Changes: Constricting

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Constricting, also known simply as Constrict, was an ability which appeared only in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. The ability allowed Raziel to wind a band of constricting energy around a subject which could damage and incapacitate enemies and rotate certain objects. The ability was originally gained when Raziel defeated and consumed the soul of his brother Dumah.

Profile

SR1-Dumah-Constrict — Dumah uses constrict on Raziel

Constricting was an earned ability featured in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver and was first developed by Dumah as a vampire in the events of Soul Reaver. Using the ability Dumah was able to quickly run around his opponents in either realm, drawing a wisp of spectral energy behind him which would solidify and tighten, squeezing and damaging his enemies.^{[Soul Reaver]}^{[Soul Reaver/13]}

When Raziel traveled to Ash Village in chapter Ruined City of the Dumahim in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, he found Dumah slain and impaled upon large stakes, with his soul lingering in the Spectral Realm.^{[Soul Reaver/12]}^{[Soul Reaver/13]} Removing the stakes, Raziel was able to able to revive Dumah who warned Raziel that "the centuries in limbo [had] honed [his] strength" before engaging Raziel in combat. After defeating Dumah by luring him into the Furnace Room Raziel was able to consume his soul, gaining the ability for himself.^{[Soul Reaver]}^{[Soul Reaver/13]}^{[Soul Reaver strategy guide (Prima)]}.

Constrict-oracles2 — Raziel uses constrict on a constrict object with notable circular patterns

Once gained, Raziel could use the ability in either realm by running in a circle around an object or enemy, with a band being generated after the first circuit and a constricting ring appearing after the second circuit. Constrict could be used on enemies in either realm and would usually result in spectral entities being heavily damaged, vampires being reduced to a stunned state and humans being killed outright. The ability could also be used on objects in the Material Realm and was primarily used for rotating special Constrict objects - such as dials - which were often specifically marked with circular patterns on the floor beneath them. In addition, the ability could also be used to rotate Blocks to more easily complete block puzzles.^{[Soul Reaver]}^{[Soul Reaver manual (US)]}^{[Soul Reaver manual (UK)]}^{[Soul Reaver strategy guide (Prima)]}

Constrict was not seen again in Soul Reaver 2 or beyond, where Raziel was instead able to rotate objects with his claws.^{[Soul Reaver 2]}^[Defiance]

Development

Template:Quotebox-Opaque

Notes

SR2-DebugMenu-Abilities — Constrict activated as part of the *Soul Reaver 2* debug menu - with no effect

Constrict is notably named using two different variants of the same term. The US manual refers to the ability as "Constricting".^{[Soul Reaver manual (US)]} In contrast the UK manual and Prima guide refer to the ability as "Constrict".^{[Soul Reaver manual (UK)]}^{[Soul Reaver strategy guide (Prima)]} An in game prompt seen in Ash Village also uses "Constrict", as do Debug menus.^{[Soul Reaver]}^{[Soul Reaver/13]}
Whereas the other abilities Raziel gains are originally developed as part of the Pupating and Evolution of their patriarchs, the constrict ability is of unclear development.^{[Soul Reaver]} Dumah's claims when facing Raziel, the Elder God's description of the ability and the visual similarity to the 'Draining Leash' used by Vampire wraiths suggest that the ability may have instead been a development of the wraith abilities Dumah gained through his extended stay in the Spectral Realm.^{[Soul Reaver]}^{[Soul Reaver/13]}
in the Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver alpha Constrict is much more sensitive than its retail counterpart and this means that Raziel frequently leaves blue trail behind him - even when constrict is not being used or has not been gained.
Although it cannot usually be used through the course of the game, Constrict can be activated at any time through the use of cheats and Debug menus. These confirm that the ability has no effect on bosses.^{[Soul Reaver]}

SR2-Fradley-Constrict-Sarafan — Constrict re-enabled in SR2

The constrict ability is not used in Soul Reaver 2 onward where it is apparently superseded by Raziel's ability to manually rotate objects. Though it does not appear directly, the ability was mentioned several times in pre-release interviews and materials, and is a part of the game code.^{[Soul Reaver 2]}^[1] As such, the ability is present in game files and appears in the debug menu, where it is activated as part of normal gameplay but does not have any effects. It is perhaps probable that the controls of constrict were deemed overly awkward and replaced with a simpler rotational mechanism, while the behind the scenes code was maintained but disabled to prevent unforeseen issues resulting from its removal. Hacking can allow constrict to be enabled properly but it is arguably less useful than its predecessor due to the pace of combat.^{[Soul Reaver 2]}

