I very often revisit the opening scene of soul reaver 2. The music in conjunction with the writing, and especially the voice acting, make for a legendary scene. That much holds true for basically the whole series.
Legacy of Kain is one of the greatest game-series there ever was, and really deserve to be re-released in some way for easier access to new gamers. The versions on Steam and GOG aren't ideal, even if it's nice that they (minus Blood Omen) are at least available. I hear many cry for remakes or remasters, but I think a first priority should be to have versions that are simply easier to run, and to get the rights for Blood Omens sorted out. It's truly a masterful game, probably the best in terms of gameplay in the series, and still holds up today. I know the intro to this and the Soul Reaver-games by heart, and Simon Templeman is one of my favourite actors. It's good that Bioware gave him some good parts in their games, but it's a damn shame that not many know of him. Also, R.I.P Tony Jay. You will always be the hub of the wheel.
@@TalkingAboutGames They can be hard to get running properly (though I hear the GOG-versions are a bit better) and at least Soul Reaver 1 is only playable with the keyboard, as there is no controler-support. They are usually quite cheap though, so I would recommend getting them anyway.
I had a friend who lent me the first game and his PSone and I blew through it in a weekend. I chose the sacrifice, and then when I heard there was a second (which I then played), I was ecstatic. I took it home, sat down, popped it in... and cried out in shock when I realized they went with the evil ending for the canon end. That was almost never done in those days!
@@ChargeQM I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. It changed the way I thought of stories. It literally made me a more open minded person. I'm who I am today because Soul Reaver taught me how even the bad guys have a story, and sometimes that's worth telling.
@@usern4metak3ns First time off, I didn't. It was something like "He did the right thing, he saved Nosgoth, but no one will know and nobody remembers him." AFTER ALL THAT!? Screw that! Also, since I played Soul Reaver much earlier in my life, I knew the refusal was the canon one, so I wanted to see the alternative first :)
@RagnarRox - Nice job on this video. Thank you very much for the kind words about Blood Omen - it will always have a special place in my heart. There are a few factual errors in the video but overall the significant research put into this video shines through. I am now working on the spiritual successor to Blood Omen called Deadhaus Sonata. If you ever want to connect and talk about Blood Omen further, let me know, it would be my pleasure.
Denis, we don’t deserve you! I can’t wait to see the finished product. I’ve been waiting nearly two decades for something that will scratch my nosgoth itch. Good luck to you, sir.
I would be extremely interested to hear more about this. I full appreciate that it won't be set in Nosgoth because of layer-y reasons but if it has a similar vibe to Blood Omen...well, colour me very intrigued.
The thing to remember about this series is that while there are good and bad things about gameplay, the reason you play these games is the story. The voice acting. The atmosphere. It makes everything else worth it. While blood omen and soul reaver 1 was the probably the best, they were two different games and I respect the way they changed the gameplay for Raziel and made it a different experience. Kain is a great character but Raziel? Well Raziel is a brilliant character with brilliant and perfect character arc and story. Gosh I miss this type of storytelling....
To this day the LoK games are still the best story ever told in this medium. Trust me, I've dug through the timelines, paradoxes, and it all checks out. It's a vampire tale, a time travel story, an epic, a tale of friendship... Simply superb.
@J M Ehh I don't know about Shadow of the Colossus. That game is incredible, but the story is extremely tropey. It's basically just a classic Faustian bargain tale, the clever part is that the player isn't aware of that fact until the end.
I can only hope that one day this game series will return from the shadows and we can once again assume the role of Kain. The story was truly one of a kind, imo. Kain is an amazing anti-hero, and was a great character that allowed you to be "evil" while going forward to a greater goal. The lore is one of those that really is amazing, the voice acting was spot on, and the music was epic.. hearing that Soul Reaver intro cinematic music still gives me goosebumps, and in some of the online/multiplayer games I play, I will /yell or say "Vae Victus!" then nerd out whenever I find someone who got that reference. Also, I actually collected each release of this game, including the original release casing/manual to the first Blood Omen.. one of my prized games I still have... totally worth going back to play on the PS/PS2. :)
Now, if you were to use the proper Latin translation, it would be "vae victus ad et." "Vae victus" legit translates to "woe defeated." When I realized that while on Google translate for indirectly related reasons, I fixed the translation lol. Crystal Dynamics have even publicly said it was incorrect and that they would check their translations next time. It's basically the same problem as people adding in words to trhe 'translation' of "memento mori" to claim it means "remember you will die" even though it would only translate to "remember death." Google translate and too much time on one's hands is an... Interesting hobby. EDIT: Don't even get me started on the Addams family motto. It not only doesn't translate to English whatsoever (it's complete gibberish), but seems _impossible_ to do so the other way on Google translate, if possible at all.
@@jaredmartin7040 Yeah, I'd say villain in BO, anti-villain in SR, anti-hero in BO2 and SR2 and definitely a hero in Defiance. I think he did a bit too much thinking after casting Raziel in lmao Definitely one of the more complex character developments in the course of a series.
I recommend his band Information Society, especially Kurt's solo album "Don't be afraid" it's got a good number of tracks similar to his soundtracks but in a more dark electro style. In fact Soul Reaver's main theme was originally from that album before being used on SR
While everyone else had Mario, Legend of Zelda or Pokemon as they were growing up...I was that twisted child whose fondest video game memories were of Legacy of Kain. I am forever, to this day, the girl still obsessed with the series who refuses to move on. LoK will always hold a special place in my heart. 🖤
Nothing against mario or specially Zelda but Pokemon has been a mediocre product that has grown so much that the games don't matter anymore, is really cruel and unfair that legacy of kain got forgotten while Pokemon raised to unmeasurable degree and this last generation proof me right.
