What is your favorite Legacy of Kain game??? Subscribe here and Follow me on twitch.tv/philiphartshorn Join my discord to help me choose my next video: discord.gg/J85mKhG Watch my film work here: ua-cam.com/video/FQg5b6bagGs/v-deo.html Follow my Twitter: twitter.com/philipharts
Soul reaver 1 and 2. Narrative is 20/10. Combat 8/10 Sounds and ambiance 10/10 Amy henning is behind the script. It made her reknowned well before uncharted
Loved Soul Reaver 2 and Defiance. Defiance was a fantastic top off to the 5 game series. Blood Omen 1 and 2, Kain's perspective, Soul Reaver Raziels perspective, Defiance, bringing the two together in a well threaded package.
It is hard to have a favourite, when the story is a narrative experience all the way through. =) One of the best voice acted games. With Shakesperian Time Traveling Vampires and Wraiths.
Someone actually cobbled together the entire cutscenes from all of the games, from Blood Omen to Defiance, making the game series into a cinematic movie of sorts. The best storyline of any game series I've ever played, and I've been around since the Atari/Intellivision days. Movie Link: ua-cam.com/video/w3faOccJsZc/v-deo.htmlsi=UKkCZZdi9KyKmZU3
Quite possibly the greatest game Of the console. For me, it truly pushed the boundaries of what a well written script and story could be. It also, by far, was one of the best voice acted series I’ve played till this day. Especially for it’s time! You must be excited about the remake they just announced….👀
It's not Shakespearian, thankfully. That would be hard to follow, trust me.. But, I know what you're saying. It's Theatrical and filled with Grandeur, there's definitely a word that applies but thank god, it's not Shakespearian Victorian? Edwardian? There is a word.
@damsen978 damsel would be a better name for someone so sensitive, as yourself, sweetpea. If that comment could impact you like that, I assume I've made you never leave the house again, with this one, precious xxx
There's 2 series in the Legacy of Kain 2 games on ps1 and 3 on ps2; Blood Omen telling the story of Kain being turned into a vampire and corrupting the pillars of creation, and Blood Omen 2 on ps2 to show his rise to power. Soul Reaver was the fall, and Soul Reaver 2 on ps2 which involved time travel and showed the "truth". Defiance brought both games together where Kain and Raziel fought a corrupt god
Blood Omen 2 isn't a direct sequel to Blood Omen 1, though. Blood Omen 2 is more of a spin-off of Soul Reaver 2, showing the altered timeline after BO1 due to the time shenanigans in Soul Reaver 2. In the original timeline, there was no Sarafan Lord or Hylden to contest Kain's rise to power.
@@84C4 I held out help until Nosgoth was released. Once that pile of refuse went gold I was just like "welp, the series is done". Also, Tony Jay's passing didn't help me hold out hope at all.
@@HRDSalami654 the original author of soul reaver and defiance is still alive, i think she said she wasnt interested in finishing the game due to issues with crystal dynamics or something like that. i could be wrong
Thanks for watching my recommendation. This is one of my favorite franchises in gaming. The story and script writing is incredible and as you pointed out, looks really good for PS1 into PS2 for the later games.
"You must understand that our presence here doesn't alter history. You and I meet here because we are compelled to. We have always met here. History is irredeemable" - Kain in Soul Reaver 2
Right there with you!!! I'm 45 I played them all. Greatest storyline I've ever seen!! I cried at the end of defiance! The voice actors are the apex of voice actors. I love this series more than any of them!!!
25 years later, I still think about this game series, but somehow since childhood Raziel being casted into the abyss resonated with me forever. No idea why
The agony of his scream and the depth of his dialogue, paired with the unforgettable background theme, made the intro alone a masterpiece and something I never forgot from childhood. No other game story or soundtrack impacted me as much as Soul Reaver.
When they say "deified" and "divine", they don't mean literally gods, they mean superhuman abilities. Saying Kain is 'deified' just means he treated as a god by many due to how powerful he is. And when Raziel says that he and his brothers become more "divine" over time, you can tell by how he pauses, the character is trying to choose to most positive way to phrase their bodily changes, instead of saying "monstrous". If you can, you should watch (in order) all the cutscenes for all the games... the storyline is utterly jaw dropping and is such a rarity in games these days. To get the full storyline in order, the order of games is: Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, Soul Reaver, Soul Reaver 2, Blood Omen 2, Legacy of Kain: Defiance.
The order chronologically is Blood Omen, Blood Omen 2, Soul Reaver, Soul Reaver 2, and then Defiance. BO2 does not take place (in the story) before Defiance like you said.
Legacy of Kain is ONE HELL of a rabbit hole to go down in It is ONE of the most iconic and unique game franchise Its dark, its mature, the dialogues and storytelling and the world building is just *Chef's Kiss* even 30 years later. Compelling characters, with dramatic lore, Deep lore and world with a huge part given to exploration and immersion in this world of Gothic Horror, absolutly amazing soundtrack Yes the sagas weakness is, its gameplay, wich isn't terrible, its just does its job and it can be enjoyable, but we are far from modern action/rpg games. But LoK IS one of the best Nobledark saga in video games history. There's quite a LOT of lore videos about the LoK series and i recommend you dive into them, even if its on your free time, its worth it
As I've told people, there isn't really anything in modern gaming that even comes close to the combination of things that Legacy of Kain/Soul Reaver got right. Even with it's flawed gameplay, Soul Reaver 1 had the story and the world bending transitions between the material and wraith worlds. Sure there are transitions, but nothing where the world bends in real time around you. You also have the way the story and the world constantly keep you guessing as you go through it. I mean, by the "end" of the series I was left awestruck that Kain was actually not just evil and that he saw Raziel as a close acquaintance. I also like how Raziel's personality evolves throughout the games, from angry and vengeful to shocked, and eventually to realization and acceptance of what had to be done. Shit, the scene between Raziel and Kain almost had me tearing up. While I am disappointment that the series never got a true ending that wrapped everything up, Defiance at least left everything in a place where you could call it an ending.
