Faithful remasters of two great classic games
I never had the chance to play the Legacy of Kain games during their first time around, and felt as though I likely missed them forever. When Soul Reaver remasters were announced, I jumped at the chance to finally take them on. The recent spate of remasters and HD versions of games have been hit or miss, often relying on plenty of quality of life improvements to bring them up to modern speed. These were already great games, designed well enough to survive this long with solid gameplay and controls and visual direction, and yet Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered manage to improve on that experience with just a few visible improvements and plenty of extras.
Both games have improved visuals, with HD textures and smooth frame rates, even on the Switch. There are only a few moments I could notice any stuttering, nothing that hampers my gameplay and mostly when I move quickly around an area with two or three enemies trying pulling off combos before the frames can catch up to my button presses, but perhaps my biggest issue with the performance is the camera. It tends to end up facing the wrong way, especially in the first game.
Soul Reaver 1 is a solid, albeit predictable adventure. It originally launched at a time when developers were still figuring out how to take Mario 64’s mastery of 3D space and put it into new and unique genres. It’s a fine game, although it often feels empty in some of the corridors and larger spaces. Meanwhile, Soul Reaver 2 is a better game overall, with better combo systems and a plot that moves at a clippier pace. Even though SR2 originally came out just a couple years later, compared to the first game it feels almost leagues ahead, and this remaster series almost makes them feel even further apart.
The package’s extras include an art museum, but the aspect I love the most is the inclusion of the original voice recording sessions and outtakes. It’s a marvel that the videos survived, let alone how interesting they actually are.
The Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered package is a great way for first timers to experience the games, and for fans of the series the inclusion of the recordings and art actually go a decent way into providing something new to check out.
This review is based on a Nintendo Switch eShop code sent to SideQuesting by the publisher. It originally appeared on The SideQuest Live for December 19, 2024. Images and video courtesy Publisher.
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