References

↑ 'To Be Kaintinued', Electronic Gaming Magazine, August 2000 (Issue 13.8) (by Crispin Boyer/Amy Hennig) (archived at the Square Enix Forums)

[EGM-ToBeKaintinued-1] 'To Be Kaintinued', Electronic Gaming Magazine, August 2000 (Issue 13.8) (by Crispin Boyer/Amy Hennig) (archived at the Square Enix Forums)

[1]

@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 ==Profile==
 [[File:SR1-Dumah-Constrict.PNG|thumb|Dumah uses constrict on Raziel]]
-Constricting was an earned ability featured in ''[[Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver]]'' and was first developed by [[Dumah]] as a [[Vampires (events of Soul Reaver)|vampire]] in the [[Events of Soul Reaver|events of ''Soul Reaver'']]. Using the ability Dumah was able to quickly run around his opponents in either realm, drawing a wisp of spectral energy behind him which would solidify and tighten, squeezing and damaging his enemies.{{Ref|SR1}}{{Ref|SR1-C9}}
+Constricting was an earned ability featured in ''[[Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver]]'' and was first developed by [[Dumah]] as a [[Vampires (events of Soul Reaver)|vampire]] in the [[Events of Soul Reaver|events of ''Soul Reaver'']]. Using the ability Dumah was able to quickly run around his opponents in either realm, drawing a wisp of spectral energy behind him which would solidify and tighten, squeezing and damaging his enemies.{{Ref|Soul Reaver}}{{Ref|Soul Reaver/13}}
-When Raziel traveled to the [[Ruined City]] in chapter ''[[Ruined City of the Dumahim (chapter)|Ruined City of the Dumahim]]'' in ''[[Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver]]'', he found Dumah slain and impaled upon large stakes, with his soul lingering in the [[Spectral Realm]]. Removing the stakes, Raziel was able to able to [[Revived vampires|revive]] Dumah who warned Raziel that ''"the centuries in limbo [had] honed [his] strength"'' before [[Dumah (Soul Reaver boss)|engaging Raziel in]] [[Combat (Soul Reaver)|combat]]. After defeating Dumah by luring him into the Furnace Room Raziel was able to [[Soul devouring|consume]] his [[Souls|soul]], gaining the ability for himself.{{Ref|SR1}}{{Ref|SR1-C3}}{{Ref|SR1-Prima}}.
+When Raziel traveled to [[Ash Village]] in chapter ''[[Ruined City of the Dumahim (chapter)|Ruined City of the Dumahim]]'' in ''[[Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver]]'', he found Dumah slain and impaled upon large stakes, with his soul lingering in the [[Spectral Realm]].{{Ref|Soul Reaver/12}}{{Ref|Soul Reaver/13}} Removing the stakes, Raziel was able to able to [[Revived vampires|revive]] Dumah who warned Raziel that ''"the centuries in limbo [had] honed [his] strength"'' before [[Dumah (Soul Reaver boss)|engaging Raziel in]] [[Combat (Soul Reaver)|combat]]. After defeating Dumah by luring him into the Furnace Room Raziel was able to [[Soul devouring|consume]] his [[Souls|soul]], gaining the ability for himself.{{Ref|Soul Reaver}}{{Ref|Soul Reaver/13}}{{Ref|Soul Reaver strategy guide (Prima)}}.
 <gallery type="slideshow">
 SR1-Constricting-01.png
@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 </gallery>
 [[File:Constrict-oracles2.PNG|thumb|Raziel uses constrict on a constrict object with notable circular patterns]]
-Once gained, Raziel could use the ability in either realm by running in a circle around an object or enemy, with a band being generated after the first circuit and a constricting ring appearing after the second circuit. Constrict could be used on enemies in either realm and would usually result in spectral entities being heavily damaged, [[vampires]] being reduced to a stunned state and [[humans]] being killed outright. The ability could also be used on objects in the [[Material Realm]] and was primarily used for rotating special [[Constrict objects]] - such as dials - which were often specifically marked with circular patterns on the floor beneath them. In addition, the ability could also be used to rotate [[Blocks]] to more easily complete block puzzles.{{Ref|SR1}}{{Ref|SR1-Manual-US}}{{Ref|SR1-Manual-UK}}{{Ref|SR1-Prima}}