The best line, non main character line had to go to Magnus. Blood Omen 2... Well we won't speak of it, except the first time we see Magnus almost makes it worth it. +No, no please don't let him hurt me!+ "It mustn't be blanched. It mustn't be poached. *Crash* It must be fresh! Where is my meat?! Running with blood! Sopping with gore! There theeeerrrrre!
Holy shit I never thought someone would actually be making a video about these games. I grew up playing Soul Reaver 2 as a kid without owning any of the previous games and being so confused but I loved it anyways. I had no idea there were previous games, this is so exciting
There are quite a few channels dealing with LOK, may I suggest also for you to look at The Lost Worlds - Official, ChocolateRob, LordDamianus, The Hylden and others.
"Alas poor Nupraptor, I knew him well....well not really." Memories of fifteen year old me and my friend laughing at that. Thank you for covering this gem. Still have my original copy.
A remake would result in similar things you saw with Nosgoth - just retcons and companies doing whatever they liked with the ip. Some good things are best left alone to be good.
Blood Omen 1 is my second favourite game from the LoK series. When I first played it, 10 years after finishing Blood Omen 2, Soul Reaver 2 and Defiance I was absolutely blown away by how well the atmosphere of the game was crafted.
@@112523 I can see it going great as well. Apart from the story and map design, the combat system is quite bland in today's standards. CDPR would have what it takes to fill it up with something more interesting. But to be honest, for a game in the gothic horror style of Legacy of Kain, the gameplay would have to be pretty brutal. Like putting Doom games to shame level of brutal. Not sure how many developers would be willing to take the risk.
@@rumplstiltztinkerstein The Legacy of Kain series is nowhere near that brutal, and I wouldn't attribute it to technological limitations either. It's dark, certainly gory, but not more gruesome then any of the gibbing we see in basically any iteration of DOOM. This got me thinking about how I'd love to see Kain pull off some finishers like Geralt. Better than, even. Though I'd more so like to see the grapple system from Blood Omen 2 reincorperated. There's something so satisfying and empowering about grabbing some little fucker by the throat and maiming them however you see fit.
@@FilthyNobeard I can't disagree with you. My line of thought was in thinking about how the soul reaver games had this mechanic of killing vampires with "vampire killing" tools, like running water, stakes, fire... In today's technology a developer could get way more creative in using those tools than back then. What if the opponents tried to do the same thing to Raziel and Kayn, like empalling, decapitating, and so on.
Honestly...it's really quite impossible in this day and age. Even CDPR has been hit by the corporate side, look at Cyberpunk 2077. The story is just too much for most mushy-brained gamers these days. While the gameplay overall could be overhauled, they could easily just make it super gory and violent. While the Legacy of Kain games are by nature slightly in that vein, most people developers would go way too far. The atmosphere would be hard to recapture, as we've seen a lot of remakes completely miss the mark on getting their atmosphere's right. And that's, again, not counting on them screwing the story just to make it "easy to understand." Then add in the loss of Tony Jay (voice actor for Mortanius in Blood Omen, then the Elder God in Soul Reaver 1&2 and Defiance) it's basically impossible.
This is still one of my favorite games as I played it in my formative years. Simon templeman's voice carries one of the coolest protags into the world. That's not even getting into the voice work and lines in the later material.
To this day, Defiance is still one of my favorite games. And every day that goes by without a proper sequel to truly finish the series is a goddamn tragedy.
I played this and beat it in the 90s while I had the flu. I felt miserable for two or three days, but the experience with the story and exploration just transported me for a few days. Such an incredible game. Just started my first playthrough in about 25 years yesterday. Having a blast. Forgotten most of the game.
"Life *is* prescious Yannos discovered. As it was torn bleeding and throbbing from his own body." Holy crap, I can't believe I actually remembered that.
Everyday i hope for a remaster of this complete series! Blood Omen 2 has always been my favorite even though its technically only a side story in the wheel of time traveling that is the full and more canon legacy.
I never clicked a video so fast in my life, thanks for covering this! :) Soul Reaver 2 was my first game, and I sadly never got to play the others, but I'm so hyped you're doing this! :D
Thanks for the stroll down memory Lane. Played Soul Reaver: Legacy of Kain in the mid ninetees when it was released i Sweden. Loved the game series ever since. All hours spent by the ps1/ps2 and all those memories of Raziel falling of ledges and pillars over and over.
If there is ONE thing I've done right in my life...it's growing up with this series I really hope just before my last breaths I get to experience the last entry that I've been waiting for all these years
I am so glad that you did this game, the legacy of Kain series, in general, is such an underrated and underestimated game franchise... the LoK Series was *always* a treasure of my childhood gaming experience! Soul Reaver was my first experience, thus my introduction to the series although I played every following installation of this series as it released up until it's end. As long as it would be done correctly &.as long as it remained faithful to key the pillars of the story (no pun intended), a remake is definitely in order...
Thanks for this one! I did try out the PS1 version of BO several years ago on a PSP but despite all the tone and presentation highs (and that exploration, by god that proto-metroidvania exploration), collision jank and a nasty difficulty spike had me putting it down. This video reminded me of all the things I loved about all I played. I might end up giving it another shot...
