Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver

"An eternity passed, and my torment receded, bringing me back from the precipice of madness. The descent had destroyed me... and yet, I lived!"

- Raziel

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is a third-person action-adventure video game, developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive. It was released for the PlayStation and Microsoft Windows in 1999, and for the Sega Dreamcast in 2000. As the second game in the Legacy of Kain series, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is the sequel to 1996's Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, developed by Silicon Knights. It was succeeded by three games, one of which - Soul Reaver 2 - is a direct sequel.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver begins 1500 years after the events of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, and chronicles the journey of the vampire-turned-wraith Raziel, lieutenant to Kain (the protagonist of the original game). Raziel is executed by Kain, but is revived by the Elder God to become his "soul reaver" and to exact revenge. Raziel shares this title with Kain's sword, the Soul Reaver, which he acquires during the game.

Crystal Dynamics began development of the game in 1997, but a deteriorating relationship with Silicon Knights created legal problems. This and other delays forced material originally planned for Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver to be excised or reworked into later entries in the series. The game was generally well-received by critics, attaining a score of 91 on Metacritic, and being praised for its Gothic story and high-quality graphics. However, it was criticized for simple and repetitive gameplay and an unsatisfying climax.

Backstory and setting
"Do you suppose that time stood still for you, Raziel? Much has changed since you passed from the world of men."

- The Elder God



Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver takes place within the fictional land of Nosgoth, where the health of the world is tied to the nine Pillars of Nosgoth, and each Pillar in turn is represented by a Pillar Guardian. Before the events of the game, the Guardians became corrupted, and, after Kain killed them in the Blood Omen era to restore their Pillars, he discovered that he was the final one, representing the Pillar of Balance. Refusing to sacrifice himself to restore the Pillars, he doomed Nosgoth to eternal decay and, five centuries later, proceeded to raise his vampire lieutenants, including Raziel, to besiege the land. Victorious, he set his throne in the ruins of the Pillar of Balance, and established his empire.

Kain's conquest of the land was quickly successful. "Turning" the corpses of their slain enemies, his lieutenants each raised vampire clans, and - within a hundred years - humanity was considered "thoroughly domesticated", with the exception of some vampire hunters roaming the hinterlands in hopes of pursuing their holy war. Employing slaves, the vampires constructed the Sanctuary of the Clans around the Pillars of Nosgoth to signify their new renaissance, and built the a Smokestack, a huge furnace, to incessantly belch smoke into the sky, shielding their bodies from the effects of the sun. Kain and his sons formed the Council, ruling the dystopian wreckage of Nosgoth together. Over time, they grew increasingly bored, and pit their clans against each other for amusement.

By the Soul Reaver era, the time of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver's introductory cinematic - 1500 years after the conclusion of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain - the humans have been decimated, and the vampire clans have each claimed a region of Nosgoth and turned their attention to internal matters. Unbeknownst to the vampires, beneath Nosgoth lurks the Elder God, an ancient and powerful entity. The Elder God controls the Wheel of Fate, a cycle of reincarnation of souls that circle the Wheel in a loop of predestination. However, because vampires are immortal, their souls do not spin with the Wheel, putatively causing the land to decay as the Wheel stalls. By the time that Raziel is revived, 500 years after the game's opening cinematic, Nosgoth is on the brink of complete ecological collapse.

Characters
"I know you, Raziel. You are worthy."

- The Elder God



Of the original cast from Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, three characters (Kain, Ariel and Moebius) return in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, with all others making their debut appearances in the series. Crystal Dynamics considered it important to ensure that their writing, acting and voice direction was "compelling" and "intelligent", hoping to perpetuate the precedent Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain had set with an "original storyline, complex characters, high-quality writing and voice acting, and its fresh approach to vampire mythology".


 * The protagonist of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is the vampire-turned-wraith Raziel (voiced by Michael Bell), whom Kain casts to his death at the beginning of the game. Raziel was conceived by Crystal Dynamics' Amy Hennig and Seth Carus, both of whom had worked alongside Silicon Knights to design Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, and concept artist Arnold Ayala. "Many iterations" of the character were considered before they "were able to collectively stand back and say, "yep, that's him"". The character of Cesare from the 1920 silent film The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari provided one of the "first seeds of inspiration" for his creation. His name, meaning "Secret[s] of God", was derived directly from Rabbinic lore, and other mythological associations helped to determine some of his features, such as his blue skin - borrowed from the Hindu deity Vishnu - and his "fallen angel" wings. Although the main character, he was deliberately written to encompass elements of villainy as well as heroism. Raziel's characteristic clan symbol was designed by creature art lead Daniel Cabuco, and resembles a question mark (or tears, when turned upside down). Just as Kain did in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, Raziel frequently narrates events, his surroundings and his thoughts through the literary device of retrospective soliloquy.


