Description
1500 years after
Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, the vampire Kain's decision at the end of that game has finally defeated the human kingdoms and brought the world of Nosgoth under his control. Ruling from a castle built on the Pillars of Nosgoth, Kain has established an empire of six vampire clans, each ruled by a lieutenant, the sons of Kain. Raziel was one such lieutenant, but lost his position through the "insolence" of receiving a new evolutionary "dark gift", the growth of feathery wings, before his master had acquired it. Fearing that Raziel might one day surpass him, Kain tears off Raziel's wings in a fit of range and banishes him into the Abyss. There, Raziel is lost in time, died and his body consumed. The Elder God recovers Raziel's soul and rebuilds the broken body, not as a living vampire, but as a strange new creature of the underworld. Swearing revenge on Kain, Raziel now phases seamlessly between Nosgoth and it's underworld, using his new powers to become a terrible reaver of souls...
Soul Reaver is a 3rd person action-adventure title that follows Raziel on his quest to purge the land of vampires and take revenge on Kain and his brothers, leaders of the six clans. The player controls the game from behind Raziel's shoulder, moving him in any direction, climbing, attacking, jumping and using specific abilities. Raziel's can grip onto the edge of ledges and his torn wings allow him to glide gently downwards. Raziel can shift through the "material" world into the "spectral" realm at will... but must find specific locations in order to shift back. The two realms mirror one another, with distortions which give access to new areas and platforms. Existing in the material world drains Raziel's life energy at a constant rate. Throughout the game, energy is recovered by consuming the souls of defeated enemies. If Raziel is able to defeat one of his brothers, he will additionally gain a new ability ("dark gift") upon drinking it's soul. Examples include: the ability to swim, file telekinetic projectiles or the ability to phase through locked gates. Raziel can arm himself with a variety of weapons including spears, daggers, swords, axes, as well as attacking enemies barehanded. Eventually, Raziel will also come across Kain's personal sword (named the Soul Reaver), and will use it to create a powerful energy blade weapon.
The world is left open to Raziel, he can return to areas previously completed and explore the world of Nosgoth at will. Access to certain areas however sometimes requires the use of gained specific abilities. Many of the puzzles the player will need to solve in this quest are "block puzzles", requiring the placement of certain large structures (usually square blocks), either to activate switches or to build access to out-of-reach areas.
Part of the Following Groups
User Reviews
The Press Says
| IGN |
Sep 17, 1999 |
9.2 out of 10 |
92 |
| Game Vortex |
Feb 01, 2003 |
90 out of 100 |
90 |
| TotalVideoGames (TVG) |
Sep 22, 1999 |
9 out of 10 |
90 |
| PC Gameplay (Benelux) |
Nov, 1999 |
87 out of 100 |
87 |
| Game Over Online |
Oct 01, 1999 |
81 out of 100 |
81 |
| Glide Underground |
Nov 04, 1999 |
  |
80 |
| FiringSquad |
Oct 15, 1999 |
80 out of 100 |
80 |
| Game Revolution |
Oct, 1999 |
B- |
67 |
| WomenGamers.com |
Sep 15, 1999 |
6 out of 10 |
60 |
| Just Adventure |
Sep, 1999 |
C |
50 |
Forums
Trivia
The game offers a great deal of replay value in the search for the Glyphs. Glyphs are the magical artifacts that give Raziel elemental based powers.
Every time you kill a boss you gain a new physical ability which lets you access places you were previously unable to, not only to proceed with the game, but also to find 'secret sub-worlds' in which the Glyphs lie. These side-searches are really worthy because of the beautifully designed environment that these 'secret sub-worlds' are.
One of them is specially interesting for fans of the first
BLOOD OMEN game: the place in which the Stone Glyph (for reaching which you need Zephon's walk-climbing ability) is hidden is no other place than Nupraptor's retreat. The giant skull-shaped castle on the side of a mountain in which Kain's very first target used to live. Words can't begin to describe what it means for a fan of the series the view of this familiar place in all its 3D glory, but with the weight of 1000 years on it.
