Another aspect of gameplay that is really subtle, so cool, is how you have an opportunity to fight as a pre-vampire Kain. And as a normal human each swing is slow, you can feel the weight of the sword as you attempt to defend your life in vain. Then once the player has awakened as the Vampire Kain and we once again face those who robbed us of our life you notice as the sword is almost weightless, swinging it with no more difficulty as one would would swing a small stick. The blade whistles through the air cutting swathes through the still night as our foes fall like the leaves of winter.
I love that they made that opening section the way they did. Feeling so powerless as a human then suddenly we are tearing through them like paper. It's such a wonderful way to start a game like this.
I think the biggest flaw this game has, is that the hit detection regarding the combat is really off. You often can’t even know when you’re hitting enemies. That said, I still think it holds up really well. It probably has the best gameplay of all the LoK games.
@@gilgamesh310 Its tough for me to say which I like more, this one despite being older feels somehow more accessible than SR1, more action focused. It would be perfect if only they fixed the wonky hit detection and got rid of those painfully long loading screens. The whole series is amazing it's hard to pick a favorite. Even BO2 has some charm in its own way.
@@gilgamesh310 oh yeah? Damn I'll need to pick it up on GoG then. I did the PS1 version for this playthrough, it was great but the performance could have been better.
@@adrianalexanderveidt344 unreal good series. I keep hoping they will either remaster or reboot this one. Probably a dream, but the recent Kickstarter for a new graphic novel in universe gives me hope.
@@aquawalrus These days, I just think its best to let sleeping dogs lie. I just don't trust reboots or remasters. There have been too many attempts at that which have been disappointing to say the least.
@@adrianalexanderveidt344 I definetly am more in the camp that I would like to see the games remastered, just to improve the accessibility more than anything. The original Soul Reaver ports are a bit rough in that regard. No story changes or rewrites are needed though, the game is perfect as is.
Hell yeah, a gothic Zelda game most people didn't even know they wanted. I remember it being somewhat of a chore to play on PS1 because everything took its sweet time loading due to disk-read limitations.
Absolutely true, if I had one big complaint for the game is that the loading screens are definitely a bit of a chore, and switching equipment and spells meant going into the inventory which meant waiting through 2 loading screens. What's always more shocking to me is that Soul Reaver would release only 3 years later on the same system and be fully 3D. Crazy the leaps and bounds technology increased by back then.
Another great video! I loved the legacy of kain series both blood omen and soul reaver. This game howver i sadly never got the chance to play and i have a feeling it probably would have been my favorite in the series. I have watched enough youtube videos on this game to feel like i have played it though. Thanks again for the video you are much appreciated!
@@not_jon_vendi Funnily enough, this is actually the last game I played in the series. I played in a super weird order. BO2 first, then defiance, then the soul reaver games. I only ended up playing this one years after when I found it for sale at a thrift shop. Somehow I still managed to piece the story together, but I certainly didn't take the simple path lol.
My understanding is that Blood Omen 2 did happen. I think that part in Soul Reaver 2 at the end when Kain gets flooded with memories is him learning about things from Blood Omen 2.
Yeah I think that's correct. From what I remember it's possibly a different timeline. I'm just recently replaying the series, and all the twists and turns are coming back to me as I progress through. By the time I get through SR2 I'll remember it all more clearly, much like Kain receiving a blast of memories.
Blood Omen Legacy of Kain is one of my all time favorite PS1 games. I rented it back in the day, loved it so much I went out and bought it as soon as I was able. I still have my copy to this day. The funny thing is that I had such a hard time convincing my friends as to how good the game actually is. Most of them could not get over the loading times, which I admit can be a bit much, but still. The Loading times and they would also nit pick the graphics. One interesting thing I discovered recently is that the GOG release eliminates the load times and the jerky camera, but your walk speed is slower. The PS1 original has the loading issues, but your walk speed is faster. Just kind of an oddity, nothing significant.