 * Although Kain (Simon Templeman) was the protagonist of the previous game, Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, he is the primary antagonist and final boss of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain concluded with a multiple-choice ending, in which Kain could elect to heal or damn Nosgoth. The Crystal Dynamics team decided to establish that the latter choice was canonical, feeling that "it would be interesting to fast foward a millennia [sic] or two, to see what Kain's decision engendered". His actions throughout the game appear to be highly villainous and malevolent, but sequels reveal justifications and rational motivations for each of them: Amy Hennig stated that "Kain is by no means a monster or mustache-twirling villain [...] in many ways, he's a more complex and sympathetic character than Raziel himself".   Daniel Cabuco redesigned him under the premise that he "sees himself as a 'Dark God'", and his symbol represents "his arrogance (the Crown) and his vamprism (the Fangs)". Cabuco strived to tie him back to his Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain incarnation, adding a scar on his chest where he was assassinated as a human in the original game, and re-introducing Vorador's Signet Ring as part of his costume, with Hennig's approval.   He wields the Soul Reaver sword (also from Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain) in the early stages of the game, but it later falls into Raziel's possession.


 * The Elder God (Tony Jay) resurrects and assists Raziel, explains the game's controls, and describes previous events in the story. In Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver he is presented almost exclusively as a beneficent and pedagogical figure, but as the series progresses, he transitions into its main antagonist. The Elder resembles "a giant squid", and was inspired by Gnostic myth - specifically, the concept of the Demiurge.


 * Ariel (Anna Gunn), who preceded Kain as Nosgoth's Balance Guardian, again appears as a specter and offers Raziel advice on occasion. Bound to haunt the Pillars of Nosgoth indefinitely by Kain's refusal, she seeks to assist in his destruction.


 * During his quest, Raziel meets the members of the Council, his vampire peers and brethren - Melchiah (Bell), Zephon (Jay), Rahab (Neil Ross) and Dumah (Templeman) - who serve as the game's bosses. Having inherited the corruption in Kain's soul, the Council members have devolved into grotesque, monstrous beings by the time Raziel returns to Nosgoth; each one has adopted the warped traits of an animal in accordance with their personality (Zephon, for instance, has mutated to resemble a giant spider or insect, and Rahab is fish-like). Each is the progenitor and leader of a vampire clan, the fledgling and adult members of which serve as Raziel's enemies, and has developed different powers that Raziel partially gains by killing them and devouring their souls.

Moebius the Time Streamer (Richard Doyle), the Time Guardian and a major antagonist in Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, is depicted as a statue, and makes a brief appearance in person in the game's epilogue. Raziel also encounters, and is required to defeat, the Tomb Guardian (Doyle), a vampire and minor antagonist. The characters of Mortanius and Vorador, both significant figures from the previous game, do not appear, but are mentioned in dialogue, and Vorador is depicted in a stained glass image.

Prologue and introduction
"Redeem yourself. Or if you prefer, avenge yourself. Settle your dispute with Kain. Destroy Him and your brethren. Free their souls and let the wheel of fate churn again. Use your hatred to reave their souls... I can make it possible. Become my soul reaver, my angel of death..."

- The Elder God



The game's prologue takes place 1500 years after the events of Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, and immediately after the events of the promotional Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver comic. Raziel narrates, explaining that Kain has been deified in Nosgoth since his fateful refusal at the Pillars, and that few know the truth: that "he was mortal once", but his "contempt for humanity drove him to create" Raziel and his brethren. Raziel was the first-born of Kain's lieutenants, and has served him for a millennium. With the passing of time, Kain and his descendants physically evolved: they would periodically "enter the state of change and emerge with a new gift", becoming less human and more "divine". Always, Kain would evolve first, with his descendants following after, but never surpassing him.

The vampire Raziel arrives at the Pillars of Nosgoth in the Sanctuary of the Clans to attend a gathering with his five brethren and Kain. He approaches Kain's throne and bows before it in supplication, but extends newly-fledged wings - his latest evolutionary development - signifying that he has surpassed Kain, and has therefore committed the "ultimate blasphemy". Kain reacts with surprise, and begins to examine the wings; in an act of "seemingly egotistical sadism", he suddenly tears the bones from Raziel's shoulders, to the shock of the other lieutenants. On Kain's command, the wounded Raziel is borne to the Lake of the Dead, a large whirlpool and execution ground, where Kain orders Turel and Dumah to "cast him in". The Lake's water burns Raziel's vampiric flesh like acid, destroying his body.

After enduring "ceaseless agony" for 500 years, Raziel's torment finally recedes, and he awakens in the Abyss, now a creature of the Spectral Realm: a devourer of souls. The Elder God addresses him, having resurrected him to become his "soul reaver" and kill Kain, thus restoring Nosgoth. Though repulsed by the "pitiful form" he now inhabits, Raziel listens as the Elder describes the Wheel of Fate, Nosgoth's imbalance and the plague of the vampires. Tempted by the opportunity to avenge himself, he silently consents to pursuing this quest for vengeance. With the Elder God's guidance, Raziel adapts to this new existence, being tutored about warp gates, soul devouring, Sluagh, and gliding with the use of his ruined wings, and leaves the Underworld.

