Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver

INTRODUCTION

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is a stunningly complex game that truly sought to stand out in the crowd, going the extra mile in development in numerous ways to ensure the quality on a game that, at the time, had no peer in its genre. It was well known in the game community that a unique, memorable game experience could be found in Soul Reaver, and the same is true even today despite the numerous advancements in technology since the game's release in 1999.

It is highly recommended that you watch the opening cinematic of Soul Reaver if you've never seen it before, as I will be referring to the content of the intro throughout this article. Also, the video gives an impressive glance at the atmosphere and intricate dialogue inherent in the entirety of the game.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver Opening Cinematic (3:28)

The Legacy of Kain series is regarded as having some of the best voice-acting ever in its video games, with every bit of dialogue masterfully voiced from beginning to end - a contribution that makes a significant impact on the game experience. The macabre story of Soul Reaver starts with the awakening of Raziel, a thousand years after his demise, and continues to spin a compelling, gothic tale of revenge, murder and conspiracy.

I'd like to start with a synopsis of the game, and afterwards split my analysis into three different sections: art design, game design, and music. Sometimes these interlap, as one could certainly expect them to. Indeed, one of the most satisfying things about Soul Reaver is how well they interlap. I am a big fan of the series, however for the sake of this article I shall keep exclusively to this game, so it may be analyzed as a whole, and not as a part of a whole. If there is interest I may do an analysis on the entire series, but Soul Reaver is such a well constructed work that it certainly deserves a look of its own.

SYNOPSIS

After the events of the opening cinematic, Raziel speaks with the being that saved him from oblivion, a being known only as the Elder God. He explains to Raziel how Kain's empire has not only demolished the land, but how it has locked the souls of the dead in the bodies of the vampires. He claims that the balance of life and death are gone, and because of this the world is poisoned. The Elder God makes it clear that he wants Raziel to be his agent, and has changed Raziel's existence to accomodate that. No longer a vampire, he now feeds on souls to sustain himself, and by doing so can return those souls to the wheel of fate, where the Elder God can guide those souls to fulfill their destinies. The Elder God seeks to restore balance and destroy Kain's empire, and uses Raziel's own desires for vengeance, and the promise of redemption, for doing so, calling on him to become his "soul reaver," his angel of death.

Not only does Raziel now feed on souls instead of blood, he finds that he is truly immortal, and can exist in both the world of spirits, called the Spectral Realm, and the physical world of Nosgoth without any problems. His wings, though incapable of flight, can still be used to ride wind currents and glide about, and his strength exceeds what he knew in his former existence. Though he changed much from what he was, he soon finds the world outside changed even more.



Kain and the Soul Reaver - Concept Art



Upon his return to Nosgoth, approximately 1,000 years after being thrown into the Lake of the Dead, he finds that Kain destroyed all of his descendants, an act that fills Raziel with even more bitterness and loneliness. Eventually he finds Kain, and in their battle the twisted tale truly begins to unfurl. Kain's weapon of choice, the Soul Reaver, was an immensely powerful weapon that did not merely kill, but would destroy his opponent's body and devour their soul (yes, the blade itself would devour its victim's soul). Kain gets an upper hand in the battle, but as he would use the Soul Reaver to destroy Raziel, the sword itself is destroyed the moment it makes contact. Kain seems suspiciously pleased by the event, and Raziel finds that the sword now exists as an immaterial blade, but still as powerful and deadly as ever. The Soul Reaver fuses into his right arm, and the Elder God states that their destinies are intertwined.

The story continues as Raziel seeks out Kain, killing his former brothers in their realms and exploring much of the vast, detailed world for information and the power to destroy Kain once and for all. Though Soul Reaver has a striking beginning and an engaging middle, it culminates to a sadly unsatisfying end. The designers sought to accomplish too much, and the project had to be cut short due to time constraints and insufficient funding. This was the most disappointing aspect of the game, and the series continued to suffer for it due to the designer's convoluted efforts to tie up the loose ends that appeared because of this game's rushed conclusion. After Raziel kills most of his brothers and tracks down Kain at last, a long conversation is had between the two where Kain declares his understanding that they are both pawns in a game they have no control over. That their futures are predestined, and that there is nothing either of them can do to change that fact. After a short battle, Kain flees into a time machine, beckoning Raziel to follow. Tentatively he does so, and in the blackness that follows we have a glimpse of the intricate web of conspiracy to come before the cast begins to roll up the screen.

