / Staff

management

Amy Hennig (director)
Steve Papoutsis (av manager)

author

Seth Carus (original game concept)

design

Aaron Keller (design)
John Dumala (design)
Richard Lemarchand (senior designer)
Riley Cooper (design)
Seth Carus (design)

coding

Carl Stika (lead programmers)
Doug Banks (additional programming)
Hong Park (programming)
Jason Bell (programming)
Jonah Stich (additional programming)
Marc David (lead programmers)
Scott Krotz (programming)
Tom Desmarais (additional programming)

graphics

Arnold Ayala (initial concept art)
Arnold Ayala (concept art)
Daniel Cabuco (concept art)
Dave Reyes (concept art)
Freddie Lee (concept art)
James Guilford (concept art)
Stephen Trusty (concept art)

motion capture

Inc. (full motion animation)

audio

Greg Shaw (audio)
Information Society (sound design)
Information Society (music composition)

video

Greg Shaw (video lead)

acting

Anna Gunn as Ariel (voice talent)
Dumah (voice talent)
Melchiah (voice talent)
Moebius (voice talent)
Neil Ross as Rahab (voice talent)
Zephon (voice talent)

other

Aaron Keller (layout)
Amy Hennig (script)
Jim Curry (script)
John Dumala (layout)
Richard Lemarchand (script)
Riley Cooper (layout)
ScreenMusic Studios (recording studio)
Seth Carus (layout)

External reviews (5) - average: 90.8% - median: 90%

review sourceissuedatescore
Consoles + (1-155)fr921999-0990/10090%
IGN1999*9.3/1093%
Joypad 73-222fr901999-109/1090%
Metacritic1999*91/10091%
view
Player Onefr1001999-0990/10090%

Contributors (5)

AndreaD
dandyboh
Sanguine
uvlbot-1
leszy

Post an anonymous comment / review about this game.

Rate and review

2
LIKE
-
PLAYED
8
FINISHED
3
OWN
PLAYING
1
WANT
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver in-game screen.
Legacy+of+Kain+Soul+Reaver
Legacy+of+Kain+Soul+Reaver
View the full gallery