The Soul Reaver
"From this moment and ever afterward, you and this blade are inextricably bound. Soul Reaver and reaver of souls, your destinies are intertwined."

- The Elder God



Raziel finds a planar portal and shifts back into the Material Realm, but finds that Nosgoth has changed significantly for the worse since his execution. The Dumahim, Dumah's vampire clan and descendants, have malformed into "foul, scuttling beasts", and the Sanctuary of the Clans lies crumbling in ruin; Nosgoth's "unraveling" has "nearly played out". Returning to the Lake of the Dead, Raziel is able to determine the direction of his own clan territory, but finds it utterly desolate when he arrives; his vampire clan has ostensibly been eradicated by Kain, futher fuelling his rage against his former master. Infiltrating a Necropolis inhabited by the Melchahim vampires, Raziel finds his brother Melchiah, who has devolved into a beast unable to sustain his own flesh.

After Raziel kills Melchiah and absorbs his soul, thus obtaining the ability to phase through gates, he confronts Kain at the ruined Pillars of Nosgoth in the Sanctuary of the Clans. Incredibly, Kain is not surprised to see Raziel, apparently having even been expecting him, and implies that he has indeed destroyed Raziel's clan, which only enrages Raziel even further. When Raziel begins to criticize him, Kain simply launches a tirade against him before noting what has become of the empire and engaging him in combat. Kain quickly overpowers Raziel and attempts to strike him down with the Soul Reaver, a powerful sword that "[thrives] by devouring the souls of its enemies"; however, the Reaver shatters when it strikes Raziel, and Kain escapes, strangely satisfied.

Raziel enters the Spectral Realm to find that the soul-devouring entity trapped within the Reaver - the Wraith Blade - has been freed. As he touches it, it "inextricably" binds itself to him, becoming his symbiotic weapon. After this, Raziel meets Ariel, who restores his strength, and offers to guide him in the future. Raziel ventures into the Silenced Cathedral, once inhabited by the humans, and fights the Zephonim clan and their vampire worshipers. After ascending into the cathedral's spires, he finds that Zephon is now a large arachnid or insect-type creature, whose body has merged into the enclave in which he dwells. Raziel kills Zephon, and thus receives the power to scale walls.

The Tomb of the Sarafan
"Take heed, Raziel. A forgotten history lies within. Know thyself - though it may destroy you..."

- The Elder God



Using the powers he has gained, Raziel discovers and infiltrates the Tomb of the Sarafan, an ancient crypt where the leaders of the Sarafan brotherhood (a fanatical order of vampire hunters, killed centuries before Kain's birth) were entombed. To Raziel's horror, he finds that the crypt was designated for him and his brothers; as cruel irony, Kain revived the Sarafan to serve him as his vampire sons. They were "too long dead" to remember their Sarafan roots when resurrected, and remained completely ignorant of their heritage. Raziel ventures through a secret passage under the crypt, where he is accosted by the Tomb Guardian, a Turelim vampire. He kills the attacker, and finds a relic which grants him the ability to wield telekinetic force projectiles.

In a Drowned Abbey inhabited by the Rahabim clan, Raziel learns that Rahab's children have overcome their vampiric vulnerability to water, and mutated into amphibians - Rahab himself has become a merman-like being. Raziel tells Rahab what he has learned about their human pasts, but Rahab is unmoved, claiming that Kain "saved" them "from themselves", and attacks. By blasting windows in Rahab's lair, Raziel exposes his brother to sunlight, killing him, and devours his soul, thus gaining the ability to swim. He then crosses the Lake of the Dead to the abandoned fortress of his brother, Dumah.

The Ruined City is strewn with Dumahim corpses, and Raziel realizes that Dumah must have been killed. He suspects that Kain was responsible, but the Elder God corrects him, explaining that the Dumahim were overcome by a vampire hunter ambush. Exploring the city, Raziel eventually finds Dumah shackled to his throne, his heart pierced by stakes. Raziel revives Dumah, who thanks him, but Raziel refutes this gratitude, still aggreived that Dumah unquestioningly threw him into the Abyss. He lures Dumah into a giant furnace, burning him alive, and devours his soul, obtaining the ability to constrict foes and manipulate switches with bands of energy.

Final battle with Kain
"At last. I must say I'm disappointed in your progress. I imagined you would be here sooner. Tell me - did it trouble you to murder your brothers?"

- Kain



East of the Ruined City, Raziel discovers the Oracle's Cave, a cavern where Moebius the Time Streamer once hid the Chronoplast, a time machine. Finding a statue of Moebius, Raziel reflects that "even this cold image radiated a certain undeniable power", and continues through the subterranean network. In the depths of the labyrinth, he finds a series of portals which display scenes of past, and, apparently, future events. As he passes each one, Raziel becomes increasingly incredulous, believing that they are deceptions laid there by Kain to trick or manipulate him. The visions imply that the events he has experienced have all been predestined, as - it seems - have those yet to come.