What Simon Templeman, Michael Bell and Tony Jay did for these games is just, one of a kind. Nothing else compares, for this was monumental, their magnum opus.
The attention to detail in this series is legendary. The moment you know more about Kain as a character and his true motivations, that glance of his at the moment he orders to cast Raziel to the vortex gets a whole new meaning.
I keep fogetting that she's the actress behind the voice. Though behind the three powerhouses of Bell, Templemen, and Jay, it's hard for me to remember a lot of the other performances, even when they are just as good. They just aren't as much constant in the forefront.
Actually the Michael Bell is the voice actor behind Drew Pickles & Chaz Finster from Rugrats not Stu Pickles that was done by Jack Riley who passed away from Pneumonia in 2016.
The Legacy of Kain games has probably the best voice acting of all time and even back on the PS1 with the very first game, Blood Omen, it most definitely stood out among the rest.
Hahaha... To think one could grasp the extent of Kain's machinations, from a brief glimpse at a single act. You have a long journey yet ahead of you, if you wish to uncover the truth of this tale...
Soul Reaver 2 recontextualises basically the entirety of Soul Reaver 1 and explains Kains motives were more complicated. He wasn’t jealous or insecure but he was still incredibly ruthless
Yeah i agree. Its a kind of story telling where the audience discover the truth together with the main character and i love it. Alittle like the momento movie
I knew from the moment that intro played that this was something special. The world, the dialog/writing, the voice acting all still beyond many games today. They managed to do something so unique with vampire mythology in a video game. It's like a weird, gothic, H.R. Giger horror take on vampires you'd expect to see in a novel or indie horror movie.
Yeah newer games just can't do this level of mix between Zelda exploration, and Gieger/Gothic Horror/cthuluesque environment with a HEFTY dash of Shakesperian dramaturgy on top of it. There's a raison why LoK is so unique.
I thought this first soul reaver game was such a great way to tackle a legacy of kain sequel. Because if you did play the first game you kind of knew how they got there because you had played as Kain but if you didn't play the first game it was perfectly playable as you learned the "truth" of the past and future plot implications alongside this main protagonist. And returning players got to learn what had happened during the millennia in-between.
When i was a kid i was UTTERLY OBSESSED with this series, played every game! This series has a fanbase as rabbit as lots of the rings. It’s an incredible game world
Something that stands out to me about the music in this scene is how perfectly it captures a sort of apocalyptic feeling. Everything that's happening here is a personal apocalypse for our protagonist Raziel here, and the music unironically makes it sound like the whole world is ending.
It does perfectly encapusalt the whole "Trumpets of the End of Time sbeing Blown when the Angels open the final Seals" vibe. And Soul reaver basicly happens in a Post Apocalyptic version of Nosgoth
The entire Legacy of Kain Franchise was Absolutely Peak ahead of its Time and to this day, this Series was and is the Best of Deep Narrative Storytelling at its Core. The Character Progression and the the World Building was a Testament that Prolonged this Series into Legacy of Kain Defiance. If I had a choice of today's narrative storytelling into modern single player games today, the Legacy of Kain Series is a Series I will always go back and replay all over again. To be honest, we don't have games like this anymore, other than the Mass Effect Series or the Uncharted Series but even then nothing is compared and unmatched than the Legacy of Kain Series!!
Damn, are uncharted and mass effect the closest we got to LOK in terms of quality? I know nothing about mass effect, but uncharted, despite being great, doesn't come anywhere near this level of quality
Blood Omen, the first game, is getting ported to PS5 soon. The two games after that, Soul Reaver 1 and 2, are getting remastered and released in December.
@@Lyvarious It's better for pc, Ps5 version isn;t great and it's emulated. So configuring the controls is rough. Plays alright on steam, downside no matter what platform it's really dated and it's 2d.
@@maulressurected4405 You should try the PS1 version.. it's rough. On PC you can use a bunch of mods to improve stability and whatnot but it's still a fantastic example of how Silicon Knights imploded in slow motion over like 20ish years. imo there's no issue with Blood Omen being 2D (it's kinda not 2D but only as a technicality, for the player there is no way they'll be able to take advantage of the isometric elements) but the actual engine is absolutely awful. I won't go into a rant about how easy it is to sequence break the dungeons and soft lock Blood Omen 1 pretty much all of the time... but yeah, it's why I don't play it even now. Pretty sure I popped a blood vessel after encountering the same bug a bunch of times in a row
fun fact, the Elder God in this game (the one who says "you are worthy" at the end) is voiced by the Frollo voice actor in Hunchback of Notre Dame. The guy who sings Hellfire.
this compleet story arc across 5 games is amazing,lets just say what you see here does happen but there are other reasons for it then is indicated here.
And they refuse to give it a remake! They give new games (Looking at you "The last of us" and "Resident evil") multiple remakes and remasters, but this gem is still ignored.
