Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered review for Nintendo Switch

System: Switch
Release date: December 10, 2024
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Publisher: Aspyr

One of many series that I have mourned the loss of over the last two decades is Legacy of Kain. After the disastrous Nosgoth spinoff was cancelled and the IP was passed back and forth over the years with various acquisitions, it seemed to be a series that would be eventually forgotten about. The Soul Reaver duology received widespread critical acclaim at the time of their release, and even though this was 25 years ago, their resurrection on the Nintendo Switch as Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered shows that time has done little to dull what made them such noteworthy titles when they were first released.

Soul Reaver 1 & 2 are set around 1500 years after the events of Blood Omen: The Legacy of Kain, although no knowledge of this game is required. Rather than focus on the tyrannical vampire that rules the land of Nosgoth this time, Soul Reaver instead shifts the focus to Raziel, first amongst Kain’s lieutenants. Unfortunately for Raziel, he oversteps his bounds, surpassing his master’s evolution by growing wings. For this, Kain has him killed and cast into the Lake of the Dead, left to rot in its waters for the rest of time as punishment for his crimes. This is not to be, as Raziel is revived by the disembodied voice of the Elder God centuries later, now a desiccated husk and a far cry from his former vampiric glory. His mission is a simple one: find Kain in the now ruined land of Nosgoth, and exact vengeance upon him.

It’s a simple setup, but the lore behind these events is more rich and complex than what is presented at first glance, and the narrative that stretches across the two games never shies away in pulling punches with this, particularly in the second title, where cutscenes gradually become more lengthy to reflect the higher stakes. Raziel never quite sells the revenge aspect of the narrative, but this is most definitely a point in his favor: rather than being a perpetually angry homicidal maniac out to right the injustices done to him, his years rotting away have left him an almost indifferent shell, brought reluctantly back to life and forced to traverse a landscape he barely recognizes to confront the architect of his current circumstances and former master. Along the way he battles allies he barely recognizes and grapples with a new role that he certainly didn’t ask for. Paradoxically, Soul Reaver 1 & 2 often come across more as a story about reclaiming life rather than taking it, as more of Raziel’s backstory and his new role in the world are gradually revealed as events progress, and his character grows alongside his abilities.

The land you’ll explore is neatly divided into several regions that at first glance appear to be quite linear as you move from one to the next in quick succession, although as you continue to explore and acquire new abilities they will gradually open up to you, and backtracking is often required to progress, as an area you previously had to pass by is suddenly opened to you thanks to new abilities. As a being of spirit, Raziel’s time in the physical realm is limited, and the green spiral that also doubles as his health will gradually deplete the longer you remain. Once this empties you’ll be unceremoniously cast back into the spirit realm where you’ll need to accumulate enough energy and find a point where you can return to unliving flesh and continue. Gradually these restrictions will also be lifted and you’ll have a greater degree of freedom over your movement, but the frailty that comes from this half-existence creates a perpetually tense and oppressive atmosphere as you play, and perfectly complements Raziel’s more reserved nature.

It’s a setup that anyone who has played a Metroidvania will recognize and the games share much of the basic design philosophy of finding new abilities to become stronger, but there is a far great emphasis on puzzles and platforming, and your ability to shift between the physical and spiritual realms is one that you’ll be constantly made to exploit. In the spirit realm there are additional paths and platforms as walls expand or contract to allow you to reach higher areas, and fittingly, you can only interact with physical objects when you’re in the physical realm, so if you need to open a door or push a block, you’ll need to do it there. Platforming can at times feel unnecessarily floaty, particularly when you’re required to glide for short distances, but these elements are often broken down into bite-sized chunks, so if you fail to do something you won’t have to repeat a series of gradually longer and more frustrating actions to get back to where you were, and the ability to adjust camera sensitivity is more helpful than I was expecting it to be at times. Raziel’s abilities are very limited initially, but as you defeat bosses and explore the corrupted lands his powers and capabilities will grow and diversify, which gives both titles an extremely satisfying sense of progression.

