The blood-soaked jewels in the crown of a storied cult franchise, Soul Reaver and its sequel were praised on release for original gameplay and stellar visuals. Gorgeous gothic fantasies, co-written and directed by industry luminary Amy Hennig, they followed the exploits of vampire lord Kain’s fallen lieutenant, Raziel. These games are easily the strongest entries in a series that would span two decades, before sadly ending with 2018’s ill-fated online PVP title, Nosgoth.

Now, the corpse is pulled from the Lake Of The Dead and granted new life, thanks to a faithful clutch of remasters from Aspyr (developers of the great Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, also originally from Crystal Dynamics).

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Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)

The centrepiece of the Legacy of Kain story cycle, Soul Reaver follows Raziel's journey of revenge. A tragic figure, Raz was once a pious nobleman, turned into an undead warrior by Kain. Making the mistake of surpassing his lord’s abilities, Raziel is betrayed and cast into the abyss. After a long nap in oblivion, he is resurrected as a desiccated shadow of his former self. With one foot in the spirit realm, he embarks on a quest to destroy Kain.

In the first game, Raziel finds himself lost in a bleak apocalypse in which Kain rules over all. There he must track down and kill his fellow lieutenants while getting to grips with his newfound abilities.

Soul Reaver 2 continues the pursuit of his former master, this time in a restored era of Nosgoth. The sequel also builds upon the series' lore significantly, delving into Raziel’s past as a Sarafan demon hunter.

Both titles are semi-open-world puzzle adventures, where you battle through an enemy-infested landscape. Raziel fights his former vampire brethren, as well as humans determined to eradicate his kind. The gameplay also features puzzles to solve and light platforming elements. There's nothing too taxing here, pushing blocks and hitting switches was all we had back in 1999.

Stripped of his vampiric thirst and abilities, our hero must combat the undead hordes with claws, fire, and sharp implements. Melee combat incorporates basic attacks to weaken enemies, with a slightly clunky lock-on to focus down groups of attackers. With the first game being set in an apocalyptic wasteland of bloodsuckers, enemies need a little more persuasion before they are fully destroyed. Weapons scattered around the environment can be used to impale vamps, while conveniently placed spikes are mounted on walls, ready for you to throw a dazed monster at them. Fire is also a useful weapon, as are the shafts of sunlight dotted around levels.

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Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)

Later in the first game and into the second, Raziel will unlock more offensive abilities along his journey. New combat and traversal options will open up through progression, chief among them the powerful spectral blade, conveniently named ‘soul reaver’. There’s a Metroidvania aspect to the ability system, with each defeated boss granting a new way to explore or fight.

The sheer variety of attack options was astonishing on the original release (the first game came out only a year after Ocarina Of Time) and still makes for a fun experience today. Lobbing enemies onto spikes is particularly satisfying.

There is much more focus on bare-bones combat in the sequel, with weapon-wielding enemies thrown at you early and often. The need to weaken enemies, before finding other means to destroy them, is also less of a necessity in Soul Reaver 2.

Exploration is fairly linear with some backtracking and divergent paths to get collectibles. The neat thing about Soul Reaver, however, is that every area has a spectral double.

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Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)

Raziel’s raison d'être is his ability to shift between the material plane and the spirit realm. This shifting mechanic forms the backbone of both titles' puzzle elements. The way forward often requires finding paths in one realm and continuing forward in another. You shift back and forth at fixed points, so there’s an element of memory involved in negotiating inter-reality pathways.

Raziel's health coil gradually depletes while he remains in the material plane, making regular visits to the spectral realm essential for progress. Enemies in both realms can have their souls devoured by Raz to replenish his health, which ultimately means dying rarely becomes a concern - even with the option to upgrade health.

The process of shifting between worlds still feels great after all these years. Watching the environment expand and distort during the transition remains a unique and captivating effect. The world of Nosgoth is an intoxicating mix of traditional vampire tropes, medieval fantasy and cosmic horror. There are many reasons this series is so well respected, so any kind of re-release has to meet those expectations.

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Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)

The remastered visuals have preserved everything about the characters and environments from 1999/2001. Models have been cleaned up and tweaked slightly (big fan of Raz’s chunky haircut), but they aren’t significantly altered. A click of the right stick will seamlessly swap between old and new visuals, which highlights the work done by Aspyr.

Both games are accessible for modern audiences and will easily meet the nostalgic expectations of series veterans. The smooth performance, coupled with configurable camera sensitivity, gives the movement and combat a refreshing sense of speed. Additionally, controller remapping is a welcome addition. There's also a photo mode to capture Nosgoth at every angle.

There are some notable visual bugs in the pre-launch version we played. Texture pop-in during the first game's in-engine cinematics were rife. Other than that, both games are clean and well-presented. Audio is sharp, those stellar vocal performances from Michael Bell and Simon Templeman sound great coming from every speaker size. The persistent musical score is a bit jarring, but the compositions, particularly those in Soul Reaver 2, sound great.

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To top it off, this bundle includes a wealth of bonus materials. Fully playable cut content and goofy behind-the-scenes outtakes are the most generous extras. Lore materials offer a bittersweet bonus, allowing you to explore the rich world of Nosgoth and lament its passing. Elsewhere, you'll find making-of materials, fan art, and even cosplay snaps - it's a truly heartfelt package.

Conclusion

Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 are just as enjoyable and atmospheric as they were two decades ago. This remaster treatment faithfully cleans up the visuals, adds some quality-of-life improvements, and stuffs the package with bonus materials, presenting the games at their best, notwithstanding some minor visual bugs. Here's hoping the success of this collection sparks interest in a return to Nosgoth.