Despite the cliffhanger ending, the profound effect that the story, voice acting, and atmosphere has on the player during the trip through the game is not substantially diminished. Interactions are poetic, be they the conversations between Raziel and his brothers, or the diverse and clever ways in which you can defeat your enemies. A recurring theme in the game is pitting the player against a variety of puzzles, be they to advance to the next area, to unlock unique powers, or to use cleverness to defeat incredibly powerful adversaries. These puzzles serve to immerse the player even further into the game, and with each victory comes a distinct sense of accomplishment that serves to spur the player on, to take on the even greater difficulties and feel increasingly more accomplished. The game works hard to maintain the suspension of disbelief in the player, and requiring him to focus even closer on the puzzles helps create a lasting impression for the player.

Although the story was ultimately unfulfilling when viewed as a single piece, the intricacies in gameplay and story still make the game enjoyable and exciting. The work put into the variety of puzzles and maintaining the player's suspension of disbelief helps put the player at the seat of the intrigue, making every encounter and every exploration that much more intriguing and memorable.

GAME ART

One of the most compelling things in the art design is definitely Raziel himself. He only spends a few moments as a handsome vampire before becoming an almost horrific blue-skinned wraith, but his new appearance does not gross people out. Rather, the design makes the character feel incredibly cool and unique, and the amazing amount of detail put into every single movement and expression really brings him to life, helping in the suspension of disbelief. His fluid movements and impressive maneuvers, coupled with the tight and responsive controls, really puts the player in Raziel's role.

Also, every vampire lieutenant's domain has a unique feel to it, all having been meticulously crafted around the theme of the brother to whom the domain belongs. The lead art designer for Soul Reaver, Arnold Ayala, was responsible for supervising the art team and created most of the concept art for the game. His portfolio-blog contains a lot of high-resolution images that he created for the development of Soul Reaver, and clearly shows the incredible amount of detail that went into the title. The efforts he made in character design, monster design, textures and atmosphere are very impressive, but not uncommon. A lot of preparation is done before any game goes into development - ideas are constantly editted and modified until a clear vision on the project as a whole is established. The art is used to connect the other creative departments, as a kind of visual brainstorm, until all the pieces that have been built upon come together to finish the product. If this is something that interests you, I highly recommend you take a look through the link above and see all the details that go into building the game, even if they don't make it to the final product itself.

I mentioned the Spectral Realm earlier, but I'd like to expand on it, as I believe it's one of the most original and fascinating things about Soul Reaver, and its inclusion in the game makes a resounding impact with its artistic flavor. The Spectral Realm is a spirit world that exists right alongside Nosgoth, but as a realm that is merely a shadow of the material world, it has a unique set of laws that make traversing the plane notably different. Although the Spectral Realm was most notably used for gameplay and puzzles, the fascinating part of it was how the designers always portrayed it as a twisted version of reality. A lot of times in the game, things in the physical world would have an obvious and strong influence, and when one would venture into the Spectral Realm the player would see the effect that influence had on the actual landscape, or on the creatures that live in it. The co-existent world was rarely designed without the intention to show the relationship between the two realms, which consequently helped make Nosgoth feel more "real," adding a great depth to the player's ability to suspend disbelief.

Take this screenshot for example. Not far into the game, Raziel finds his way to a cathedral with enormous pipes for an organ that was once used by humans to fight against the vampires. The humans in it were defeated by Raziel's brother Zephon long before the day he ventures into it, and has become the home of that brother and his brood. However, it seems that in this area there is no apparent way forward, as this part of the cathedral is mostly closed off. Zephon's kin have no problem navigating, as they have evolved into a sort of spider-hybrid creature, but what is Raziel to do?