This focus on puzzles feeds into the game’s combat, which is a little more tactical than you might expect. Your enemies are creatures of the night who are not so easily dispatched by simple blows, and Raziel is not the force of power that he once was, so in order to finish your opponents you’ll need to make use of the environment. The classic vampire-slaying methods of impalement, combustion via fire or exposure to sunlight, or submersion in water will all do the trick and the games will often provide you with several means of facilitating this close to where your enemies will stand idle and wait for you to approach them. Unfortunately, you might need to pick up your stunned and bloodied adversary and throw them into the path of their destruction, which can at times be more difficult than it sounds due to awkward camera angles and difficulty aiming, as well as your foes’ tendency to recover after an intermission that feels all too brief when there is more than one of them to deal with at a time. Enemies will deplete Raziel’s health quickly if they get the chance, forcing him back to the spirit realm, making combat a calculated risk.

Your prize for victory is your victim’s soul, which extends the time you can remain in the physical realm. This makes combat something of a necessity as you progress, and in most instances enemies will approach you in groups of two or three with enough frequency that you won’t be constantly stopping to fight every few seconds, but won’t be worrying about your time running out before you’re cast back into the spirit realm. There is a nice balance between combat, puzzles, and platforming that ensures that no one element outstays its welcome. But the combat has not aged as gracefully as other gameplay elements in some respects, as the game’s targeting in particular is made slightly awkward by the lack of a visual cue on screen to show which enemy you’re facing, meaning that when enemies cluster together it can be difficult to pick out the one you want, and it can at times feel quite clunky. For all the variety in the ways in which you can dispatch enemies, actually engaging with them in battle is also quite a basic affair.

Soul Reaver 2 addresses this to some extent by adding in kill animations, making the process slightly less aggravating, and also serving as a nice reflection of Raziel’s growing power from a narrative standpoint, but in the first game you’ll be spending a lot of time trying to take on two enemies at once unless you happen to have a physical object such as a torch or spear you can wield to finish them off immediately, which isn’t always provided. However, it’s an interesting and engaging combat system that works well most of the time.

Aspyr has a mostly proven track record of delivering top-quality HD remasters of classic titles, and the publisher has once again brought its A-game to Soul Reaver. Textures have been enhanced across the board with character models being the most notable improvement, and additional details have been added to the environments that make them feel far more immersive, bringing them up to a modern standard without compromising their retro charm. The use of lighting in both games is particularly noteworthy, with the eerie glow of the spectral realm providing a nice counterpoint to the more typical gloom of the physical one. It’s easy to see just how much work has been put into these visual enhancements, because you can seamlessly disable them at any time with a click of the control stick. This does not notably affect the game’s brightness or performance either, keeping things perfectly playable while retaining a classic look for those who would prefer it.

Alongside the games, there is an extensive amount of bonus content available here that is an absolute delight to peruse. Aspyr has gone above and beyond the inclusion of the standard concept art and music player with a selection of cosplay, fan art, and videos about various aspects of the making of the games, a deep dive into the wider lore of the series, and full scripts. But most impressively, Lost Levels that were never included in the originals have been added in and are fully playable, with background context about how these would have been implemented into the original titles if time and resources had permitted. It’s a fascinating look at what might have been, and makes me wish that the option for a remake rather than a remaster had been in the works.

It takes a special kind of game to withstand the test of time, and Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered bundles two such games together into a perfectly presented package. Time has done little to dull the oppressive atmosphere or superb characterization, and some slightly archaic-feeling combat mechanics are only minor blemishes on what is otherwise an excellent puzzle-platforming experience. Raziel may have emerged from the Lake of the Dead a mere shadow of his former self, but Aspyr has brought The Legacy of Kain back into the modern era with significantly more polish, and some additional extras that are an absolute must-see for fans of the series.

Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review. Read more about the game here.