+Once gained, Raziel could use the ability in either realm by running in a circle around an object or enemy, with a band being generated after the first circuit and a constricting ring appearing after the second circuit. Constrict could be used on enemies in either realm and would usually result in spectral entities being heavily damaged, [[vampires]] being reduced to a stunned state and [[humans]] being killed outright. The ability could also be used on objects in the [[Material Realm]] and was primarily used for rotating special [[Constrict objects]] - such as dials - which were often specifically marked with circular patterns on the floor beneath them. In addition, the ability could also be used to rotate [[Blocks]] to more easily complete block puzzles.{{Ref|Soul Reaver}}{{Ref|Soul Reaver manual (US)}}{{Ref|Soul Reaver manual (UK)}}{{Ref|Soul Reaver strategy guide (Prima)}}
-Constrict was not seen again in ''[[Soul Reaver 2]]'' or beyond, where Raziel was instead able to [[Rotatable and movable objects|rotate objects]] with his [[claws]].{{Ref|SR2}}{{Ref|DEF}}
+Constrict was not seen again in ''[[Soul Reaver 2]]'' or beyond, where Raziel was instead able to [[Rotatable and movable objects|rotate objects]] with his [[claws]].{{Ref|Soul Reaver 2}}{{Ref|Defiance}}
+==Development==
+{{Quotebox-Opaque|About one half to two thirds of the way through the game, Raziel will find his way into the ruined city of the Dumahim and defeat the clan leader Dumah for this ability. Constrict allows Raziel to encircle enemies and objects with different effects. This ability works both in material and spectral, though objects can't be constricted in spectral, only enemies. After making one complete revolution (by running) around a constrictable object or enemy, Raziel begins to trail a constricting band of energy. When Raziel has made a second successful revolution around the target object/enemy, the band squeezes down, constricting the victim (or target object). Constricted enemies are immediately reduced to a stunned/damaged state (low-level humans are killed). Constrictable objects can be turned using the constrict ability 0 e.g., a gear can be turned, a sundial rotated; a lens turned to point a specific direction. Constrictable objects can be rotated clockwise or counter-clockwise, depending on the direction Raziel runs when he constricts them.|''PSM'' issue 19}}
+{{Quotebox-Opaque|About 1/2 to 2/3 of the way through the game, Raziel acquires the ability to
+constrict enemies and objects (with different effects). This ability works both in material and in spectral, though objects can't be constricted in spectral, only enemies. After making one complete revolution (by running) around a constrictable object or enemy, Raziel begins to trail a constricting band of energy. When Raziel has made a second successful revolution around the target object/enemy, the band squeezes down, constricting the victim (or target object).<p>Constricted enemies are immediately reduced to a stunned/damaged state (low-level humans are killed). Constrictable objects can be turned using the constrict ability - e.g., a gear can be turned; a sundial rotated; a lens turned to point a specific direction. Constrictable objects can be rotated clockwise or counter-clockwise, depending on the direction Raziel runs when he constricts them.</p>|Steve Starvis (Eidos)<ref>November 24, 2001 snapshot of [http://web.archive.org/web/20011124051405/http://www.absolute-playstation.com/display_old_tip.php?tgam=716&s=2 Soul Reaver Playstation (PSone) Cheat Codes in ABSOLUTE PLAYSTATION ( PSX, PS, PS1 ) - Soul Reaver] at ABSOLUTE PLAYSTATION</ref>}}
 ==Notes==
 [[File:SR2-DebugMenu-Abilities.PNG|thumb|Constrict activated as part of the ''Soul Reaver 2'' debug menu - with no effect]]
-*Constrict is notably named using two different variants of the same term. The US manual refers to the ability as '''''"Constricting"'''''.{{Ref|SR1-Manual-US}} In contrast the UK manual and Prima guide refer to the ability as '''''"Constrict"'''''.{{Ref|SR1-Manual-UK}}{{Ref|SR1-Prima}} An in game prompt seen in the [[Ruined City]] also uses '''''"Constrict"''''', as do [[Debug menus]].{{Ref|SR1}}{{Ref|SR1-C9}}
+*Constrict is notably named using two different variants of the same term. The US manual refers to the ability as '''''"Constricting"'''''.{{Ref|Soul Reaver manual (US)}} In contrast the UK manual and Prima guide refer to the ability as '''''"Constrict"'''''.{{Ref|Soul Reaver manual (UK)}}{{Ref|Soul Reaver strategy guide (Prima)}} An in game prompt seen in [[Ash Village]] also uses '''''"Constrict"''''', as do [[Debug menus]].{{Ref|Soul Reaver}}{{Ref|Soul Reaver/13}}