Raziel finds Kain awaiting him in the Chronoplast's control room; Kain chides him, having hoped Raziel would "be here sooner". Raziel is infuriated over what he has learned on his journey, and bitterly condemns Kain for his crimes, but Kain argues that all of his actions have been justified, partially due to his being subject to destiny. He reveals that he is aware of the future, and hints that the Sarafan were not as altruistic as Raziel believes - that Raziel may have uncovered his past, but knows nothing of it, and that "those whose passion transcends all notions of good and evil" made for perfect servants.

Raziel refuses to listen, and repeatedly attacks his former master while Kain continues to adjust the Chronoplast's controls. Although Raziel eventually gains an advantage, the Chronoplast activates, and Kain escapes through a time portal; he assures Raziel that "fate promises more twists before this drama unfolds completely", beckoning Raziel to follow. Raziel complies, and pursues Kain, ignoring warnings from the Elder God. As the game ends, Raziel emerges from the time-stream and is greeted by Moebius himself. The story ends with a postscript, a verse where Moebius comments on the nature of time and his ability to "plunge the fate of planets into chaos", leading directly into the events of Soul Reaver 2.

"But this is not where - or how - it ends. Fate promises more twists before this drama unfolds completely."

- Kain

Overview
"You are lost in a maze of moral relativism, Kain. These apparitions and portents... what game are you playing now?"

- Raziel



Like the rest of the Legacy of Kain series, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver falls into the action-adventure genre, but with less emphasis on the role-playing game elements which were pronounced in the original game. The playable protagonist is Raziel, a disfigured and ghostly "ex-vampire". The game is normally shown from a third-person perspective behind Raziel, but players can rotate the viewpoint around him by using the control pad. Gameplay relies largely on shifting between the Material and Spectral planes of existence to progress through areas. Although interaction with objects is limited in the Spectral Realm, this can be advantageous, because Raziel can easily traverse water and phase through otherwise impassable gates there. However, blocks, doors, and switches can be manipulated only in the physical world. Many puzzles are based on the differences between the two realms; for example, platforms and environment features in one realm may change form to open new paths in the other. Block puzzles are also common and require the rotation, flipping, and moving of large blocks to progress, often with a time limit and while avoiding enemies.

Combat in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver consists of a hack-and-slash system, entailing the use of combinations of various different attacks before delivering a finishing move. Raziel's enemies are grouped into humans, Spectral creatures, and most commonly, vampires. Human enemies include villagers, vampire hunters and vampire worshippers. In the Spectral Realm, players fight minor enemies called Sluagh, and the souls of dead vampires who have become wraiths. Each brood of vampire enemies has unique powers reminiscent of their clan leader. Humans and Spectral enemies can be killed with Raziel's claws or any weapon, but vampires must be bludgeoned into a stunned state and then destroyed by impaling them, lighting them on fire, throwing them into a hazard such as sunlight or water, or destroying them with the Soul Reaver. When killed, enemies leave behind souls that replenish Raziel's health coil, which - over time - automatically depletes in the Material Realm and increases in the Spectral. Possession of the Soul Reaver sword stops automatic degeneration of health in the physical world, but Raziel loses the sword instantly if he sustains damage and can regain it only by restoring his health. After obtaining the Reaver, Raziel always possesses it in the spirit world.

At first, Raziel can jump, glide using his torn wings, move blocks, and pick up and throw enemies. Initially unarmed, he fights using his claws, but can alternatively use weapons such as boulders, torches, spears and staffs, and the Soul Reaver. Raziel can freely shift to the Spectral Realm, but can return to the Material Realm only through special planar portals when at full health. Raziel automatically shifts to the Spectral Realm if he runs out of health, and, if he runs out of health in the Spectral Realm, is banished back to the Underworld area. As the game progresses, Raziel becomes able to phase through gates in the Spectral Realm and climb walls in the Material Realm. Initially vulnerable to water, he overcomes this weakness and learns to swim. Players can find an ancient relic that gives Raziel the power to fire bolts of telekinetic energy, which cause little damage by themselves but can knock enemies into hazards and push objects from a distance. Baptism in holy flame can transform the Soul Reaver into the Fire Reaver, which can set enemies aflame and adds fire to Raziel's telekinetic bolts. Players can also find magical glyphs that allow Raziel to find and expend eldritch energy to attack groups of enemies simultaneously.

The Spectral and Material Realms


Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver's shifting mechanics are fundamental to gameplay and puzzle-solving. The Material Realm is Nosgoth's corporeal world, where the living dwell, whereas the Spectral Realm is its afterlife, a mirror plane haunted by spirits and the souls of the dead.

Raziel begins the game with the Shift Glyph, an ability accessible at any time from his ring (inventory) menu, and can freely cast this to shift from Material to Spectral. Alternatively, if his health coil is depleted, Raziel will automatically shift back to Spectral. In the Spectral Realm, he must possess a full health coil and be standing on a planar portal before the Shift Glyph becomes active. The major differences between both planes are described as follows:


 * "The Spectral Realm is a darker, more twisted version of the Material Realm. As Raziel passes from one plane to the other, the world warps around him, distorting and reshaping itself. This terrain distortion may open a path in one plane which is otherwise impassable on the other."