God! I can't express how grateful I am that you talked about this game. 25:21 That is exactly what this game has been to me. There is no nostolgic factor because I played it only a 7 8 years ago, but non of the sequels could reach the perfection that this game was. It also impacted me so much as a game designer, because its masterfully designed almost to perfection. Especially considering that it's made in 1996!
There are few, if any Channles I'm as excited to see a new video has been uploaded. A brilliantly analysis of the topic, paired with extraordinary writing and exquisite naration.
Oh yay. I'm thrilled this came up on my feed. This series sparked my interest in convoluted story lines. And unlocking blooper reels from the VO studios needs to be a thing again.
I see a legacy of Kain video, I click. Still haven’t finished the series, only played the soul reaver section, but I’ve watched a lot on the lore. Too bad it was never finished. Wouldn’t even mind a reboot with the original vision.
So many times, its the villains who share their journey with you, through all their strife, that seem to come out as some of the most interesting and favorable characters in media. I've never played a LoK game but have been interested in Soul Reaver before. This video has convinced me to look into the entire saga. Excellent work as always, RagarRox. :)
wow it is good that these games is getting youtube videos, i remember trying to find videos on them years ago, and nothing showed up.. i am happy this story is getting its spot in the sun.
Legacy of Kain is the reason why I am writing a Dark Fantasy novel. I have been obsessed with the series for nearly 20 years. Got action figures and a steel Soul Reaver blade. This is probably the best video on legacy of kain I've ever seen.
I really do appreciate you using your platform to bring attention to this franchise, it does truly mean a lot to me. I can only hope more people check it out, because it is a wondrously written and amazing story to witness (maybe not so much play through due to some... factors, like SR2).
Vey good intake into the Blood Omen and what it means for this amazing Saga. Thanks for keeping giving this series the love it deserves (and doesn't get from the gaming industry).
I have played this game around 15 years ago and I still rememberit clearly, still under its spell. Thank you for this great tribute, I need to refresh the story with the patch ;]
wow i really want to try it out now, i love the franchise but always avoided this game due to how different it is but you made lots of compelling arguments here, great vid!
I watched your old forgotten gem video years ago it was awesome too. I'm a huge fan of the LoK series I'm always looking for a good feels video for them but daaaaaamn this one was great you really covered a lot it was awesome
Given the choice, whether to rule a corrupt and failing empire; or to challenge the fates for another throw - a better throw - against one's destiny... But does one even truly have a choice? ... One can only match, move by move, the machinations of fate... and thus defy the tyrannous stars. - Kain These games had amazing writing.
WoW, I thought I was the only one in the world that played Blood Omen 🩸 I LOVE that game. It’s been soooo long since I played I wanna say like 97 or so. Great video man. So many memories. I do agree though that game did leave a lasting impression on me.
Thanks for that loveletter to this amazing Game.. i played it back in the 90's and it still is one of my all time favorite games..it kinda played into me being the person i am today...
Anything Soul Reaver related from you is godsend. I love the series but was always afraid of exploring Blood Omen due to the gameplay and graphics. Your video might change that. Also, I completely forgot Amy Hening directed and wrote Soul Reaver, Holy cow! Its such a shame we never got the conclussion to the story, and that some of the amazing voice actors have already passed away.
Indeed it is - the music is so ambient in places it can just transport you to another world. My only tiny gripe is that the gameplay can be a tad repetitive - but this got better over time with subsequent releases.
Silicon Knight's Denis Dyack has started a new game studio, Apocalypse Studios. He's got some of the original team back and they're working on making a spiritual successor to LoK called Deadhaus Sonata. Unfortunately, it's not a sequel and there is no Kain, but the dark atmosphere of this upcoming game is the "direction he would have wanted the Kain universe to go". The game is still in really early stages of development and will be a free-to-play action RPG, with the alpha coming out hopefully sometime next year. I know it might not be what you expect, as it is not a direct sequel, but I encourage you to go check it out. Their website goes really in depth about the lore we know of so far, game mechanics and classes, etc... I'm seriously not doing it justice here. deadhaussonata.com
Bro thank you for doing this, please make more videos on this series, and let’s hope we get a remake/remaster/reimagining/ hell at this point I will take anything that’s legacy of Kain related.
I haven't even watched the video yet but I just wanna say it makes me so so so so happy to see a ragnar video on this beloved series. Quite literally grew up with this game and it took me years to understand what the fuck was going on but I love LOK dearly and I look forward to seeing more people discover it thru this video
Thank you so much for this amazing appraisal of what I consider to be the most phenomenal set of games I've ever had the pleasure to play through. Please continue this theme & cover the other games in the series. Not so long ago I got myself a PS1 emulator. My copy of Blood Omen is scratched causing the game to crash & music to jump when playing it on a PS2. I made an ISO of the disk & ran it through the emulator. It played absolutely perfectly. Worth doing if anyone wants to preserve their copy.
Grew up with Blood Omen, I was 15 when it released in 1996 and bought it for Playstation on release day. Hugely influential on me, I was stunned with how good it was, its story and voice acting was above everything else released at the time. I still got my PSX copy and I used to play it regularly just for pure nostalgia. Now I bought the PC version on GoG and it still holds up to this day. A true classic. I hope it gets a proper remaster now that Embracer bought the IP from SE.
Ragnar, I really love your videos. Thank you so much for keep uploading, I like how you go into so much deep and review so many things about it. A huge hug from Mexico and keep rocking.
