Alongside next-generation blockbusters, gamers are being treated to refreshed re-releases of retro classics to help appeal to younger players and reel in the older crowd for another chance at enjoying these old-school hits. It already worked for the development team at Aspyr and their well-received efforts on Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, so why not take a stab at another beloved 3D platformer in the Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver series?
I was undoubtedly a huge fan of the first game during my impressional youth in the late 1990s, enthralled by its gothic vampire aesthetics and verbose dialog that would fit into something from H. P. Lovecraft's collective works. Now, I'm somewhat protective of my rose-tinted goggles and what other people might see when treated to a glance through them, and Aspyr already had a harsh critic in me when it announced Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered for consoles and PC — here's what I thought of the new release.
What is Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered?
Optimized for Xbox Series X|S consoles, Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered will also launch on Xbox One, Sony's PlayStation 4|5, and Nintendo Switch, alongside this PC version via Steam.
Price: $26.99 MSRP
Developer: Aspyr, Crystal Dynamics
Publisher: Aspyr
Genre: Third-person action platformer
Install size: 10.48GB
Playtime: ~22 hours
Platforms: Windows PC, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4|5
Reviewed on: PC
Release date: Dec. 10, 2024
Xbox Game Pass: No
This double pack, initially shown during Sony's PlayStation State of Play in September 2024, contains Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, first released on PlayStation in 1999, and its PS2 follow-up Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver from 2001.
Developers at Aspyr have created brand-new assets for Raziel and Kain, the protagonist and antagonist pairing of both games, alongside enemies and a cast of supporting characters with texture and model improvements.
Other improvements include dynamic shadows, high-resolution cutscenes, and multi-language support with subtitles.
Extra add-ons, like a dynamic map screen, aim to improve the experience for new and old players alike, with achievements encouraging replayability. Bonus content includes concept art and character renders, which are unlocked from the start for all players.
Does it run on PC handhelds like Steam Deck?
Yes, the game ran smoothly with my testing on Valve's Steam Deck and ASUS' ROG Ally without limiting any power (TDP) or resolution settings, exhibiting only a screen cutoff bug with the new map screen. You can limit clock speeds and wattage settings to increase battery life, but the devices don't draw much power while running the game.
What you'll like
Gameplay mechanics in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 and 2 are intact as they were in the originals back in 1999 and 2001, respectively, but Aspyr treats us to a couple of extra functions. First of all, and the most obvious, is the option to switch between the original graphics of both games and their remastered counterparts at any time by pushing in the right stick (or pressing F1 on PC) without any delay whatsoever, the same method used in Tomb Raider I-III Remastered.
A new map screen helps players navigate its 'Metroidvania' level layout and identify the cryptic location glyphs of Nosgoth.
It's a fun little feature, switching back and forth during cutscenes, while browsing menus, or in the middle of a fight to see how primitive and wobbly the retro visuals were on the original PlayStation and PS2. If I combine this hot switching component with the all-new photo mode by pressing both sticks together (or F3 on PC), I can see the gorgeous new character models in extreme close-ups and appreciate the undeniable hard work that Aspyr's 3D artists have put in.
Third, and by far the most appreciated new feature, is the addition of a map screen to help navigate the almost 'Metroidvania' level layout and identify the cryptic glyphs that represent the vampiric clans of Nosgoth. It might sound minor to younger gamers who are used to the everyday conveniences of an interactive, always-available map, but this makes the otherwise clunky exploration of the first game far more manageable.
Personally, I appreciate that Aspyr didn't interfere with the platforming and combat controls of the first Soul Reaver game, and it feels as natural as ever to jump back into the lock-on combat with a simple dodge button to hop around enemy attacks.
I can't say the same about Soul Reaver 2, which feels much slower and frustrating in comparison. Nevertheless, both games feel like the originals running in emulation with a high-resolution shader overlay that replaces character models and upscales environment textures, similar to what NVIDIA's RTX Remix program promises for PC games but to a more simplistic degree here. If you liked what Aspyr did with Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, you should be happy with this offering.
What you won't like
While the assets of protagonist Raziel and his enemies look tremendous in cutscenes and gameplay, the difference in environment textures often looks unnoticeable or minor enough not to matter. It's especially disappointing when playing on a smaller screen, like on my Steam Deck or ASUS ROG Ally, as the limited draw distance of the original games persists, descending longer rooms and smaller outside areas into fog.
You won't find any resolution options, ultrawide ratio tweaks, or customizable framerate limits.
The extra level of frustration comes with the absolute absence of video options that would usually allow some customization of these functions on PC and modern consoles, but there's nothing here. Besides toggles for a visible compass and navigation hints, you won't find any resolution options, ultrawide ratio tweaks, or customizable framerate limits. Extra frustrations come with a lack of a 'save anywhere' function in Soul Reaver 2, considering it's featured in the first game, leaving the pause menu severely lacking options.
Not that the game struggles to run on any of my devices, holding 120Hz on the ROG Ally, but 16:10 screens exhibited cutoff errors on the map screen, and there's not much I can do about it besides switching to my desktop and playing at a traditional 16:9 ratio. It's here that Soul Reaver 1 & 2 feel like more of a 'Definitive Edition' than its 'Remastered' namesake because it's a port for modern machines with a mod pack replacing characters and upscaling texture, but not much else.
For argument's sake, I understand that these games are well over 20 years old, and expanding the field of view or other real-time rendering settings might have adverse effects that hamper the experience. Still, it feels like a cop-out not to at least include a resolution selection and in-engine FPS limit, especially for playing on PC handhelds like a Steam Deck, where maximizing battery life is a priority, but neither game draws much power anyway.
Combined with a half-and-half treatment of phenomenal character models and passable world textures, this remaster has me tempted to pull the original game discs down from my attic and run each through legal emulation. If I did, I couldn't enjoy the overhauled 3D assets nor rely on the helpful new map screen. However, the differing experiences mainly stop there, and outside of a few fancy new skyboxes and neat concept art, this feels like a hefty price jump for a modified port.
Should you buy it?
Overall, my reaction to this remaster is positive, and I think it's worth buying if you've never played either game. On the other hand, fans of the classic releases who might have the original discs lying around in storage might feel slightly stiffed for paying upwards of $25 for what amounts to a modern port running at 60 FPS with new character models and a map screen.
It's a relatively generous price point compared to other games on the market, and fans of gothic vampire fiction will love it once you get the hang of its old-school controls. The environments won't look much different if you're playing on a handheld, and even side-by-side comparisons at 4K don't make it much more apparent.
Still, it's proven that Aspyr has dedicated Soul Reaver fans on its development team, who were perhaps limited by the games' engines and codebase in their scope on what can be done in a modern port. If you're looking for a retro 3D platformer in a similar vein to Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, this is undoubtedly your next stop, but I can't help feeling that Raziel deserved more.
👉 See at: CD Keys | GOG | GreenManGaming