 * "Some of Raziel's mechanics are only effective on one plane or the other. In general, physical actions that require interaction with objects or terrain are only functional in the Material Realm."


 * "Different creatures inhabit the Material and Spectral Realms. But some creatures are able to shift planes to pursue Raziel."


 * "In the Spectral Realm, time is irrelevant. While Raziel is in the Spectral Plane, time stops in the Material Realm."


 * "While in the Material Plane, Raziel constantly burns spirit energy in order to maintain his physical form. To sustain his existence in the Material Realm, Raziel must feed on the souls of his enemies to replenish his spirit-energy. If Raziel becomes too damaged or fails to feed, he will automatically be shunted back into the Spectral Realm."


 * "In the Spectral Plane, Raziel's spirit energy gradually recovers. He can accelerate his recovery by devouring the lost souls wandering the Spectral Realm, and consuming the souls of his spectral enemies."

Blocks, doors, switches and implements can only be manipulated in the Material world; in the Spectral Realm they are nothing more than insubstantial "shadows", completely immobile and non-interactive. Raziel's claws and the Soul Reaver are the only objects he can use in both realms; when traveling to the Spectral Realm, he will automatically drop anything else that he is carrying, and any offensive glyphs he has collected become unusable.

If a vampire enemy is killed in the Material Realm and Raziel fails to devour its soul, a corresponding vampire wraith will appear in the Spectral Realm of that area. If the vampire was killed by impalement, Raziel can remove the spear or staff from its body in the Material Realm, and it will return to life as a revived vampire, with some additional powers.

As Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
Soul Reaver entered development alongside Blood Omen 2 in 1997 and focused on puzzle solving instead of Blood Omen 2's action. During design, the development team created larger areas that could be explored more thoroughly as Raziel acquired new powers, avoiding the "shallow[ness]" of Blood Omens layout. The staff aimed to develop gameplay similar to Tomb Raider and used an upgraded version of Gex 3s game engine to generate the three-dimensional game world. Before Soul Reavers release, the relationship between Silicon Knights and Crystal Dynamics dissolved. Because their research was used, Silicon Knights filed an injunction to stop further promotion of the game.

Influences
Crystal Dynamics based Soul Reaver on Silicon Knights' research of vampire mythology for Blood Omen. Other aspects of the game, such as the idea of a fallen vampire who devoured souls, were inspired by the epic poem "Paradise Lost".

Audio
Kurt Harland composed most of the music for Soul Reaver; Jim Hedges handled the remaining audio. Harland remarked that, under Amy Hennig's direction, he programmed music to change based on the current gameplay situation—for example, combat or swimming. This variation was accomplished through a custom Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) driver, which altered music based on signals from the game engine. Each vampire tribe had corresponding music; one tribe of mechanical vampires was associated with a slow, thumping theme to convey a sense of working machinery. To further fit the music to the environment, the sound team consulted level designers regarding layout and appearance. Music from both Soul Reaver and Soul Reaver 2 was released on a promotional soundtrack in 2001.

For the game's voice acting, Raziel was voiced by Michael Bell, and Tony Jay, who had provided the voice of Mortanius in Blood Omen, voiced The Elder God. Anna Gunn, Simon Templeman and Richard Doyle reprised their roles from Blood Omen as Ariel, Kain and Moebius. Bell, Templeman and Jay also provided the voices of Melchiah, Dumah and Zephon, respectively, and Neil Ross voiced Rahab.

Cut content


Other delays pushed the release date from October 1998 to August 1999.

These delays forced Crystal Dynamics to cut significant game material, including additional powers for Raziel, a third battle with Kain, and an expanded Glyph system which would have given elemental powers to the Soul Reaver. In an interview, series director Amy Hennig stated that the development team split the original, much larger plans in two after realizing that they had "over-designed the game", given the constraints on time and data. This decision explains Soul Reavers cliffhanger ending and the appearance of originally planned material in later games. Despite the split, Hennig explained that the team left unused components—such as extra power-ups and enemies—in Soul Reaver's game engine to avoid unforeseen glitches that might have arisen from their removal.

Original ending
The Original Soul Reaver Storyline is the version of the Soul Reaver that was originally planned and was eventually drastically cut down after it became clear that it could not be completed in time. The events are by far the largest removed from any game and are most well known. Many of the elements removed have gone on to feature in or influence later games.

The major events of the storyline would have taken place after Kain 's meeting with Raziel in the Chronoplast ; In which Kain would not have activated the Chronoplast and returned to the past; instead he would have accepted his fate and at the Chronoplast, Raziel would have gotten a partial victory over Kain and gained the Shift-at-Will ability, which would have allowed Raziel to shift from the Spectral Realm to the Material Realm without the aid of Planar portals.

