Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain

The Good
Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen, is an action RPG, from marvelous Canuck developer Silicon Knights. It has been compared to many other action RPG’s, this is unfair as Blood Omen is so unique such comparisons do it little justice.

In Blood Omen you are Kain an insignificant noble whom is attacked and slain by some brigands. Kain is sent to Nosgoth’s(The world in which the game takes place.) version of hell, where he makes a deal to come back as a vampire to exact his vengeance. This however is just the beginning of Kain’s quest. Along the way Kain will slay his enemies, drink their blood, solve puzzles, improve his abilities, find spells weapons and armor, and right century old wrongs. Eventually Kain will have to decide to save Nosgoth or enslave it. The plot is well written and gradually unfolds as you finish dungeons. It is one of the game’s strongest parts.

The Graphics in Blood Omen are 2D-Top down. Similar to many other action RPG’s. Unlike the majority of these, the graphics are realistic not cartoony. They were good at the time of the games initial release and still stand out as one of the Playstation’s better looking 2D games. As Kain finds and equips different types of armor and weapons it shows on his sprite. (PC gamers are used to this, most Console gamers are probably not.) The spells all look good without being over the top. Feeding on hapless humans is always fun to watch. Using your flamesword to incinerate foes is a 2D treat.

In the sound department Kain, also excels. The voice actors all do an amazing job. Particularly, the voice of Kain, which is fortunate as you will hear him a lot. The sound effects from the screams of your enemies, to the clanging of swords on swords all sound like they should, which is to say good. Music in Blood Omen is scarce, which is a shame considering how good it is. Then again I don’t expect a game like this to be full of music.

The Gameplay in Kain, has you traveling through Nosgoth, exploring the it’s towns, dungeons, and wilderness. Finding secrets is a major part of the game, as many of the secret items will be an incredible help on your adventure. And it all helps you get a better rank when you finish the game. Kain has lots of tricks at his disposal. He can fight with weapons, and spells. He can transform into a bat, wolf, and even a human. And on full moons he can gain access to Moon Caves, which contain special items. The bread and butter of the gameplay is of course the dungeons.

The Bad
The bad of Kain comes from the Playstation load times. Everything needs to load. Bringing up menus, is particularly bad. You need to access it often, the quick menu’s help somewhat but not enough, and there is no quick menu for weapons. The game is also very difficult at the beginning. As you progress it does get easier. This is hardly the most difficult game ever as some may try to claim, but it does pack it’s challenges.

The Bottom Line
This is a totally unique RPG experience. RPG and horror fans should check this one out. As well as new Silicon Knights fans, this game is quite the compliment to Eternal Darkness. And it comes in two flavors PC and Playstation.