It was 25 years ago that Amy Hennig's Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver first introduced us to the vampire Raziel. Its unusually complex narrative (for the time) and fully voiced cut-scenes made it an instant classic among both PlayStation and Windows gamers back in 1999.
Today, you can still play the original games on Evercade's consoles, which top our pick of the best retro game consoles. But the developer and publisher Aspyr has just announced that it will release Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered for PS5 and PS4. And fans have been moved to tears by the news.
Launching in December, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered follows on the heels of Aspyr's work on Tomb Raider I-III Remastered. Writing on the PlayStation blog, Chris Bashaar, Director of Product at Aspyr, promises a similar approach, with "enough visual and quality-of-life improvements to feel natural, while carefully preserving the integrity of the original"
Aspyr was given the source code by Crystal Dynamics, so it started with the original engine and a complete set of assets. That's allowed it to deliver the same combat, puzzles, and boss fights with a feel that's true to the original games. Meanwhile, a neat feature will be the ability to toggle between classic and modern game art with no interruption of performance.
"With its environmental storytelling and the innovative mechanics that allowed players to shift between the material and spectral realms, Soul Reaver pushed the limits of computer memory in the ‘90s. The way we’ve engineered the title will preserve that legacy for players returning to Nosgoth or visiting for the first time," Chris writes.
He said the developer also wanted to surprise the most hardcore fans, so it's introducing a batch of control Improvements with DualShock 4 and Dual Sense, camera upgrades, with the camera mapped to the right stick and the addition of a map and compass to aid navigation in the vast open world of Nosgoth. Soul Reaver cut-scenes were rendered with new higher fidelity assets and new hero models were created for Raziel and Kain inspired by the look of the original pre-rendered cutscenes.
Judging by the reaction on social media, many fans of the original games are blown away. And many are hoping that if the remasters do well, it could lead to the franchise being resurrected. "I’m almost crying, I never thought I’d see this series again," one person wrote in response to the trailer on YouTube. "In a call with my friend when this was announced and they were subjected to me screaming in disbelief, and literally crying afterwards before muting, calling my brother, and both of us just tearing up and all over this," someone else wrote.
"This brings tears to my eyes. The agony of waiting with little hope that someday they will do justice to this masterpiece and here we are. Glorious!" was another comment, while one fan wrote: "This game was monumental for me, it solidified me as a serious gamer in the fantasy genre. One of the strongest storylines, incredibly creative in a game that’s fun and challenging."
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered will be released on 10 December priced at $29.99. Preorders are open now at the PlayStation Store.
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