@@izeckx From what I know. the game is ( or was ) drowned in lawsuits from the studios involved claiming the rights of the IP; multiple future project cancelations - Dead Suns project failing right when it was being released at E3 - and.. well eventually the fountain dried up.. : ( Maybe one day my friend, we will see this game realized with all the glorious new tech we have today. or maybe it's better for it to stay at nostalgia land. I honestly dont know.. but at least we can say that we had this amazing experience growing up.
@@Cangaca777It was finally over, and last I checked, the studio who currently owns the Legacy of Kain series, has full creative control of it. I'll have to look for the article about it, but basically, if I remember it right, it's no longer in Squenix's clutches.
The OG Legacy of Kain and Soul Reaver were on PS1, the other games were on PS2. Legacy of Kain: Defiance was the final game and tied the Soul Reaver and LoK games together, and was seriously one of my favorite games of all time. Simon Templeman and Michael Bell are just PERFECT casting for the voice-acting.
Defiance was decent but just felt a bit rushed for such a complex, epic story. They barely interact and are doing somewhat random stuff on their own until the end. Idk it was just a bit unsatisfying after how brilliant SR1 and 2 were.
That sound track 💥 and especially the intro track is glorious… nothing but tingles on the neck and pure happy memories. This intro let you know you was about to play something very special
Just saw this reaction video. In the video titled "Legacy of Kain | The Corruption" by Strictly Fantasy you can get some more info about the lore and world-building. In the first game Kain was made into a Vampire by one of the guardians of the Pillars of Nosgoth (the throne room form the intro you reacted to). The pillars ar far older then Kain and were created by an extinct race who vere actually the first vampires and had angel like wings (that's why it was such a transgretion by Raziel to have wings, he became closer resembling to the ancient vampires than Kain). Through the series you slovely unvocer the lore why the 2 main protagonists, Kain and Raziel. Both were initially driven by revenge but then realizes they have been manipulated by others and then decide to take destiny into their own hands. The voice acting and dialog is LEGENDARY. There are "movies" on YT made from just the cutscenes from the games. Totally worth watching. Recomending "Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver - All Story Cutscenes" and "Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 - Story Cutscenes" by R. M. G.
I absolutely love all the assumptions you're reaching from the storytelling because it's exactly what you're supposed to think ... and then you get to the end of the game. Won't spoil beyond that. So good.
As someone who grew up on this series, I can hardly wait to see the intro remastered when the Remaster of Soul Reaver 1 and 2 comes out on December 10th. I remember my first introduction to it on a demo disc that came with Tomb Raider 2. The fire glyph puzzle stumped me for months as a kid. But once I figured it out, I was treated to this cinematic (0:25) and absolutely fell in love with it. Worth every dollar my parents spent on it for Christmas. Truely I have not been enraptured by a game as much as this one. It holds a special place in my heart.
This was one of the first games that just made me completely lose all track of time. When I first got it I started playing around 7.30 at night and before I knew it it was almost 4 o'clock in the morning!
Soul Reaver (and Legacy of Kain generally) has got to be my favorite game franchise of all time. Personally, I like Soul Reaver 2 the most because you discover information that let's you see Kain in a different way and also gives a whole new meaning to the intro to Soul Reaver 1.
Unconfirmed as of yet. No announcement means no hype. Don't set yourself up for bitter disappointment. They're just testing the waters now, but prospects look good. Once they make an announcement, then you get hype.
Remaster was just announced. Keeping true to the original from all the chatter. Same voice acting. Please play it when it comes out. You won’t be disappointed
So glad they are remastering this game and the second Soul Reaver gave for PS4 and 5. Can't wait to get my hands on the remaster and play it all over again. Just hope they remaster all of the Legacy of Kain games.
Man I saw thumbnail for this and I thought "Man this is going to be GREAT!! I love Legacy of Kain and Oded Fehr!!!" Also I'm taking film courses right now! =D
Remasters for Soul Reaver 1 and 2 are coming December 10th, but the cutscenes were pre-rendered on SGI workstations and encoded with Bink video to match the native resolution of the PS1. The in-game graphics weren't this good, but the PC and Dreamcast versions were the best because of PowerVR's tile based rendering made the Dreamcast look and play like the PC version using the Glide API on a 3dfx Voodoo (Direct3D was supported but was fugly in comparison to Glide) ...
And now..after SO many years we're getting Soul Reaver 1&2 Remasters, the coin fell on its edge. Loved this reaction! This is one of the most iconic game openings, ever created.
That's actually not PS1. I saw the original intro from Soul Reaver 1 on PS1 and it hadn't this level of graphics, all characters were blocky, PS1 wasn't able of such sharpness and smoothness and stuff at that time. This introduction is actually at the start of Soul Reaver 2, where Raziel retells his past to the player with a newer graphical coat. It's just a recap of what's been done to him in the previous game. So yea, this isn't PS1 graphics in the slightest.
This game changed my whole outlook on video games I realized that they could be much more than just a game and tell a story deeper than any movie or show when done right. The story the narrative and the voice performance and the lore of the world is what carried this game.
How's your pyschological fortitude? The intro to Shadow of the Colossus is hauntingly gorgeous some don't understand it, some say it's boring, but they just simply don't understand the concept, it's unique style and it's minimal approach to story telling, both Legacy of Kain and Shadow of the Colossus are apart of my top 5 games ever created, was great to see your reaction to this I reacted the same when my 16yr old self played this game for the first time
At the time, the music choice was unique in that they hired an industrial group called Information Society. The name of the song (which was made for the series) is called "Ozar Midrashim"
The voice actors were amazing. Simon Templeman as Kain, Michael Bell as Raziel and The legendary Tony Jay as The Elder God. Sadly Tony passed away but if you check out his IMBD, he and Michael Bell were in everything. Almost every cartoon from the 80s and 90s.