What a great video, mate - brought back so many great memories - this game needs a remaster maybe even bringing up to the modern version of the Reaver model - it's also the Netflix animated series we all never knew we needed haha!
This is the strangest thing: I have been revisiting the legacy of Kain story via you tube videos on the series. I had forgotten about his series and how great it was. Possibly my favorite series of all time. Top 5. Maybe top 3. I’ve craved a revisit of the story since playing the games again seem unlikely.......and here comes your video. Talk about fate and chance and wheels of time and all that. WoW.
1996, the clerk of my local game rental shop (yeah we had these back then) recommended me Blood Omen; 'dude this game is awesome, it's like Zelda but with vampires, blood and guts'. I rented it and my little 11 year old mind was blown at the quality of the game's scope, the story, the voice acting, the cutscenes, the dialogue, it was nothing I've ever seen up to that point. A few days later I bought it because I knew it was special. I own Blood Omen and Soul Reaver on both ps1 and pc, they were truly unique games for their time.
Hey Formidable News! Blood Omen has *finally* been released on GOG.com.
Get it here, DRM-free: af.gog.com/game/blood_omen_legacy_of_kain?as=1628879817
Hell yeah!
Thanks!! I can now legally own this gem!!!
Our patience has been rewarded.
Q
Thanks man 👍🙏🌈
"Suppose you throw a coin enough times...suppose one day...it lands on its edge..."
Chills, I tell you. Chills.
The dialogue is just….. ITSa SO GOODa I CANTa FINDa THA WORDSa TO DESCRIBE IT
No game series can match the beautiful dialogue and intricate storytelling that is Legacy of Kain.
**Incoming Silent Hill
@@nomadson615 lol
except for Gay World
Truth!
@@nomadson615 Enviromental storytelling at it's best. I need to plau bloodborne again. I've been away from sweet, blood soaked Yharnam for too long.
"free will is an illusion"
the speech that made me love Kain as a character
I very often revisit the opening scene of soul reaver 2. The music in conjunction with the writing, and especially the voice acting, make for a legendary scene. That much holds true for basically the whole series.
@@terreausore2435 i just like it cause its a great scene, very well voice acted and shows us why Kain is a villain
Legacy of Kain is one of the greatest game-series there ever was, and really deserve to be re-released in some way for easier access to new gamers. The versions on Steam and GOG aren't ideal, even if it's nice that they (minus Blood Omen) are at least available. I hear many cry for remakes or remasters, but I think a first priority should be to have versions that are simply easier to run, and to get the rights for Blood Omens sorted out. It's truly a masterful game, probably the best in terms of gameplay in the series, and still holds up today. I know the intro to this and the Soul Reaver-games by heart, and Simon Templeman is one of my favourite actors. It's good that Bioware gave him some good parts in their games, but it's a damn shame that not many know of him. Also, R.I.P Tony Jay. You will always be the hub of the wheel.
Why aren't the Steam and GOG versions ideal? I was thinking of getting them just for nostalgia's sake.
i think Digimon game series is the best game series for its gameplay and fun fact
@@TalkingAboutGames They can be hard to get running properly (though I hear the GOG-versions are a bit better) and at least Soul Reaver 1 is only playable with the keyboard, as there is no controler-support.
They are usually quite cheap though, so I would recommend getting them anyway.
@@freaknr1 I see, thanks for the answer.
@@TalkingAboutGames You're welcome. 🙂
The moment you started Soul Reaver 2 and you hear: "Kain refused the sacrifice!" 😳
Cue the sickest intro music in existence!
I had a friend who lent me the first game and his PSone and I blew through it in a weekend. I chose the sacrifice, and then when I heard there was a second (which I then played), I was ecstatic.
I took it home, sat down, popped it in... and cried out in shock when I realized they went with the evil ending for the canon end. That was almost never done in those days!
@@ChargeQM I thought it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. It changed the way I thought of stories. It literally made me a more open minded person. I'm who I am today because Soul Reaver taught me how even the bad guys have a story, and sometimes that's worth telling.
who didnt refuse the sacrifice? honestly?
@@usern4metak3ns First time off, I didn't. It was something like "He did the right thing, he saved Nosgoth, but no one will know and nobody remembers him." AFTER ALL THAT!? Screw that! Also, since I played Soul Reaver much earlier in my life, I knew the refusal was the canon one, so I wanted to see the alternative first :)
@RagnarRox - Nice job on this video. Thank you very much for the kind words about Blood Omen - it will always have a special place in my heart. There are a few factual errors in the video but overall the significant research put into this video shines through. I am now working on the spiritual successor to Blood Omen called Deadhaus Sonata. If you ever want to connect and talk about Blood Omen further, let me know, it would be my pleasure.
How is this not top comment
Denis, we don’t deserve you! I can’t wait to see the finished product. I’ve been waiting nearly two decades for something that will scratch my nosgoth itch. Good luck to you, sir.
@@Slunked Thank you for the kind words and support! :)
Vae Victus!
I would be extremely interested to hear more about this. I full appreciate that it won't be set in Nosgoth because of layer-y reasons but if it has a similar vibe to Blood Omen...well, colour me very intrigued.
I like the fact that now that I'm starting to dig deep into this game, there comes Ragnar. I must have impeccable timing.
Synchronicity, you might it even call it.