By venturing into Spectral Realm, Raziel finds that many of the organ's pipes, all having spent ages far from the intentions of their original creator's, are severely warped. By traveling up these pipes he can progress to the next area, fight more vampires and solve more puzzles all the way to his next confrontation, which will expand on the story and give Raziel a new power with which to progress through the game further. I find it fascinating though how much the game gives if one is willing to look deeper into it than writing it off as a "Point A to Point B" decision. The powerful weapon that humans once used to battle the vampires has become the home to a legion of vampires itself, and as such those powerful organ tubes are twisted and malformed in purpose. Twisted in purpose, and twisted in the realm of spirits, where those negative energies can exert themselves in an almost-physical way.

Though you may think I'm going too far in this example, the cathedral is actually only one of many places where the relationship between the material and Spectral realms can be rationalized to add a deeper level of appreciation for the world of the game as a whole. One of the most beautiful things about art is that it leaves itself open to interpretation, and situations like these in the game are no exception.

GAME DESIGN

Soul Reaver was one of the first games to do away with the idea of "Game Over." There was no way for Raziel to fail his mission - if he took too many injuries in the material world, his corporeal body would fade away and he would move into the Spectral Realm, where he could gather his strength and return refreshed into the world of the living. And if he lost in a battle against one of the numerous other soul-eating monsters of the Spectral Realm, his essence would scatter, only to be returned to the womb of his rebirth at the bottom of the Lake of the Dead.

This added a different level to the game experience by keeping players in the role of Raziel, no matter what mistakes the player may make. This allowed for easier suspension of disbelief, which in turn led to a deeper immersion into Raziel's role. Also, the flexibility of being able to use what might appear to be ornaments as polearms showed Raziel as being resourceful, and the interaction allowed even easier suspension of disbelief. If you left a weapon in a certain spot, then ventured through many different areas before coming back, the weapon would still be exactly where you left it. This consistency was usually unheard of in a game, and while stunning at first to the player, they would eventually come to rely on this for strategic purposes. Another one of the highly praised aspects of the game was that it was devoid of "Load Times," moments where the game would pause so that information may be loaded from the disc, such as when the player would enter a new area. The game did this loading fluidly for the sake of uninterrupted gameplay which, again, allows the player greater immersion. Much like how a good essay, movie, or novel requires the creator to capture its audience, Soul Reaver was engineered in such a way to hardly let them go.

Concept art that captures the feeling

There are also many little things in Nosgoth that subtly add flavor to the world, like the interactions that occur between Raziel and the surviving humans of the world that, while unexplained in dialogue, demonstrate a relationship that is unmistakable and striking - when Raziel first encounters humans near their fortified city, it would be after he has already killed many vampires, and also three of his brethren. Even without the player being fully aware, his actions have made him known to the humans, and when they meet him he is praised and worshiped as a savior. If Raziel chooses to walk amongst the people, they silently drop to their knees and throw their hands up as he approaches. The player could even choose to drink their souls should he choose, but if he kills a few too many of them, they will perceive him as a threat (and rightfully so!). This degree of interaction, the many secret areas Raziel can explore for bonuses, and the incredible narration and dialogue really bring about a relationship with Raziel and Nosgoth that does not leave a player wanting.

Another thing about the game design that differentiates Soul Reaver from many before it was that Raziel's targets, his brothers, were far too powerful for him to kill by merely inflicting damage from his weapon, be it the immensely powerful Soul Reaver or not. In order to kill them, one had to use the environment and find a way that did not consist of simple, brute force. The way you had to kill your brothers was one of the many ways puzzles had a strong influence on the gameplay. Another, very memorable and very common type of puzzle in the game was the Block Puzzle. Actually, the artist Mark Marianelli made a post on his blog where he wrote about Soul Reaver and drew a humorous picture illustrating the immense amount of block moving Raziel endured throughout his adventure.

The Block Puzzles were a fun challenge, utilizing all 3 dimensions and certain tricks in order to get blocks in just the right place. Also, there are times throughout the game where you have to periodically fight off enemies while trying to arrange the blocks in just the right order, which added to the intensity. The game often required the player to think before acting, which is a method of allowing the player to feel fulfilled with his accomplishments, and one of the things unique to video games as a whole. Eliciting a sense of accomplishment from players is something that many designers strive to achieve, but is not something easily accomplished. There are no rules that clearly list everything that needs to be done to make a game fun and challenging; it truly requires a bit of art to be done properly. The design of the game's challenge is important because there are no clear rules, and as technology grows and changes what is considered to be thoughtful, unique and challenging changes also. Much like how art goes through movements, game design goes through movements, learning from successes and failures to improve the way it reaches out to those that interact with it.