I can't wait it's been years soul Reaver remastered one and two The first one was on PlayStation 1 the second one is on PlayStation 2 I think it's been years since I played these games December 10th pre-order now
The thing chat didn’t know, this is actually the 3rd game in the series of I think 4. The first one is done from a really old top down perspective, and it shows when Kain was made into a Vampire
As a long time fan of the franchise, I highly recommend not only the openings, but there are fans out there who have collected the major cinematics of the games, and chunked them into mini movies.
we're now at the release of the HD Remaster of Soul Reaver 1 and 2, almost 25 years later, and the only games that have ever come close to the pure gothic poetry and stellar voice performance has only been paralleled by games like Dark Souls and Elden Ring. Once you get a taste of Raziel and Kain's beautifully written dialogue they stick with you for life.
The thing that stood out the most for me in the games, was the incredible warping of the world, whenever you transition from the spectral plane to the "normal" world, the shape the architecture around you would simply bend and make new shapes, corridors and passages that where not there simply opened, a very cool transition effect they had for this game.
raziels transformation into devourer of souls was fortold. the sword @8:10 is raziel. kain , the scion of balance ,slays "elder god" , eternal parasite which feeds on life force, with raziels purified soul. purified by soul of purest guardian of circle of 9
It was one of my fav games. Although I had a difficult time beating it because it was also a very long game, and had all these puzzles and didn’t know where I was suppose to go. I can’t wait for the remake so I can finally complete one of my childhood games
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Soul reaver 1 and 2. Narrative is 20/10.
Combat 8/10
Sounds and ambiance 10/10
Amy henning is behind the script. It made her reknowned well before uncharted
Loved Soul Reaver 2 and Defiance. Defiance was a fantastic top off to the 5 game series. Blood Omen 1 and 2, Kain's perspective, Soul Reaver Raziels perspective, Defiance, bringing the two together in a well threaded package.
Defiance is my favourite, but SR2 is a close second
It is hard to have a favourite, when the story is a narrative experience all the way through. =) One of the best voice acted games. With Shakesperian Time Traveling Vampires and Wraiths.
Someone actually cobbled together the entire cutscenes from all of the games, from Blood Omen to Defiance, making the game series into a cinematic movie of sorts. The best storyline of any game series I've ever played, and I've been around since the Atari/Intellivision days.
Movie Link: ua-cam.com/video/w3faOccJsZc/v-deo.htmlsi=UKkCZZdi9KyKmZU3
To this DAY one the best written and best acted video game series out there.
🤝💯👀
Shame that we lost a lot of parts from the story and we never got a proper conclusion.
@@alvarox951 hopefully teh series can be revived with the new remasters.
I hope so, but it needs Amy.
@@Bloodyshinta1 Honestly that doesn't surprise me. Fuckin' bummer.
I'm a simple woman... I see any Legacy of Kain and I click
Quite possibly the greatest game
Of the console. For me, it truly pushed the boundaries of what a well written script and story could be.
It also, by far, was one of the best voice acted series I’ve played till this day. Especially for it’s time!
You must be excited about the remake they just announced….👀
@KatherinaBathory here are your flowers 💐
@@drukharimatter2962 Facts.
thats awesome!!!
you're not a simple woman, you're an awesome one.
The writing for these games, the Shakespearian language used. This series was beautiful. May it never be forgotten.
It's not Shakespearian, thankfully. That would be hard to follow, trust me..
But, I know what you're saying. It's Theatrical and filled with Grandeur, there's definitely a word that applies but thank god, it's not Shakespearian
Victorian? Edwardian? There is a word.
Good morrow!
How now - God ye good den!
How sayest thou?
There's a Kickstarter running for a prequel visual novel.
@damsen978 damsel would be a better name for someone so sensitive, as yourself, sweetpea.
If that comment could impact you like that, I assume I've made you never leave the house again, with this one, precious xxx
The narrative, soundtrack and voice acting in this series is just 10/10
Undeniably!!
🤝💯👀
There's 2 series in the Legacy of Kain 2 games on ps1 and 3 on ps2; Blood Omen telling the story of Kain being turned into a vampire and corrupting the pillars of creation, and Blood Omen 2 on ps2 to show his rise to power. Soul Reaver was the fall, and Soul Reaver 2 on ps2 which involved time travel and showed the "truth". Defiance brought both games together where Kain and Raziel fought a corrupt god
Blood Omen 2 isn't a direct sequel to Blood Omen 1, though. Blood Omen 2 is more of a spin-off of Soul Reaver 2, showing the altered timeline after BO1 due to the time shenanigans in Soul Reaver 2. In the original timeline, there was no Sarafan Lord or Hylden to contest Kain's rise to power.
It still kills me to this day that this series is left unfinished after all this time. This story deserves to be completed.
@@MortalSora We're still afflicted by the horrible illusion of hope.
@@84C4 I held out help until Nosgoth was released. Once that pile of refuse went gold I was just like "welp, the series is done". Also, Tony Jay's passing didn't help me hold out hope at all.