Same! Super weird I watching watching some playthroughs of Defiance just a few weeks ago
Literally just watched the 6 hour movie this week. Too weird
The thing to remember about this series is that while there are good and bad things about gameplay, the reason you play these games is the story. The voice acting. The atmosphere. It makes everything else worth it. While blood omen and soul reaver 1 was the probably the best, they were two different games and I respect the way they changed the gameplay for Raziel and made it a different experience. Kain is a great character but Raziel? Well Raziel is a brilliant character with brilliant and perfect character arc and story. Gosh I miss this type of storytelling....
Also, This is Amy Henigs finest work/contribution.
To this day the LoK games are still the best story ever told in this medium. Trust me, I've dug through the timelines, paradoxes, and it all checks out. It's a vampire tale, a time travel story, an epic, a tale of friendship... Simply superb.
I cut my teeth on these games, no time travel story gets their paradoxs and plot holes past me.
@J M Nope. The creation of Cait Sith forever marks FF7 as an inferior product to Blood Omen.
@J M thats a completely subjective opinion though
@J M Obviously you have never played Hello Kitty Island Adventure
@J M Ehh I don't know about Shadow of the Colossus. That game is incredible, but the story is extremely tropey. It's basically just a classic Faustian bargain tale, the clever part is that the player isn't aware of that fact until the end.
I can only hope that one day this game series will return from the shadows and we can once again assume the role of Kain. The story was truly one of a kind, imo. Kain is an amazing anti-hero, and was a great character that allowed you to be "evil" while going forward to a greater goal. The lore is one of those that really is amazing, the voice acting was spot on, and the music was epic.. hearing that Soul Reaver intro cinematic music still gives me goosebumps, and in some of the online/multiplayer games I play, I will /yell or say "Vae Victus!" then nerd out whenever I find someone who got that reference.
Also, I actually collected each release of this game, including the original release casing/manual to the first Blood Omen.. one of my prized games I still have... totally worth going back to play on the PS/PS2. :)
Now, if you were to use the proper Latin translation, it would be "vae victus ad et." "Vae victus" legit translates to "woe defeated." When I realized that while on Google translate for indirectly related reasons, I fixed the translation lol. Crystal Dynamics have even publicly said it was incorrect and that they would check their translations next time.
It's basically the same problem as people adding in words to trhe 'translation' of "memento mori" to claim it means "remember you will die" even though it would only translate to "remember death." Google translate and too much time on one's hands is an... Interesting hobby.
EDIT: Don't even get me started on the Addams family motto. It not only doesn't translate to English whatsoever (it's complete gibberish), but seems _impossible_ to do so the other way on Google translate, if possible at all.
Kain is actually a hero
@@jaredmartin7040 This is funny, considering their writer considers him a villain. I settled on anti-villain and called it a day.
@@Daggeira At the start of Blood Omen definitely but at the end of Defiance he's certainly more of a hero
@@jaredmartin7040 Yeah, I'd say villain in BO, anti-villain in SR, anti-hero in BO2 and SR2 and definitely a hero in Defiance. I think he did a bit too much thinking after casting Raziel in lmao
Definitely one of the more complex character developments in the course of a series.
I still listen to the soundtracks of the entire franchise, especially the ones by Kurt Harland. They did so much for the mood of the setting.
Me too. Brilliant music!!
The music is amazing. All the sound work is incredibly good.
I recommend his band Information Society, especially Kurt's solo album "Don't be afraid" it's got a good number of tracks similar to his soundtracks but in a more dark electro style.
In fact Soul Reaver's main theme was originally from that album before being used on SR
The theme was a song that already existed, they simply reworked it to fit the game, Ozar Midrashim!
Ozar Midrashim is *THE* theme to Legacy of Kain, and I'm so glad they got permission from Harland to use it~
While everyone else had Mario, Legend of Zelda or Pokemon as they were growing up...I was that twisted child whose fondest video game memories were of Legacy of Kain.
I am forever, to this day, the girl still obsessed with the series who refuses to move on. LoK will always hold a special place in my heart. 🖤
Did you hear the creator, Mr. Dyack, is creating a new franchise? Check out Deadhaus Sonata!
Nothing against mario or specially Zelda but Pokemon has been a mediocre product that has grown so much that the games don't matter anymore, is really cruel and unfair that legacy of kain got forgotten while Pokemon raised to unmeasurable degree and this last generation proof me right.
Vae Victus !!
@@ralfxephon1 Hehe. LOK taught me history. Look up the historical significance and origin of Vae Victus.
I've never owned a N64, so yeah I was that kid playing Soul Reaver instead of Zelda.
I was literally /just thinking/ "you know what I could use right now? A RagnarRox video" and here we are. Thank you for just making my night :D
"OH PLEASE, HELP ME, KIND SIR! OOOOooOooohhh sob sob sob" x9999
The best line, non main character line had to go to Magnus. Blood Omen 2... Well we won't speak of it, except the first time we see Magnus almost makes it worth it.
+No, no please don't let him hurt me!+
"It mustn't be blanched. It mustn't be poached. *Crash* It must be fresh! Where is my meat?! Running with blood! Sopping with gore! There theeeerrrrre!
Kain is such an indepth character.
youtube algorithm actually being good to me for one
Holy shit I never thought someone would actually be making a video about these games. I grew up playing Soul Reaver 2 as a kid without owning any of the previous games and being so confused but I loved it anyways. I had no idea there were previous games, this is so exciting
MandaloreGaming and BoukenJima have some excelent videoes about Blood Omen as well. Highly recommended. :)
There are quite a few channels dealing with LOK, may I suggest also for you to look at The Lost Worlds - Official, ChocolateRob, LordDamianus, The Hylden and others.