MUSIC

Promotional Art



In this interview with director Amy Hennig, composer Kurt Harland, and sound engineer Jim Heges, a lot of very interesting information is divulged regarding just how much the sound department worked to make the impact of Soul Reaver different. Most games have tracks that start and stop in predictable ways - intro music, stage music, battle music, dramatic music, tension music, etcetera. It's not hard to tell, if you were to play Soul Reaver without any knowledge before hand of the creative work that went into designing the new infrastructure for music, that the game is vastly different in this aspect. Each region has its own music, based around the theme of the vampire who reigns over it, but the tracks are unintrusive and ambient, setting a stage for what's to come. The single, sublime track repeats indefinitely over the course of the region until signals are sent to the program to adjust tempo or add channels for complexity, all in response to what's happening to Raziel in game, at the moment those things occur. When those situations, such as a battle, swimming, or nearby danger are resolved, the signals fade and the original track once again plays. That kind of immersive aspect was hertofore unseen in a game.

There was a lot of work put into the soundtrack and the sound effects, and all of that work was an effort to create a unique experience for the player that immerses him or her further into the world. It was a labor of love to make something real what Jim Hedges had long before dreamed of making a reality. It was his use of science (MIDI format scripting) and art (the movements of music) that he used to create a unique design for music in the gothic, nigh-apocalyptic world of Soul Reaver. This artistic vision and realization makes a distinct impact on the playing and enjoyment of the game, and is clearly an example of creativity and art coming together to build something unique and memorable, despite being so subtle many players may not conciounsly notice it. Even so, the design makes a significant impact on the game experience.

FINAL NOTES & ADDITIONAL READINGS

Thank you for reading. As I am more familiar with the format I will be using to write about video games, I hope that these blogs will be posted with more frequency. You may notice, near the top of the page, where it says "Reviews and Analyses on Artistic Games for People Who Will Never Play Them." This is my focus, but I believe that even people who have played or want to play the game have something to gain from reading a review where a game is reviewed for artistic content. Kind of like a "Making Of," but more narrow in purpose.

In my research I found a few other links that may be of interest to some of you, and while there was no place to mention them in the article, I feel that they are deserving of a look if the subject matter is of interest. Firstly, the article titled The Impact of Literature on Gaming from 1UP.com provides some keen insights on the matter, and shows many ways how the two formats of entertainment and culture don't differ very much. I highly recommend you read it (or at least bookmark it for later reading), as it is very well written and makes very strong points as to the history of literature and the strong bond it shares with video games.

In addition to the blog of Arnold Ayala that I mentioned above, here is a link to Daniel Cabuco's Website, who was another artist very involved in the Soul Reaver project. Though not as robust as the lead artist's, his notes on various pictures show a bit of insight into the development and artistic process. There is not much to see, but it is interesting in its own merit.

The fan website Nosgothic Realm contains full written transcripts, concept art, downloads and many other bits for Soul Reaver and all the other games in the Legacy of Kain series. If you found the review interesting, and would be compelled to see the game in its entirety were it not for the fact that you'd have to actually play it, the website's transcripts, images and other links provide a great way to experience more of it. This website also provides a full transcript, along with other notes and a substantial amount of images. These can be read in a short period of time, and while nowhere near the same experience as playing the game yourself, they are certainly a good place to start if you're like to see a bit more on the game. Soul Reaver 2 picks up right where Soul Reaver 1 left off, so if your curiousity gets the better of you, the entire continuation is only a click away.

Again I thank you for reading, and I look forward to any comments and critiques you may have. If you know any people who know little about games, but understand and appreciate art and/or hard work, and think this article would be good for them to read, please let them know about it! I would love if more people came to appreciate games, and truly understand that there's a lot more to them than a way to waste time in front of a television screen.

Oh, and please take a moment to click on the poll below. Thanks, see you next time!