-*Whereas the other abilities Raziel gains are originally developed as part of the [[Pupating]] and [[Evolution]] of their patriarchs, the constrict ability is of unclear development.{{Ref|SR1}} Dumah's claims when facing Raziel, the [[Elder God]]'s description of the ability and the visual similarity to the '[[Draining Leash]]' used by [[Vampire wraiths]] suggest that the ability may have instead been a development of the wraith abilities Dumah gained through his extended stay in the [[Spectral Realm]].{{Ref|SR1}}{{Ref|SR1-C9}}
+*Whereas the other abilities Raziel gains are originally developed as part of the [[Pupating]] and [[Evolution]] of their patriarchs, the constrict ability is of unclear development.{{Ref|Soul Reaver}} Dumah's claims when facing Raziel, the [[Elder God]]'s description of the ability and the visual similarity to the '[[Draining Leash]]' used by [[Vampire wraiths]] suggest that the ability may have instead been a development of the wraith abilities Dumah gained through his extended stay in the [[Spectral Realm]].{{Ref|Soul Reaver}}{{Ref|Soul Reaver/13}}
+* in the ''[[Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver]] alpha'' Constrict is much more sensitive than its retail counterpart and this means that Raziel frequently leaves blue trail behind him - even when constrict is not being used or has not been gained.
-*Although it cannot usually be used through the course of the game, Constrict can be activated at any time through the use of cheats and [[Debug menus]]. These confirm that the ability has no effect on bosses.{{Ref|SR1}}
+*Although it cannot usually be used through the course of the game, Constrict can be activated at any time through the use of cheats and [[Debug menus]]. These confirm that the ability has no effect on bosses.{{Ref|Soul Reaver}}
 [[File:SR2-Fradley-Constrict-Sarafan.jpg|thumb|Constrict re-enabled in SR2]]
-*The constrict ability is not used in ''Soul Reaver 2'' onward where it is apparently superseded by Raziel's ability to manually [[Rotatable and movable objects|rotate objects]]. Though it does not appear directly, the ability was mentioned several times in pre-release interviews and materials, and is a part of the game code.{{Ref|SR2}}<ref name="EGM-ToBeKaintinued">'To Be Kaintinued', ''Electronic Gaming Magazine'', August 2000 (Issue 13.8) (by Crispin Boyer/[[Amy Hennig]]) ([http://forums.eu.square-enix.com/showthread.php?t=150374#ToBeKaintinued archived at the Square Enix Forums])</ref> As such, the ability is present in game files and appears in the [[Debug menus|debug menu]], where it is activated as part of normal gameplay but does not have any effects. It is perhaps probable that the controls of constrict were deemed overly awkward and replaced with a simpler rotational mechanism, while the behind the scenes code was maintained but disabled to prevent unforeseen issues resulting from its removal. Hacking can allow constrict to be enabled properly but it is arguably less useful than its predecessor due to the pace of combat.{{Ref|SR2}}
+*The constrict ability is not used in ''Soul Reaver 2'' onward where it is apparently superseded by Raziel's ability to manually [[Rotatable and movable objects|rotate objects]]. Though it does not appear directly, the ability was mentioned several times in pre-release interviews and materials, and is a part of the game code.{{Ref|Soul Reaver 2}}<ref name="EGM-ToBeKaintinued">'To Be Kaintinued', ''Electronic Gaming Magazine'', August 2000 (Issue 13.8) (by Crispin Boyer/[[Amy Hennig]]) ([http://forums.eu.square-enix.com/showthread.php?t=150374#ToBeKaintinued archived at the Square Enix Forums])</ref> As such, the ability is present in game files and appears in the [[Debug menus|debug menu]], where it is activated as part of normal gameplay but does not have any effects. It is perhaps probable that the controls of constrict were deemed overly awkward and replaced with a simpler rotational mechanism, while the behind the scenes code was maintained but disabled to prevent unforeseen issues resulting from its removal. Hacking can allow constrict to be enabled properly but it is arguably less useful than its predecessor due to the pace of combat.{{Ref|Soul Reaver 2}}
-==Appearances==
-*{{Icon|Soul Reaver}}''[[Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver]]''
 ==See also==