LOK is quite a well known series just has not had a game in forever
@@jaredmartin7040 I remember them trying to make like, an MMO based on it at one point?
@ I grew up playing soul reaver 2 since it was my dads, I’m 20 lol
I’m a simple creature. I see Legacy of Kain, I click.
"Alas poor Nupraptor, I knew him well....well not really." Memories of fifteen year old me and my friend laughing at that. Thank you for covering this gem. Still have my original copy.
I'd love to see the whole series be remade... but there's just no replacing Tony Jay
A remake would result in similar things you saw with Nosgoth - just retcons and companies doing whatever they liked with the ip. Some good things are best left alone to be good.
Are there any legal repercussions to using machine learning to mimic his voice? The tech is advancing very rapidly.
@@element1111 depends on whether Jay has an estate for starters
In 2016/17 there was some concept to remake (or maybe reboot) the series. Project name was simple "Omen", but it was not picked up by Square Enix.
it's impossible, do not wish for heresy
Blood Omen 1 is my second favourite game from the LoK series. When I first played it, 10 years after finishing Blood Omen 2, Soul Reaver 2 and Defiance I was absolutely blown away by how well the atmosphere of the game was crafted.
I want a remake, but also don't want one. The idea of it being badly redeveloped is scary.
bro, imagine cdpr remake the franchise
@@112523 I can see it going great as well. Apart from the story and map design, the combat system is quite bland in today's standards. CDPR would have what it takes to fill it up with something more interesting.
But to be honest, for a game in the gothic horror style of Legacy of Kain, the gameplay would have to be pretty brutal. Like putting Doom games to shame level of brutal. Not sure how many developers would be willing to take the risk.
@@rumplstiltztinkerstein The Legacy of Kain series is nowhere near that brutal, and I wouldn't attribute it to technological limitations either. It's dark, certainly gory, but not more gruesome then any of the gibbing we see in basically any iteration of DOOM.
This got me thinking about how I'd love to see Kain pull off some finishers like Geralt. Better than, even. Though I'd more so like to see the grapple system from Blood Omen 2 reincorperated. There's something so satisfying and empowering about grabbing some little fucker by the throat and maiming them however you see fit.
@@FilthyNobeard I can't disagree with you. My line of thought was in thinking about how the soul reaver games had this mechanic of killing vampires with "vampire killing" tools, like running water, stakes, fire...
In today's technology a developer could get way more creative in using those tools than back then. What if the opponents tried to do the same thing to Raziel and Kayn, like empalling, decapitating, and so on.
Honestly...it's really quite impossible in this day and age. Even CDPR has been hit by the corporate side, look at Cyberpunk 2077. The story is just too much for most mushy-brained gamers these days. While the gameplay overall could be overhauled, they could easily just make it super gory and violent. While the Legacy of Kain games are by nature slightly in that vein, most people developers would go way too far.
The atmosphere would be hard to recapture, as we've seen a lot of remakes completely miss the mark on getting their atmosphere's right. And that's, again, not counting on them screwing the story just to make it "easy to understand." Then add in the loss of Tony Jay (voice actor for Mortanius in Blood Omen, then the Elder God in Soul Reaver 1&2 and Defiance) it's basically impossible.
It sucks that the voice actors for this game are dead / retired. We needed 1 more game to wrap everything up.
@Sam Robards why does square enix feel the need to ruin something genuinely beautiful, only to bring that decrepit garbage dead sun into existence? 😢
@Sam Robards it begs the question, why WAS dark prophecy canceled? I think we all agree that it would've been AWESOME.
This is still one of my favorite games as I played it in my formative years. Simon templeman's voice carries one of the coolest protags into the world. That's not even getting into the voice work and lines in the later material.
Metal gear has Hollywood style voice acting, Legacy of Kain has shakespirian play voice acting. Two different things.
To this day, Defiance is still one of my favorite games. And every day that goes by without a proper sequel to truly finish the series is a goddamn tragedy.
I played this and beat it in the 90s while I had the flu. I felt miserable for two or three days, but the experience with the story and exploration just transported me for a few days.
Such an incredible game. Just started my first playthrough in about 25 years yesterday. Having a blast. Forgotten most of the game.
The Heart of Darkness.
"Life *is* prescious Yannos discovered. As it was torn bleeding and throbbing from his own body."
Holy crap, I can't believe I actually remembered that.
@@RequiemPoete *Janos
OMG a LoK video! YES! Uggh I miss this series so much. I miss being face-deep in the lore and the voice acting (and I miss Tony Jay)
What an amazing work Ragnar! Can't wait to see a next one on Kain's series!
I've noticed Legacy of Kain is rising from its sanctuary. The legacy cant be kept forgotten for long, it is rising again.
There is a magical operation of maximum importance: the initiation of a new aeon...
When it becomes necessary to utter a word...
The whole planet must be bathed in blood...
Malek! MALEK!
Call your dogs! They can feast upon your corpses!
Everyday i hope for a remaster of this complete series! Blood Omen 2 has always been my favorite even though its technically only a side story in the wheel of time traveling that is the full and more canon legacy.