@@HRDSalami654 the original author of soul reaver and defiance is still alive, i think she said she wasnt interested in finishing the game due to issues with crystal dynamics or something like that. i could be wrong
Thanks for watching my recommendation. This is one of my favorite franchises in gaming. The story and script writing is incredible and as you pointed out, looks really good for PS1 into PS2 for the later games.
"You must understand that our presence here doesn't alter history. You and I meet here because we are compelled to. We have always met here. History is irredeemable"
- Kain in Soul Reaver 2
"Drop a stone in a rushing river and the current simply courses around it and flows on as if the obstruction was never there..."
Best voice acting and favorite characters of my childhood
Omg omg omg yes, this is still my favorite game of all time! And I'm a 40yo Mexican woman
That's my favourite type of woman 😂😊
Happy to see other girls love this game so much to 💙 have a great day ^^
Right there with you!!! I'm 45 I played them all. Greatest storyline I've ever seen!! I cried at the end of defiance! The voice actors are the apex of voice actors. I love this series more than any of them!!!
There are rumors
Of a remaster
Give your prayers
35, I can say the same) This game showed me what a good storytelling is.
I grew up playing every game! This entire series exemplifies peak voice acting in the gaming industry!
25 years later, I still think about this game series, but somehow since childhood Raziel being casted into the abyss resonated with me forever. No idea why
The agony of his scream and the depth of his dialogue, paired with the unforgettable background theme, made the intro alone a masterpiece and something I never forgot from childhood.
No other game story or soundtrack impacted me as much as Soul Reaver.
You are reborn lol. This series has definitely stuck with me through the years as well.
My friend has an entire tattoo sleeve themed around this
Because of the hypocrisy that damned him to the abyss!
@@Davidsworldtravels I feel a "deepening hatred"
When they say "deified" and "divine", they don't mean literally gods, they mean superhuman abilities. Saying Kain is 'deified' just means he treated as a god by many due to how powerful he is. And when Raziel says that he and his brothers become more "divine" over time, you can tell by how he pauses, the character is trying to choose to most positive way to phrase their bodily changes, instead of saying "monstrous". If you can, you should watch (in order) all the cutscenes for all the games... the storyline is utterly jaw dropping and is such a rarity in games these days. To get the full storyline in order, the order of games is: Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, Soul Reaver, Soul Reaver 2, Blood Omen 2, Legacy of Kain: Defiance.
Raziel's jaw indeed dropped
In a way...the choice of word use is accurate. Especially if you know the lore of Yanos Audrine and The Hilden.
The order chronologically is Blood Omen, Blood Omen 2, Soul Reaver, Soul Reaver 2, and then Defiance. BO2 does not take place (in the story) before Defiance like you said.
@@brandonwyman9125 You are correct, chronologically. I was indicating the order they were released.
@@teeeldubbsSavage 😂
Bro, this isn't a PS1 Videogame, this is, like, the Lord of the Rings of gaming.
Legacy of Kain is ONE HELL of a rabbit hole to go down in
It is ONE of the most iconic and unique game franchise
Its dark, its mature, the dialogues and storytelling and the world building is just *Chef's Kiss* even 30 years later.
Compelling characters, with dramatic lore, Deep lore and world with a huge part given to exploration and immersion in this world of Gothic Horror, absolutly amazing soundtrack
Yes the sagas weakness is, its gameplay, wich isn't terrible, its just does its job and it can be enjoyable, but we are far from modern action/rpg games.
But LoK IS one of the best Nobledark saga in video games history.
There's quite a LOT of lore videos about the LoK series and i recommend you dive into them, even if its on your free time, its worth it
As I've told people, there isn't really anything in modern gaming that even comes close to the combination of things that Legacy of Kain/Soul Reaver got right. Even with it's flawed gameplay, Soul Reaver 1 had the story and the world bending transitions between the material and wraith worlds. Sure there are transitions, but nothing where the world bends in real time around you. You also have the way the story and the world constantly keep you guessing as you go through it. I mean, by the "end" of the series I was left awestruck that Kain was actually not just evil and that he saw Raziel as a close acquaintance. I also like how Raziel's personality evolves throughout the games, from angry and vengeful to shocked, and eventually to realization and acceptance of what had to be done. Shit, the scene between Raziel and Kain almost had me tearing up. While I am disappointment that the series never got a true ending that wrapped everything up, Defiance at least left everything in a place where you could call it an ending.
What Simon Templeman, Michael Bell and Tony Jay did for these games is just, one of a kind. Nothing else compares, for this was monumental, their magnum opus.
The attention to detail in this series is legendary. The moment you know more about Kain as a character and his true motivations, that glance of his at the moment he orders to cast Raziel to the vortex gets a whole new meaning.
Crazy band of the 80s and 90s, Information Society did the main theme here. This game was huge in my childhood!
The fact that Raziel is voice by Michael Bell, who also voices Stu Pickles on Rugrats is incredible. Skyler White is Ariel. Still hate her.
I keep fogetting that she's the actress behind the voice.
Though behind the three powerhouses of Bell, Templemen, and Jay, it's hard for me to remember a lot of the other performances, even when they are just as good. They just aren't as much constant in the forefront.
Oh, so the meme video where Raziel is making chocolate pudding at 3AM isn't just because it's funny. I never knew they shared a voice actor.
Actually the Michael Bell is the voice actor behind Drew Pickles & Chaz Finster from Rugrats not Stu Pickles that was done by Jack Riley who passed away from Pneumonia in 2016.