I played through this with the OG PS1 version, since that was the way I played it originally, but I do think my next play would be with the GoG port, to avoid the loading issues. The game is good enough to forgive the load times, but removing them could only be a good thing.
Interesting that you compare Blood OMen to Diablo, it always felt more like Zelda to me, in its emphasis on dungeons, puzzles, etc as well as the perspective and gneeral play.
You're totally right, I just obsess far to much over Diablo. The viewpoint and art was very "diablo-esque" but for sure the gameplay leaned heavily toward Zelda.
"The final entry in the series, Defiance, released over twenty years ago.", I audibly questionned your information, went to check, paused the video and walked outside into the cold air to regain my breath. Not a good start to a video and definitely not the jump scare I hate the least. However the SR remaster is coming in a few days at the time of writing this so I'll be able to pretend being young again for a few hours.
.Hack! I totally forgot about that series. I never played it myself, but remember my brother played them when I was younger. I always thought the premise for those games was really interesting. I'll absolutely add these all to my list! Thanks for the great recommendations!
My favorite game series as I discovered this game in 1998 at 18 years of age. Never forget.
@@MaryAnders-gz5nf Its got such a unique atmosphere and story. I'm actually playing Soul Reaver right now, first time in probably 20 years.
lol id been 8 i remember playing from a video store
Another aspect of gameplay that is really subtle, so cool, is how you have an opportunity to fight as a pre-vampire Kain. And as a normal human each swing is slow, you can feel the weight of the sword as you attempt to defend your life in vain. Then once the player has awakened as the Vampire Kain and we once again face those who robbed us of our life you notice as the sword is almost weightless, swinging it with no more difficulty as one would would swing a small stick. The blade whistles through the air cutting swathes through the still night as our foes fall like the leaves of winter.
I love that they made that opening section the way they did. Feeling so powerless as a human then suddenly we are tearing through them like paper.
It's such a wonderful way to start a game like this.
I think the biggest flaw this game has, is that the hit detection regarding the combat is really off. You often can’t even know when you’re hitting enemies. That said, I still think it holds up really well. It probably has the best gameplay of all the LoK games.
@@gilgamesh310 Its tough for me to say which I like more, this one despite being older feels somehow more accessible than SR1, more action focused. It would be perfect if only they fixed the wonky hit detection and got rid of those painfully long loading screens.
The whole series is amazing it's hard to pick a favorite. Even BO2 has some charm in its own way.
@@aquawalrus The loading times are actually not present on the PC version at all.
@@gilgamesh310 oh yeah? Damn I'll need to pick it up on GoG then. I did the PS1 version for this playthrough, it was great but the performance could have been better.
@@aquawalrus It still has loading screens, it's just that modern hardware is so powerful that it basically loads instantly
This series (with the exception of 1 entry) has the best writing in video games ever.
@@adrianalexanderveidt344 unreal good series. I keep hoping they will either remaster or reboot this one. Probably a dream, but the recent Kickstarter for a new graphic novel in universe gives me hope.
@@aquawalrus These days, I just think its best to let sleeping dogs lie. I just don't trust reboots or remasters. There have been too many attempts at that which have been disappointing to say the least.
@@adrianalexanderveidt344 I definetly am more in the camp that I would like to see the games remastered, just to improve the accessibility more than anything.
The original Soul Reaver ports are a bit rough in that regard. No story changes or rewrites are needed though, the game is perfect as is.
Hell yeah, a gothic Zelda game most people didn't even know they wanted. I remember it being somewhat of a chore to play on PS1 because everything took its sweet time loading due to disk-read limitations.
Absolutely true, if I had one big complaint for the game is that the loading screens are definitely a bit of a chore, and switching equipment and spells meant going into the inventory which meant waiting through 2 loading screens.
What's always more shocking to me is that Soul Reaver would release only 3 years later on the same system and be fully 3D. Crazy the leaps and bounds technology increased by back then.
