Soul Reaver 1 and 2 Remastered review

It can be an odd thing to review remasters of games that are considered, to this day, to be cultural touchstones within the medium. This year’s Tomb Raider 1 – 3 Remastered release was a prime example. At the time of release, all three were instant hits and are still regarded as classics, but by today’s standards they feel janky, imprecise, and unwieldy. Classics they remain, but they feel less playable for those who don’t simply enjoy retro experiences – or riding the nostalgia wave. And yet, Soul Reaver 1 and 2 Remastered, from the same stable, fares much better.

Perhaps it’s down to the games themselves. Even by 1998 standards, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver was extraordinary. The original Blood Omen (itself crying out for a full remake or at least a remaster) was an isometric action game in which the vampire Kain sought revenge on the eldritch circle of mages, sorcerers, and necromancers who had orchestrated his murder. The ending gave the player the option to either save or damn the world of Nosgoth, but canonically Kain damned it, rising to rule the land with an army of vampires led by his “lieutenants”.

Firstborn among them was Raziel, who was eventually punished for the simple crime of evolving beyond Kain by growing wings. Stripped of said appendages and sentenced to execution, Raziel is resurrected some centuries later as the titular Soul Reaver, a revenant able to move between the corporeal and spiritual planes, charged to seek his revenge on Kain and ultimately restore balance to Nosgoth.

Although the story doesn’t tie up until the end of the trilogy, Legacy of Kain: Defiance, the two Soul Reaver games tell a fantastic story of vengeance and betrayal, as Kain’s once-favoured son embarks on a singular, determined quest to destroy him. Talk to most fans of the series now, and they’ll likely cite the writing as much as the gameplay. The scripting is simply incredible, elevated by the stunning voicework by Simon Templeman and Michael Bell as Kain and Raziel respectively. The cutscenes may feel clunky now, but at the time they were leagues ahead of most other games, as was the depth of environmental storytelling, not to mention the mechanics.

Playing Soul Reaver 1 and 2 Remastered now feels smooth and reactive, the extra coat of paint given to Raziel and the enemies adding a modern bent that simply isn’t required for a lot of the motion. Animations are smooth and satisfying, and mechanics such as phasing between realms, pushing through steel portcullis gates, even swimming, could pass for a much more recent title.

Little tricks like using the environment as weapons, throwing enemies into bonfires or pinning them to spikes, felt new and exciting when the games were first released, and while such things are commonplace now they don’t feel as overused as you might expect them to. There’s an almost Metroidvania-esque element to both games, too. Raziel begins the first with the ability to glide but soon unlocks multiple powers such as wall-climbing and swimming by slaying his former brothers and consuming their souls.

In Soul Reaver 2 you begin with some powers still unlocked, and already in possession of the titular spectral blade, which you’ll upgrade with elemental powers that help solve environmental puzzles throughout. Some of these puzzles are pretty simple, but others feel harder thanks to things like the camera. While Raziel looks great, the camera is still straight out of the 1990s, particularly in Soul Reaver 2. Combat is combo-based and relies on using weapons from the environment like torches or spears in combination with the Soul Reaver spirit blade to punish enemies, before devouring their souls to heal. When in corporeal form, Raziel’s health slowly deteriorates, and touching water or “dying” will return him to the spirit realm. Die in here, and it’s back to a checkpoint with you.

You can fast travel between special gates dotted around Nosgoth, which remains persistent in the second game. I forgot how tricky it can be to find your way around some of the locations, as landmarks seem a little thinly spread, and areas have a tendency to loop back on themselves in odd ways. Again, this is game design from the days of yore, so a little jank is expected and forgiven.

It’s also a bit of a shame that some of the environments haven’t been given a little more love. You can click the right stick at any time to switch back to the original aesthetic, but while Raziel and his enemies look far better, some of the environments have only seen minimal polishing. Colours remain the same, although the textures have been given more life.

Perhaps the most notable thing that Soul Reaver 1 and 2 Remastered possesses that remasters of some other “golden age” titles don’t is a pair of originals that already felt ahead of their time. With more attention paid to the graphics overall here, the gameplay would carry itself, but despite some great work in some areas the actual overhaul isn’t that spectacular. That being said, the package comes bundled with some great extras for the fans.

Galleries of fan art, cosplayers, and concept renders, alongside the Dark Chronicle archive (that basically contains all the dialogue scripts), an interactive lore map of Nosgoth, and both soundtracks stand alongside the “lost levels”, which are there more for completion’s sake than anything. They contain very few interactive elements, despite Raziel having everything unlocked in them, but for collectors or mega fans they’re a nice addition to round out the package.

Soul Reaver 1 and 2 Remastered is a great collection, elevated more by the simple joy of playing through the campaigns again and revisiting this world and its characters, than by whatever graphical sprucing it has received. It presents a superb pair of adventures that combine smooth action gameplay with tremendously baroque and gothic dialogue that sets out its stall early and just continues to improve the longer you play. For fans of these classic gems, this is an excellent package.