The Legacy of Kain games has probably the best voice acting of all time and even back on the PS1 with the very first game, Blood Omen, it most definitely stood out among the rest.
I remember getting soulreaver for my ps1 back in 1998,i was blown away by the graphics,even more by the writing and voice acting.
True classic 👑
К сожалению игра на ps1 была ужасна по сравнению с версией для dreamcast. На ютубе есть сравнение. Прохождение на ps1 ужасно для глаз после sega.
Wow impressive. How did you manage to obtain it in 1998? It wasn't released until 1999.
@@spidericemidasiosmusicprod1309 Was it?
So wasnt accurate with year,cheers.
The remake drops this December for those who have not tried this gem. :)
Oh my Seraphim, I had no idea they were remastering it. Thank you so much!
@mikehawk8984 You're welcome then. =)
Hahaha... To think one could grasp the extent of Kain's machinations, from a brief glimpse at a single act. You have a long journey yet ahead of you, if you wish to uncover the truth of this tale...
I mean it was over a decade before we learned the truth of the face he made when he saw Raziel's wings
Soul Reaver 2 recontextualises basically the entirety of Soul Reaver 1 and explains Kains motives were more complicated. He wasn’t jealous or insecure but he was still incredibly ruthless
Yeah i agree. Its a kind of story telling where the audience discover the truth together with the main character and i love it. Alittle like the momento movie
The final boss fight in Soulreaver 2 was real OMFG
I knew from the moment that intro played that this was something special. The world, the dialog/writing, the voice acting all still beyond many games today. They managed to do something so unique with vampire mythology in a video game. It's like a weird, gothic, H.R. Giger horror take on vampires you'd expect to see in a novel or indie horror movie.
Yeah newer games just can't do this level of mix between Zelda exploration, and Gieger/Gothic Horror/cthuluesque environment with a HEFTY dash of Shakesperian dramaturgy on top of it.
There's a raison why LoK is so unique.
I thought this first soul reaver game was such a great way to tackle a legacy of kain sequel. Because if you did play the first game you kind of knew how they got there because you had played as Kain but if you didn't play the first game it was perfectly playable as you learned the "truth" of the past and future plot implications alongside this main protagonist. And returning players got to learn what had happened during the millennia in-between.
The game is getting remastered. I highly recommend playing it, one of the GOATs 🐐
When i was a kid i was UTTERLY OBSESSED with this series, played every game! This series has a fanbase as rabbit as lots of the rings. It’s an incredible game world
First game i ever played. Will love it forever for the universe/story.
I'm a simple man, i see soul reaver, i like
Something that stands out to me about the music in this scene is how perfectly it captures a sort of apocalyptic feeling. Everything that's happening here is a personal apocalypse for our protagonist Raziel here, and the music unironically makes it sound like the whole world is ending.
It does perfectly encapusalt the whole "Trumpets of the End of Time sbeing Blown when the Angels open the final Seals" vibe.
And Soul reaver basicly happens in a Post Apocalyptic version of Nosgoth
The track is "Ozar Midrashim" by Information Society if you ever want to listen to it clean.
@@SymbioteMullet yeah I know, I've been a fan of the band before they worked on this game.
The entire Legacy of Kain Franchise was Absolutely Peak ahead of its Time and to this day, this Series was and is the Best of Deep Narrative Storytelling at its Core. The Character Progression and the the World Building was a Testament that Prolonged this Series into Legacy of Kain Defiance. If I had a choice of today's narrative storytelling into modern single player games today, the Legacy of Kain Series is a Series I will always go back and replay all over again. To be honest, we don't have games like this anymore, other than the Mass Effect Series or the Uncharted Series but even then nothing is compared and unmatched than the Legacy of Kain Series!!
Few game stories would ever come close to it.
Most books fall short.
It is a _Masterpiece_ & a technical _Masterclass._
Damn, are uncharted and mass effect the closest we got to LOK in terms of quality? I know nothing about mass effect, but uncharted, despite being great, doesn't come anywhere near this level of quality
I agree even the music added to the game. The series will always be in my top favorites and won't be in jepordy of falling out of it.
Seriously one of the best intros of all time. Still gives me goosebumps & still feel it when Raziel hits the water.
The Legacy of Kain series is a masterwork of storytelling with an entrancing style.
Blood Omen, the first game, is getting ported to PS5 soon. The two games after that, Soul Reaver 1 and 2, are getting remastered and released in December.
ngl if Blood Omen 1 is getting a PS5 port, I am pretty worried... that game is optimisation hell
@@Lyvarious It's better for pc, Ps5 version isn;t great and it's emulated. So configuring the controls is rough. Plays alright on steam, downside no matter what platform it's really dated and it's 2d.
@@maulressurected4405 You should try the PS1 version.. it's rough. On PC you can use a bunch of mods to improve stability and whatnot but it's still a fantastic example of how Silicon Knights imploded in slow motion over like 20ish years.
imo there's no issue with Blood Omen being 2D (it's kinda not 2D but only as a technicality, for the player there is no way they'll be able to take advantage of the isometric elements) but the actual engine is absolutely awful.
I won't go into a rant about how easy it is to sequence break the dungeons and soft lock Blood Omen 1 pretty much all of the time... but yeah, it's why I don't play it even now. Pretty sure I popped a blood vessel after encountering the same bug a bunch of times in a row
fun fact, the Elder God in this game (the one who says "you are worthy" at the end) is voiced by the Frollo voice actor in Hunchback of Notre Dame. The guy who sings Hellfire.