Another great video! I loved the legacy of kain series both blood omen and soul reaver. This game howver i sadly never got the chance to play and i have a feeling it probably would have been my favorite in the series. I have watched enough youtube videos on this game to feel like i have played it though. Thanks again for the video you are much appreciated!
@@not_jon_vendi Funnily enough, this is actually the last game I played in the series. I played in a super weird order. BO2 first, then defiance, then the soul reaver games. I only ended up playing this one years after when I found it for sale at a thrift shop.
Somehow I still managed to piece the story together, but I certainly didn't take the simple path lol.
@@aquawalrus scenic route through nosgoth 🤣
My understanding is that Blood Omen 2 did happen. I think that part in Soul Reaver 2 at the end when Kain gets flooded with memories is him learning about things from Blood Omen 2.
Yeah I think that's correct. From what I remember it's possibly a different timeline.
I'm just recently replaying the series, and all the twists and turns are coming back to me as I progress through. By the time I get through SR2 I'll remember it all more clearly, much like Kain receiving a blast of memories.
The first one is still my favorite and I still have the old cd too
Makes you wonder what the series might have become if they stuck with this style.
“I’m satisfied with my coverage, thanks.” LOL
@@USALeonHeart Kain doesn't like pushy salesmen.
Blood Omen Legacy of Kain is one of my all time favorite PS1 games. I rented it back in the day, loved it so much I went out and bought it as soon as I was able. I still have my copy to this day. The funny thing is that I had such a hard time convincing my friends as to how good the game actually is. Most of them could not get over the loading times, which I admit can be a bit much, but still. The Loading times and they would also nit pick the graphics.
One interesting thing I discovered recently is that the GOG release eliminates the load times and the jerky camera, but your walk speed is slower. The PS1 original has the loading issues, but your walk speed is faster. Just kind of an oddity, nothing significant.
I played through this with the OG PS1 version, since that was the way I played it originally, but I do think my next play would be with the GoG port, to avoid the loading issues.
The game is good enough to forgive the load times, but removing them could only be a good thing.
I basically look at this as being like if someone gave A Link To The Past the Brutal Doom treatment.
@@st.haborym that is an accurate description! Adult Legend of Zelda.
Ariel & Nupraptor.
Still a better love story than twilight.
I can't tell if the fact that Nupraptor pretty much destroyed the world in his grief is romantic or not, but you're still right 😸
Interesting that you compare Blood OMen to Diablo, it always felt more like Zelda to me, in its emphasis on dungeons, puzzles, etc as well as the perspective and gneeral play.
You're totally right, I just obsess far to much over Diablo. The viewpoint and art was very "diablo-esque" but for sure the gameplay leaned heavily toward Zelda.
"The final entry in the series, Defiance, released over twenty years ago.", I audibly questionned your information, went to check, paused the video and walked outside into the cold air to regain my breath. Not a good start to a video and definitely not the jump scare I hate the least. However the SR remaster is coming in a few days at the time of writing this so I'll be able to pretend being young again for a few hours.
@@EnigmaticLlLLair Eternity is relentless.
13:46 *Romani
That word is a racial slur fyi
cant be his skeleton his vaporizes in the cut scene
@@BobBilly-gq8xy I had to double check, but it's still there at the end. At least in the PS1 version. My fantasy can remain intact!
No, that is totally his skeleton there
Wish you can play .hack infection, any of the tales games, maybe a tenchu game
.Hack! I totally forgot about that series. I never played it myself, but remember my brother played them when I was younger. I always thought the premise for those games was really interesting.
I'll absolutely add these all to my list! Thanks for the great recommendations!
@aquawalrus the .hack series was always fun. Just a pain to try and collect the cd's or physical media
I found it hard..🥲
In your defence, I did a lot of running away from demons in the middle of the game haha. Werewolf form is a life saver.