I never clicked a video so fast in my life, thanks for covering this! :) Soul Reaver 2 was my first game, and I sadly never got to play the others, but I'm so hyped you're doing this! :D
Thanks for the stroll down memory Lane. Played Soul Reaver: Legacy of Kain in the mid ninetees when it was released i Sweden. Loved the game series ever since. All hours spent by the ps1/ps2 and all those memories of Raziel falling of ledges and pillars over and over.
If there is ONE thing I've done right in my life...it's growing up with this series
I really hope just before my last breaths I get to experience the last entry that I've been waiting for all these years
I am so glad that you did this game, the legacy of Kain series, in general, is such an underrated and underestimated game franchise... the LoK Series was *always* a treasure of my childhood gaming experience! Soul Reaver was my first experience, thus my introduction to the series although I played every following installation of this series as it released up until it's end. As long as it would be done correctly &.as long as it remained faithful to key the pillars of the story (no pun intended), a remake is definitely in order...
One of my favorite series. Now I need to replay them all.
One of my favorite game series! Sounds weird but it helped me get over my anxiety with horror movies as a kid. Cheers man!
This was one of the coolest games from the 90s. So well written... I still have my Soul Reaver original copy somewhere around here!
Phenomenal video. Robustly researched, wonderfully delivered, elegantly edited...
Ragnar, you really can do no wrong.
This is one of my favorite franchise of all time. Thank you so much for spreading the love!
This is one of my all time favorite games. It is criminally underrated and the story is amazing. Thank you for covering it!
Thanks for this one! I did try out the PS1 version of BO several years ago on a PSP but despite all the tone and presentation highs (and that exploration, by god that proto-metroidvania exploration), collision jank and a nasty difficulty spike had me putting it down. This video reminded me of all the things I loved about all I played. I might end up giving it another shot...
I really hope Kain and Raziel resurface back to their former glory, vae victus indeed. Your video has such depth, great job seriously.
A seriously underrated but cult series with which I believe have expanded my vocabulary
Just started watching, but as a dedicated fan of this franchise and you, I couldn't think of a better video. Thank you for this
Im so glad a bigger youtuber has brought this to light again, this needs a reboot so bad
God! I can't express how grateful I am that you talked about this game. 25:21 That is exactly what this game has been to me. There is no nostolgic factor because I played it only a 7 8 years ago, but non of the sequels could reach the perfection that this game was. It also impacted me so much as a game designer, because its masterfully designed almost to perfection. Especially considering that it's made in 1996!
Thank you so much for covering this! The Legacy of Kain was such a huge part of my childhood, and something I'll never forget!
Thank you so much for bringing more attention to this amazing series!
There are few, if any Channles I'm as excited to see a new video has been uploaded. A brilliantly analysis of the topic, paired with extraordinary writing and exquisite naration.
Oh yay. I'm thrilled this came up on my feed. This series sparked my interest in convoluted story lines. And unlocking blooper reels from the VO studios needs to be a thing again.
I played this game last year for the first time, and LOVED it. Can't be happier about you covering it
finally making a video on blood omen after 50 years, but hey, glad its here, just watched your soul reaver video yesterday
I’m so glad you’re doing another monster of the week.
Soul Reaver on the ps1 was one of the first games that showed me that great stories could be told amazingly in videogames
I see a legacy of Kain video, I click. Still haven’t finished the series, only played the soul reaver section, but I’ve watched a lot on the lore. Too bad it was never finished. Wouldn’t even mind a reboot with the original vision.
So many times, its the villains who share their journey with you, through all their strife, that seem to come out as some of the most interesting and favorable characters in media. I've never played a LoK game but have been interested in Soul Reaver before. This video has convinced me to look into the entire saga. Excellent work as always, RagarRox. :)
I love this series so much. Thanks for covering this, you did Blood Omen justice.
wow it is good that these games is getting youtube videos, i remember trying to find videos on them years ago, and nothing showed up.. i am happy this story is getting its spot in the sun.
We need a "next gen" remake using these incredibly complex plots and art styling.
MY GOD YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW HAPPY I AM THAT YOU MADE A VIDEO OF MY FAVORITE VIDEO GAME SERIES
Legacy of Kain is the reason why I am writing a Dark Fantasy novel. I have been obsessed with the series for nearly 20 years. Got action figures and a steel Soul Reaver blade. This is probably the best video on legacy of kain I've ever seen.
I really do appreciate you using your platform to bring attention to this franchise, it does truly mean a lot to me. I can only hope more people check it out, because it is a wondrously written and amazing story to witness (maybe not so much play through due to some... factors, like SR2).
Vey good intake into the Blood Omen and what it means for this amazing Saga.
Thanks for keeping giving this series the love it deserves (and doesn't get from the gaming industry).
I have played this game around 15 years ago and I still rememberit clearly, still under its spell. Thank you for this great tribute, I need to refresh the story with the patch ;]
Thanks for introducing me, and also analyze, awesome games. This is a fantastic channel.
wow i really want to try it out now, i love the franchise but always avoided this game due to how different it is but you made lots of compelling arguments here, great vid!
I watched your old forgotten gem video years ago it was awesome too. I'm a huge fan of the LoK series I'm always looking for a good feels video for them but daaaaaamn this one was great you really covered a lot it was awesome
Perfect timing mate, just finished my annual binge watch of all the LoK cutscenes just to admire the script and voice acting. ^_^
Ugh... thank you so much Rag! You continue to enthrall & amaze :3
Given the choice, whether to rule a corrupt and failing empire; or to challenge the fates for another throw - a better throw - against one's destiny... But does one even truly have a choice? ... One can only match, move by move, the machinations of fate... and thus defy the tyrannous stars. - Kain
These games had amazing writing.