This ability would have allowed Raziel entry to an area hidden underneath the Human Citadel called the Undercity, which was home to a vampire worshipping cult, much like the Adepts and Novitiates in the Silenced Cathedral. He would have then progressed to the nearby Temple, the home of the cult's leader - the Priestess. The Priestess battle would have involved her summoning 'monsters' from a high ledge and reflecting this, the ability gained from her would have been the Possession ability.

Raziel would next have entered Turelim clan territory - The industrial heartland of the Kain's Nosgoth, which includes the the Smokestack seen in the opening video. Defeating Turel (who concept art depicts here as much more humanoid than seen in Legacy of Kain: Defiance ) would have gifted Raziel with the Amplified Force Projectile ability - an upgrade of the Telekinetic Force Projectile.

Raziel would next have to travel to Kain's Mountain Retreat, Raziel would have been able to glide to Kain's Mountain Sanctuary from the top of the Smokestack. He would be advised by Ariel (who, dialogue implies, had somehow been moved away from the Pillars) that the Wraith-blade itself was not powerful enough to defeat Kain and would require the soul of another balance guardian. Raziel would have struck Ariel down with the Wraith blade and gained the Ariel Reaver, which would have replaced Raziel's default Reavers and allowed him to strike down Kain. Using the Ariel Reaver, Raziel would have had a battle with Kain himself, finally defeating the fatalistic Kain and absorbing his soul into the Reaver to make theAmplified 'Kain' Reaver.

With this all-powerful permanent alteration to the Wraith blade, Raziel would have been able to glide from Kain's Mountain Retreat to the sealed Pinnacle of the Silenced Cathedral, (also seen in the opening video) where he would be able to use the Amplified Reaver to fight off an onslaught of desperate vampires, to open the sounding pipes atop the Cathedral and thereby Kill every Vampiric creature in Nosgoth.

Alongside the Major events of the storyline, there are also several minor gameplay elements that are missing or different. There are several weapons that Raziel cannot wield in the finished game that were usable in earlier versions, as well as several missing areas. The most significant changes apart from the story were in the Wraith blade enhancements; In the finished game he can only use the Spectral Reaver, Material Reaver and one elemental enhancement, the Fire Reaver. Originally he was to have discovered several other forges for Wraith blade enhancements which matched up with the Glyphs Raziel can find. These were: Sunlight Reaver, Water Reaver , Stone Reaver and Sound Reaver Furthermore there is one glyph which was removed - The Spirit Glyph along with it's accompanying Reaver, The Spirit Reaver. All of these Reavers would subsequently be imbued by passing them through or striking the element, in the same fashion as the Fire Reaver is re-imbued in-game. There were also (as mentioned above) two Permanent Reaver additions made by imbuing the blade with specific characters souls - The Ariel and Amplified (Kain) Reavers. The Force Glyph did not have an accompanying Reaver.

Some of the major events in the Original Soul Reaver Storyline appear in the Chronoplast Visions at the End of Soul Reaver. These were:Raziel's final battle with Kain in his retreat; Raziel striking down Ariel and gaining the Ariel Reaver and Raziel looking down from the pinnacle of the Silenced Cathedral with the Kain Reaver. These events were later re-integrated into Legacy of Kain canon becoming Raziel's Battle with Kain in Avernus(seen in Defiance); Raziel gaining the Spirit Reaver in The Spirit Forge by absorbing Ariel's soul(also seen in Defiance) and Raziel looking down from Janos' balcony with the Fire Reaver (seen in Soul Reaver 2 )

Many of the Events of the Original Soul Reaver storyline has also influenced concepts for future games:


 * The Possession ability is a hidden ability found in Soul Reaver 2, though it is unlikely this was planned and was probably a leftover from using the Soul Reaver game engine. The ability would make it into Blood Omen 2 as 'Charm '


 * Turel in his (d)evolved form is finally seen in Defiance representing the Hash'ak'gik Cult and possessed by several Hylden . His death also grants Raziel a form of Amplified Force Projectile which now allows Raziel to hold enemies in the air much like Kain's Telekinetic abilities. Kain gains his own minor Telekinetic abilities in Blood Omen 2 through Telekinesis ; which acts much like the Telekinetic Force Projectile, by Defiance Kains telekinetic abilities have become much more enhanced.


 * The Ariel Reaver concept is modified to become the Spirit Reaver seen in Defiance, which was also planned to feature in Soul Reaver 2. (The Spirit Reaver of the Original Soul Reaver Storyline is a separate concept). Defiance also reuses the concept that Ariel can be moved to accommodate this change.


 * The Amplified (Kain) Reaver concept is modified to become The Soul Reaver seen in Defiance; a major difference is of course which protagonist 'dies' for the other to wield it.