Tony Jay. The man, the myth, the legend.
this compleet story arc across 5 games is amazing,lets just say what you see here does happen but there are other reasons for it then is indicated here.
My childhood game right there! and even to this day there's no other vampire game like it!
And they refuse to give it a remake! They give new games (Looking at you "The last of us" and "Resident evil") multiple remakes and remasters, but this gem is still ignored.
@@izeckx From what I know. the game is ( or was ) drowned in lawsuits from the studios involved claiming the rights of the IP; multiple future project cancelations - Dead Suns project failing right when it was being released at E3 - and.. well eventually the fountain dried up.. : (
Maybe one day my friend, we will see this game realized with all the glorious new tech we have today. or maybe it's better for it to stay at nostalgia land. I honestly dont know.. but at least we can say that we had this amazing experience growing up.
@@Cangaca777It was finally over, and last I checked, the studio who currently owns the Legacy of Kain series, has full creative control of it. I'll have to look for the article about it, but basically, if I remember it right, it's no longer in Squenix's clutches.
The OG Legacy of Kain and Soul Reaver were on PS1, the other games were on PS2. Legacy of Kain: Defiance was the final game and tied the Soul Reaver and LoK games together, and was seriously one of my favorite games of all time. Simon Templeman and Michael Bell are just PERFECT casting for the voice-acting.
You mean tied the soul reaver and blood omen games together? They’re all legacy of kain games
Defiance was decent but just felt a bit rushed for such a complex, epic story. They barely interact and are doing somewhat random stuff on their own until the end. Idk it was just a bit unsatisfying after how brilliant SR1 and 2 were.
What an awesome reaction dude, had to sub
This is FINALLY officially getting a remaster as well as the sequel announced yesterday :D So hyped
That sound track 💥 and especially the intro track is glorious… nothing but tingles on the neck and pure happy memories. This intro let you know you was about to play something very special
Raziel was voiced by the same guy who played Prowl in G1 Transformers. Michael Bell.
This game 's voice acting is godlike. If it was remastered I want the exact same dialog.
Just saw this reaction video. In the video titled "Legacy of Kain | The Corruption" by Strictly Fantasy you can get some more info about the lore and world-building.
In the first game Kain was made into a Vampire by one of the guardians of the Pillars of Nosgoth (the throne room form the intro you reacted to). The pillars ar far older then Kain and were created by an extinct race who vere actually the first vampires and had angel like wings (that's why it was such a transgretion by Raziel to have wings, he became closer resembling to the ancient vampires than Kain). Through the series you slovely unvocer the lore why the 2 main protagonists, Kain and Raziel. Both were initially driven by revenge but then realizes they have been manipulated by others and then decide to take destiny into their own hands.
The voice acting and dialog is LEGENDARY. There are "movies" on YT made from just the cutscenes from the games. Totally worth watching. Recomending "Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver - All Story Cutscenes" and "Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 - Story Cutscenes" by R. M. G.
I absolutely love all the assumptions you're reaching from the storytelling because it's exactly what you're supposed to think ... and then you get to the end of the game. Won't spoil beyond that. So good.
Good god i miss this bloody game. This game was BEYOND goated
As someone who grew up on this series, I can hardly wait to see the intro remastered when the Remaster of Soul Reaver 1 and 2 comes out on December 10th. I remember my first introduction to it on a demo disc that came with Tomb Raider 2. The fire glyph puzzle stumped me for months as a kid. But once I figured it out, I was treated to this cinematic (0:25) and absolutely fell in love with it. Worth every dollar my parents spent on it for Christmas. Truely I have not been enraptured by a game as much as this one. It holds a special place in my heart.
This was one of the first games that just made me completely lose all track of time. When I first got it I started playing around 7.30 at night and before I knew it it was almost 4 o'clock in the morning!
The remasters for soul reaver 1 and 2 just came out, working versions for PC finally
Soul Reaver (and Legacy of Kain generally) has got to be my favorite game franchise of all time. Personally, I like Soul Reaver 2 the most because you discover information that let's you see Kain in a different way and also gives a whole new meaning to the intro to Soul Reaver 1.
The remaster will be a thing of beauty and a masterpiece once again! I can’t wait!
Unconfirmed as of yet. No announcement means no hype. Don't set yourself up for bitter disappointment. They're just testing the waters now, but prospects look good. Once they make an announcement, then you get hype.
Where did you hear of this? That would be amazing
Well well well. Hope someday the coin lands... on its edge. Well, it did!!!!!
@@alvaronavarro4895 yes! And amazing comment!
@@alvaronavarro4895 nice call back to kain speach
Remaster was just announced. Keeping true to the original from all the chatter. Same voice acting. Please play it when it comes out. You won’t be disappointed
It ALWAYS blows my mind these are ps1 games. Each one is so surprisingly beautiful. Quite the feat at their times
So glad they are remastering this game and the second Soul Reaver gave for PS4 and 5. Can't wait to get my hands on the remaster and play it all over again. Just hope they remaster all of the Legacy of Kain games.
Man I saw thumbnail for this and I thought "Man this is going to be GREAT!! I love Legacy of Kain and Oded Fehr!!!" Also I'm taking film courses right now! =D
Remasters for Soul Reaver 1 and 2 are coming December 10th, but the cutscenes were pre-rendered on SGI workstations and encoded with Bink video to match the native resolution of the PS1. The in-game graphics weren't this good, but the PC and Dreamcast versions were the best because of PowerVR's tile based rendering made the Dreamcast look and play like the PC version using the Glide API on a 3dfx Voodoo (Direct3D was supported but was fugly in comparison to Glide) ...