Solid lore video. This series deserves a reboot. Such good characters and story.
One of my favorite content creators reviewing one of my favorite series just in time for Halloween.
25:50 Listen to that sweet Shin Megami Tensei 3 soundtrack. That alone guarantees a like.
I would love to hear you talk about hellblade: Senua’s sacrifice!
i was just looking at my old cd of this the other day. thanks so much for the link to the wrapper!
WoW, I thought I was the only one in the world that played Blood Omen 🩸 I LOVE that game. It’s been soooo long since I played I wanna say like 97 or so. Great video man. So many memories. I do agree though that game did leave a lasting impression on me.
Thanks for that loveletter to this amazing Game.. i played it back in the 90's and it still is one of my all time favorite games..it kinda played into me being the person i am today...
A friend of mine introduced me to the Legacy of Kain games ages ago, I've been meaning to play them since. This brought up good memories.
I have been hoping you would do a video like this one. Great work, R.
This series deserves a proper revival, not sure in what way, but I'd love to just have more of this franchise
Anything Soul Reaver related from you is godsend. I love the series but was always afraid of exploring Blood Omen due to the gameplay and graphics. Your video might change that. Also, I completely forgot Amy Hening directed and wrote Soul Reaver, Holy cow! Its such a shame we never got the conclussion to the story, and that some of the amazing voice actors have already passed away.
You're always picking some intresting games! This game looks dark and relaxing at the same time.
Indeed it is - the music is so ambient in places it can just transport you to another world. My only tiny gripe is that the gameplay can be a tad repetitive - but this got better over time with subsequent releases.
Kain and Raziel are my favorite vampire characters, ever.
I love this. Thank you for taking the time to make it.
Silicon Knight's Denis Dyack has started a new game studio, Apocalypse Studios. He's got some of the original team back and they're working on making a spiritual successor to LoK called Deadhaus Sonata. Unfortunately, it's not a sequel and there is no Kain, but the dark atmosphere of this upcoming game is the "direction he would have wanted the Kain universe to go". The game is still in really early stages of development and will be a free-to-play action RPG, with the alpha coming out hopefully sometime next year. I know it might not be what you expect, as it is not a direct sequel, but I encourage you to go check it out. Their website goes really in depth about the lore we know of so far, game mechanics and classes, etc... I'm seriously not doing it justice here. deadhaussonata.com
wow this is such a good information... thanks for sharing this. :D
If only I still liked Dennis Dyack
Isnt Dennis Dyack a scam dev now?
It's a free to play multiplayer game so that's a hard pass.
"free to play action RPG" is a big yikes from me.
I have literally been waiting for a video like this for years
Bro thank you for doing this, please make more videos on this series, and let’s hope we get a remake/remaster/reimagining/ hell at this point I will take anything that’s legacy of Kain related.
I haven't even watched the video yet but I just wanna say it makes me so so so so happy to see a ragnar video on this beloved series. Quite literally grew up with this game and it took me years to understand what the fuck was going on but I love LOK dearly and I look forward to seeing more people discover it thru this video
Thank you so much for this amazing appraisal of what I consider to be the most phenomenal set of games I've ever had the pleasure to play through. Please continue this theme & cover the other games in the series. Not so long ago I got myself a PS1 emulator. My copy of Blood Omen is scratched causing the game to crash & music to jump when playing it on a PS2. I made an ISO of the disk & ran it through the emulator. It played absolutely perfectly. Worth doing if anyone wants to preserve their copy.
20:36 the secret about the marketing team, is that they are almost never good for the marketing of the game!
Grew up with Blood Omen, I was 15 when it released in 1996 and bought it for Playstation on release day. Hugely influential on me, I was stunned with how good it was, its story and voice acting was above everything else released at the time. I still got my PSX copy and I used to play it regularly just for pure nostalgia. Now I bought the PC version on GoG and it still holds up to this day. A true classic. I hope it gets a proper remaster now that Embracer bought the IP from SE.
great video, blood omen is my favorite game. if I may dare a suggestion, the blood omnicide project deserved to be mentioned
Ragnar, I really love your videos. Thank you so much for keep uploading, I like how you go into so much deep and review so many things about it. A huge hug from Mexico and keep rocking.
What a great video, mate - brought back so many great memories - this game needs a remaster maybe even bringing up to the modern version of the Reaver model - it's also the Netflix animated series we all never knew we needed haha!
Legacy of Kain will never be forgotten, it will live on in our hearts, whether or not it gets resurrected.
This is the strangest thing:
I have been revisiting the legacy of Kain story via you tube videos on the series. I had forgotten about his series and how great it was. Possibly my favorite series of all time. Top 5. Maybe top 3. I’ve craved a revisit of the story since playing the games again seem unlikely.......and here comes your video. Talk about fate and chance and wheels of time and all that. WoW.
1996, the clerk of my local game rental shop (yeah we had these back then) recommended me Blood Omen; 'dude this game is awesome, it's like Zelda but with vampires, blood and guts'.
I rented it and my little 11 year old mind was blown at the quality of the game's scope, the story, the voice acting, the cutscenes, the dialogue, it was nothing I've ever seen up to that point. A few days later I bought it because I knew it was special.
I own Blood Omen and Soul Reaver on both ps1 and pc, they were truly unique games for their time.