Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
| Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Developer(s) |
Crystal Dynamics Nixxes Software BV (Dreamcast) |
| Publisher(s) | Eidos Interactive |
| Director(s) | Amy Hennig |
| Producer(s) | Andrew Bennett Amy Hennig Rosaura Sandoval |
| Designer(s) | Amy Hennig Seth Carus Richard Lemarchand |
| Programmer(s) | Carl Stika Marc David |
| Artist(s) | Arnold Ayala |
| Writer(s) | Amy Hennig Richard Lemarchand Jim Curry |
| Composer(s) | Kurt Harland |
| Series | Legacy of Kain |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, Dreamcast |
| Release |
PlayStation Microsoft Windows Dreamcast |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Aggregate score | |
|---|---|
| Aggregator | Score |
| Metacritic | 91/100 (17 reviews) |
| Review scores | |
| Publication | Score |
| AllGame |    |
| CGW | |
| Game Informer | 8.5/10 |
| GameSpot | 9/10 |
| IGN | 9.3/10 |
| OPM (UK) | 9/10 |
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is an action-adventure video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive. It was released for the PlayStation and Microsoft Windows in 1999 and for the Dreamcast in 2000. As the second game in the Legacy of Kain series, Soul Reaver is the sequel to Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. Soul Reaver was followed by three games, one of which, Soul Reaver 2, is a direct sequel.
Taking place 1500 years after the events of Blood Omen, Soul Reaver chronicles the journey of the vampire-turned-wraith Raziel, lieutenant to the vampire lord Kain. Raziel is killed by Kain, but is revived by The Elder God to become his "soul reaver" and to exact revenge. Raziel shares this title with Kain's sword, the Soul Reaver, which he acquires during the game.
Crystal Dynamics began development of the game in 1997, but a deteriorating relationship with Silicon Knights, who had developed Blood Omen, created legal problems. This and other delays forced material originally planned for Soul Reaver to be instead released with later games of the series. Soul Reaver was generally well received by critics and praised for its intriguing gothic story and high-quality graphics. However, the game was criticized for simple and repetitive gameplay and an unsatisfying climax.
The player controls Raziel, a disfigured and ghostly vampire. The game is normally shown from a third-person perspective behind Raziel, but players can rotate the viewpoint around him. Gameplay relies largely on shifting between the material and spectral planes of existence to progress through areas. Although interaction with objects is limited in the spectral realm, this can be advantageous, because Raziel can phase through otherwise impassable gates there, and water is insubstantial, allowing him to walk on lakebeds; however, blocks, doors, and switches can be manipulated only in the physical realm. Many puzzles are based on the differences between the two realms; for example, platforms and environment features in one realm may change form to open new paths in the other. Block puzzles are also common and require the rotation, flipping, and moving of large blocks to progress, often with a time limit and while avoiding enemies.
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