A return to the Soul Reaver era is still expected should the series continue, so it is a possibility that these concepts may yet appear in their original forms.
 * The Elemental Reavers and their related Glyphs were to have been included in Soul Reaver 2; however by this time both had been modified to The Reavers being more traditional elements and the Glyphs resembling pillars, with each Reaver having a 'Glyph-like' spell which it could utilise. Only four of the Reavers made it into Soul Reaver 2 - Dark, Light , Air and Fire - and none of the glyphs appeared. The full list of Elemental Reavers (minus Spirit which became a new Ariel Reaver) was finally included in Defiance along with the Glyph-like Reaver Spells.

Promotion
In 1998, Soul Reaver was showcased at E3, where attendees were given free demo discs. Over time, further demo discs were released, including one bundled with Official PlayStation Magazine. Soul Reaver was released for the PC and Sony PlayStation in 1999 and for the Sega Dreamcast version in 2000. The PC and Dreamcast versions used a much higher frame rate than did the PlayStation version, and the Dreamcast port had further graphical enhancements. A Japanese release for the game was planned, but canceled. In 2000, Soul Reaver was added to Sony's "Greatest Hits" list, and more than 1.5 million copies were sold by 2001.

Eidos Interactive, the game's publisher, spent US$4,000,000 on a pre-release advertising campaign, which included magazine articles, television commercials, and a tie-in comic book published by Top Cow Productions. Because the films The Sixth Sense, The Blair Witch Project and The Mummy had premiered earlier in 1999, Soul Reaver''s release was considered "ideally timed" for a horror-oriented game. The lack of load times was a key marketing point praised by several reviewers. After release, Eidos and BBI partnered to release action figures of Raziel and Kain.

Critical reception
Soul Reaver's 'dark and gothic atmosphere was generally well-received, and several publications praised the game's cut scenes. IGN's reviewer called it "such an ambitious game - and one that achieves nearly everything it sets out to do - that few games come close to it", and praised the soundtrack for blending with the atmosphere unobtrusively. The Dreamcast port was cited as "perhaps one of the best looking console games ever made"'''. '''Next Generation Magazine echoed this, stating that, "even if you own the PlayStation version, you may want to rent this anyway", but expressed disappointment that no new features were added to the Dreamcast port. AllGame's reviewer called the cut scenes "seamless", and their frequency neither too high nor too low. The game's storyline was praised by Game Informer as being "grim and interesting". Soul Reavers voice acting was also highly praised; GameSpot ranked this aspect of the game in its list of top ten "Best Voice Acting in Games". GameSpot also considered the atmosphere as rich as that of Blood Omen, yet less dramatically overstated, and considered the graphics "among the best that have ever been on the PlayStation." GamePro praised the aspect of shifting between realms, particularly the visual effects involved.

IGN stated that acquiring and learning the powers of Raziel's brothers constituted part of the fun, and that Raziel's moves were well animated and articulated. Finding minimal difficulty in using camera controls, GameSpot likened them to those of Banjo-Kazooie and stated that players would want to adjust the camera deliberately to watch Raziel's movements. RPGamer called the gameplay smooth and seamless, and, although the reviewer was initially worried that the interface would resemble that of the Tomb Raider series, stated that these concerns disappeared after playing. Presenting differences between the two, AllGame echoed RPGamer's sentiment and stated that the game's puzzles would challenge "all but the most experienced gamers",while Game Informer considered the puzzles "difficult-to-the-point-of-insanity". Computer Gaming World enjoyed the devouring of souls, a gameplay element that caused Alexander Smith of the Star Tribune to compare Soul Reaver to the television series Outlander.

Website reviewers deemed Soul Reaver's gameplay too non-linear and its objectives too unclear. GameSpot criticized the warp system for using confusing symbols that did little or nothing to indicate the warp's destination, and weighed the fun of impaling vampires with the Soul Reaver against the lack of challenge presented by bosses and most enemies. Next Generation Magazine considered the game challenging due to "difficult puzzles and lack of a map", requiring the player to backtrack. RPGamer's reviewer said that the music was "more suited to putting babies asleep" and that enemies sounded like barnyard animals.The Tampa Tribune also criticized the camera controls, though noted that the "auto-facing" feature made the difficulties negligible.PC Zone criticized the PC port of the game for "chucky" graphics and bad camera controls, stating "it feels too much like a PlayStation release ported hurriedly on to the PC". Computer Gaming World similarly felt that the limitations of the PlayStation carried over in the PC port, rendering the latter's visuals "mind-numbingly boring". The publication praised the Lucifer-based story for engaging players, but was disappointed that "it peters out in an unsatisfying climax". Game Informer stated, "Even after years in development, Soul Reaver doesn't feel finished. It feels rushed." 1UP.com later ranked Soul Reaver second on its "Top 5 Games That Ended Halfway Through", saying that "it's pretty clear that the plot would have been a lot different if the money hadn't inconveniently run out."

Sales
Analysts predicted that Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver would perform well in the video-gaming charts prior to its release, noting that the high proliferation of horror movies in Summer 1999 (including The Mummy, The Blair Witch Project, The Haunting, Lake Placid, Deep Blue Sea and The Sixth Sense) ensured that its release in mid-August 1999 was ideally-timed.