You need to check the whole series out mate. Best story and narration ever. Not just for the time
Why the guy from The Mummy playing ps1
Legacy of Kain. One of the best examples to defend the idea of Games as art
Just over a month and the Soul Reaver 1 & 2 remasters comes out!!
Cant wait!!
One of the best series, the voice acting and world building are A tear
This series to this day is still one of the best I have ever played.
I played this game when I was too young to appreciate the dialog. Came back to it years later and its a masterpiece.
I was hoping for another sequel, but this will do for now!
Im so happy that the Soul Reaver games are getting remastered. Hopefully there is a Vol 2 so we can get the other 3 games.
And now..after SO many years we're getting Soul Reaver 1&2 Remasters, the coin fell on its edge.
Loved this reaction! This is one of the most iconic game openings, ever created.
One of the best voice acting in all media i believe. Damn good series.
1:44 Still Ps1 but that's a cinematic, higher pre-rendered graphic. That game follows Blood Omen, which is the journey of Kain.
That's actually not PS1. I saw the original intro from Soul Reaver 1 on PS1 and it hadn't this level of graphics, all characters were blocky, PS1 wasn't able of such sharpness and smoothness and stuff at that time. This introduction is actually at the start of Soul Reaver 2, where Raziel retells his past to the player with a newer graphical coat. It's just a recap of what's been done to him in the previous game. So yea, this isn't PS1 graphics in the slightest.
You gotta react to this again but when they release the remastered version coming out soon.
I still watch this over and over, 20 or more years after!
This game had it all.
This game changed my whole outlook on video games I realized that they could be much more than just a game and tell a story deeper than any movie or show when done right. The story the narrative and the voice performance and the lore of the world is what carried this game.
this was one of two video games that turned me onto video games a couple or so decades back.
I love all the legacy of kain game I played all but online game.
To the dude in the video, it's the second game of the series, the first was blood omen legacy of kain
How's your pyschological fortitude? The intro to Shadow of the Colossus is hauntingly gorgeous some don't understand it, some say it's boring, but they just simply don't understand the concept, it's unique style and it's minimal approach to story telling, both Legacy of Kain and Shadow of the Colossus are apart of my top 5 games ever created, was great to see your reaction to this I reacted the same when my 16yr old self played this game for the first time
At the time, the music choice was unique in that they hired an industrial group called Information Society. The name of the song (which was made for the series) is called "Ozar Midrashim"
And now they're remaking it.😁 Such a well written franchise with some of the best voice acting in gaming. Can't wait to replay it
The voice actors were amazing.
Simon Templeman as Kain, Michael Bell as Raziel and The legendary Tony Jay as The Elder God.
Sadly Tony passed away but if you check out his IMBD, he and Michael Bell were in everything. Almost every cartoon from the 80s and 90s.
I played that when it first came out, & I still remember that intro 🥹🥹🥹
I can't wait it's been years
soul Reaver remastered one and two The first one was on PlayStation 1 the second one is on PlayStation 2 I think it's been years since I played these games
December 10th pre-order now
We need a ground up remake for the spul reaver and blood omen series...
I only ever played a demo of this game and it has haunted me since and i've been hooked
Favorite game, I LOVE the series & have all 5 games, would love to see a remake & have the original actors, but RIP Tony Jay.
The thing chat didn’t know, this is actually the 3rd game in the series of I think 4. The first one is done from a really old top down perspective, and it shows when Kain was made into a Vampire
As a long time fan of the franchise, I highly recommend not only the openings, but there are fans out there who have collected the major cinematics of the games, and chunked them into mini movies.
we're now at the release of the HD Remaster of Soul Reaver 1 and 2, almost 25 years later, and the only games that have ever come close to the pure gothic poetry and stellar voice performance has only been paralleled by games like Dark Souls and Elden Ring. Once you get a taste of Raziel and Kain's beautifully written dialogue they stick with you for life.
Still one of my favorite games with one of my favorite video game characters
The thing that stood out the most for me in the games, was the incredible warping of the world, whenever you transition from the spectral plane to the "normal" world, the shape the architecture around you would simply bend and make new shapes, corridors and passages that where not there simply opened, a very cool transition effect they had for this game.
I'm enjoying the hell out of the remasters. I only played the demo for SR2 when I was a young teen, I feel like I've been missing out for decades!
Hyped for the remaster.
raziels transformation into devourer of souls was fortold. the sword @8:10 is raziel. kain , the scion of balance ,slays "elder god" , eternal parasite which feeds on life force, with raziels purified soul. purified by soul of purest guardian of circle of 9
I had Tattoos of this Game Lore... Love it!!!!
I remember the first time I saw this on ps1. It was one of the first games I played on ps1. It left my jaw hanging
The whole series of LoK games are phenomenally written, and the story is told near perfectly in game format. I am pumped for the remasters.
Soul Reaver changed my world as a very young boy. What a story & game, PS1 aswell ? It’s quite an achievement for the time
It is crazy how well the movie intro could sell or break a game back then
I am so hyped about the Remaster coming out in december.
This is so Epic
My favorite game ever, incredible story, with amazing plot twists and really well written characters.
It was one of my fav games. Although I had a difficult time beating it because it was also a very long game, and had all these puzzles and didn’t know where I was suppose to go. I can’t wait for the remake so I can finally complete one of my childhood games