Bolstered by high publicity and critical acclaim, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver had sold over 1.5 million copies by 2001, becoming the first Legacy of Kain game to be inducted as a Sony's Greatest Hits title. According to a 2007 annual report from the SCI Entertainment Group Plc, the Legacy of Kain series as a whole had sold roughly 3.5 million units. Therefore, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver was easily the highest-selling Legacy of Kain title as of that time, accounting for roughly 43% of the series' total sales.

Continuation
"Destiny is a game, is it not? And now you await my latest move..."

- Kain

Credits

 * Director: Amy Hennig
 * Producers: Andrew Bennett, Amy Hennig, Rosaura Sandoval
 * Executive Producers: Rob Dyer, Jon Miller
 * Original Game Concept: Amy Hennig, Seth Carus
 * Initial Concept Art: Arnold Ayala
 * Lead Programmers: Carl Stika, Marc David
 * Programming: Jason Bell, Scott Krotz, Hong Park
 * Additional Programming: Jonah Stich, Tom Desmarais, Doug Banks
 * Interface Programming: Charles Martin, Erik Strickland
 * Audio Programming: Fred Mack
 * PC Programming: Jurjen Katsman, Michael Heyeck
 * Additional PC Programming: Lee Briggs
 * Senior Designer: Richard Lemarchand
 * Design & Layout: Seth Carus, Riley Cooper, John Dumala, Aaron Keller
 * Lead Animator: James Guilford
 * Animation: Paul Vernon, John Hood, Eric Elliott, Troi
 * Creature Art Lead: Daniel Cabuco
 * Mesh Lead: Cory Stockton
 * Mesh & Layout: Mike Gonzales, Freddie Lee, Mark Meier, Cory Stockton, Casto Vocal, Caroline Trujillo
 * Texture & Lighting Lead: Timothy Linn
 * Textures & Lighting: Arnold Ayala, Daniel Cabuco, Brett Hartshorn, Timothy Linn, Dave Reyes, Stephen Trusty
 * In-Game Cinematics Lead: Jeff Morgan
 * Additional Cinematics: Jeremy Bredow, Aaron Keller, John Dumala
 * Concept Art: Arnold Ayala, Daniel Cabuco, James Guilford, Freddie Lee, Dave Reyes, Stephen Trusty
 * Additional Art: Leon Cannon, Troi, Gary Ellington, Ross Harris, Jeff Morgan, Damon Redmond
 * Art Interns: Jon Guilford, Adi Taylor
 * Script: Amy Hennig, Richard Lemarchand, Jim Curry
 * Voice Director: Gordon Hunt
 * Casting Director: Kris Zimmerman
 * Voice Talent (English):
 * Michael Bell as Raziel and Melchiah
 * Tony Jay as the Elder God and Zephon
 * Simon Templeman as Kain and Dumah
 * Neil Ross as Rahab
 * Anna Gunn as Ariel
 * Richard Doyle as Moebius and the Tomb Guardian
 * Recording Studio: ScreenMusic Studios
 * Full Motion Animation: GlyphX, Inc.
 * AV Manager: Steve Papoutsis
 * Audio/Video Lead: Greg Shaw
 * Sound Design & Music Composition: Kurt Harland, Information Society
 * Adaptive Audio Programming: Jim Hedges
 * Additional Sound Effects: Steve Papoutsis, Greg Shaw
 * Test Manager (Crystal Dynamics): Alex Ness
 * Lead Tester (Crystal Dynamics): Billy Mitchell
 * Crystal Dynamics Testers: Brian Becksted, Chris Bruno, James Cabot, Rolef Conlan, Joseph M. Damon, Rich Krinock, Samson Maciel, Todd Malone, Mark Medeiros, Chris Pappalardo, Matt Prescott, Jacob Rohrer, Jeff Wilkinson
 * Test Managers (Eidos): Tony Bourne (UK), Mike McHale (US)
 * Lead Testers (Eidos): Patrick Cowan (UK), Corey Fong (US)
 * Eidos Testers: Jonathan Arday, John Arvay, Lars Bakken, Dominic Berzins, Chris Charles, Michael Hanley, Alex Lepoureau, Darren Lewis, Tim Moore, Ralph Ortiz, Greg Rizzer, Franklin Vasquez
 * VP Marketing: Scott Steinberg
 * Marketing Manager (US): Jim Curry
 * Assistant Product Manager (US): Jon Guilford, Adi Taylor
 * PR Manager (UK): Brian Silva
 * PR Manager (US): Steve Groll
 * Marketing Artist: Colin O'Connor
 * Manual (US): Hanshaw Ink & Image
 * Special Thanks: Ted Ardell, GEX Team, Akuji Team, Glen Schofield, Sam Player, Adrian Longland, Danny Chan, Lita Unruh, Jason Walker, Patrick Bradley, Malachi Boyle, Rita Fovenyessy, Chris Stefanetti, Dave Dao, Karl Hagemann, Brendan Cahill, All of our friends & family who missed us during the crunch