I'm so happy that the remasters are 100% faithful in terms of story, characters, dialogue, voice acting and they just updated the graphics. This is how true remakes and remasters should be. Hopefully it will do well so we will get the Blood Omens and Defiance next. I NEED Defiance on my PS5.
I flip flop on the voices. I wonder if they should have got new actors and given you the option to switch to the originals like they let you do with the graphics That way they can guard fan response and if they do more they already have the actors lined up
@@georgehouliaras7239 but the problem is many of the prominent actors have passed so they will have to be replaced if the series actually carries on Tony Jay is gone and he is the central villain so you definitely need the Elder God Vorador is also very important This is why I feel it might be better to do it now to get people used to it
"Let's drop the moral posturing shall we? We both know there is no altruism in this pursuit, your reckless indignation brought you here; I counted on it! There's no shame in it Raziel, revenge is motivation enough; at least it's honest. Hate me, but do it honestly." Honesty is the best policy.
this truth business makes kain unfit for politics. Which is odd considering he's an emperor. of backstabbing clans. What, he's not a part of his own culture? Like he wasn't setting an example well enough for them to follow the ways of poppa, or the whole truth thing wasn't the face he put on for them. They were the brats, let them be spoiled....because they were spoiled and doomed from birth. Raziel is the hope for something better; raise him right with fatherly moralizing about how moral posturing is silly, but then insist on the moral of truthful actions. Odd mixture. Honesty born of just being tired of manipulative deception so you make yourself so powerful you no longer need to lie like all the other shadow creatures. These pillars are a spin free zone.
With regards to power and the freedom to be honest. I think Nitche in 'Beyond Good and Evil' said something like: True freedom is ability to stretch yourself out in all directions and face no resistance. @larrymcmacarroon9529
So true; his baritone voice is just so iconic; I also enjoyed his voice as Judge Lord Forto in Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame and Megabyte in Reboot =)
I will say the lipsync in both Soul Reaver and Defiance is one of the reasons I speak english now....I remember learning the dialogues and repeating them over and over!!! What an achievement that was back in the day!!!
@@MrEpz4321 in your opinion. Don’t buy then. I, personally, who live in my childhood, have enjoyed almost every remaster I’ve played, and that seems to be all I buy. No risk like a new game. I know this game is good, now it just looks better and plays on my current gen system!
I hope they're still working on some tweaks. If you look at the trailer you'll see that the effects for the wraithblade were still identical to the original ones in 1 and 2.
@@MrEpz4321 Depends whos remastering, some people don't care to faithfully commit to a game's vision and alter things to fit their own agendas or whatever bs
Kain still hasn't atoned for the vampires' greatest betrayal, their war against the Hylden. The Hylden knew the Elder God was an unnatural parasite and the vampires banished them. If Kain really wants to restore Nosgoth, he's going to have to make peace with the Hylden and work together to defeat the Elder God.
It's almost poetic that after manipulating practically everything throughout the entire LoK timeline, Mobeus had been manipulated himself from the very beginning.
And that Kain showed how for all his utilitarianism, he did love Raziel as if he was something like a son. The man who doomed the world because of his masters, redeemed it for his apprentices. I wonder if that's what I'll see in the "Naruto" fic "The Daemon of Pain". Nagato already rejected Obito/Madara. That's a start.
@@MagnosummitI'm honestly surprised I got that comment. "Naruto" is pretty popular, not to mention pretty deep in exploring human relationships and world politics.
@@JabamiLainNaruto is pretty popular for 2000 youngster shonen brats like you. Berserk is where my days are not fucking shonen over the top analyzing over explaination between two ninja trying to kill each other. I watched Naruto back in the day and I still loath shonens. So again dont compare masterpiece of LoK series with shonen garbage thank you.
I said it before, but man you are magician. You keep squeezing stone to get water, and produce more inside in the game. The biggest strength is your writing of narrative.
You’re single handedly keeping the community alive. Thank you for your channel and all the LoK videos you produce! This game series is such a major part of my youth, and therefore my life, and it’s bittersweet to relive these memories. I hope a remaster comes one day. I don’t care how much they cost, it’ll be worth it.
Around four minutes in the video mentions that Ariel had deceived Kain. But I remember her telling him, straight up: "There is no cure for death, only release."
I can't wait to play through the Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1&2 - Remastered soon! I'll probably go back to your older videos to catch up on the lore, etc.
@@VendettaActivist agreed it would need a remake or reboot sense too much of what it did is hard to fit into the full narrative like vorador and the eternal prison
Given all of the betrayal and manipulations in Nosgoth, is it any wonder 'hope' is such a bitter and terrible illusion? Thanks for another breakdown Strictly! Looking forward to your future videos concerning the LoK visual novel as well as a review of the Remastered Soul Reaver 1 and 2 =)
I like to rewatch the entire series in no commentary lets plays every now and then because the writing and voice acting was on a different level. In rewatching Soul Reaver you can kind of see the foreshadowing that Kain wasn't so much jealous of Raziel, but knew prophecy was coming to pass and he had to act accordingly for that coin of his to land on its edge. In the scene where he says to "toss him in" you can almost see the grim resolve and reluctance. Games were made different back in the day.
Your channel is gona get a lot mroe views bc of the remasters! So happy about that. I've watched all your LOK content. Happy to see newer stuff lately.
I believe kain wasn't actually jealous when he saw raziel's wings. You have to remember that kain was studying mobius the time streamer's time machine and prophecies. When he saw the wings, he knew what he had to do to set in motion the events that would lead to see his plans realized. Think of kain words at the first encounter and the final fight, think how he never displayed any jealousy for the rest of the game or later games. He was purposely leading raziel in a direction from the beginning.
I could just listen to you talk about Legacy Of Kain for days. You bring out the intrigue and highlight it for everyone, and on behalf of the Legion, we thank you.
A shame you didn't draw more attention to the long deception Moebius between the final meetings of him and Raziel in SR2, and then again in Defiance in Vorador's Mansion for this topic. The greatest deceit Moebius played on the wraith was the idea of his free will in the matter, which Moebius at first full throatedly denies, then later confirms to be legitimate. To lie so thoroughly for so long, and to such near catastrophic end is possibly the greatest deception in the whole series second only to the Elder's very existence. Still, fantastic vid as always!
Facts and sometimes from unlikely sources, those that claim to care for us and claim to be what we have been looking for, fooling everyone around us too.
Not reMAKES but reMASTERS. And only Soul Reaver remakes are coming. SR1 is my favorite out of the 5 games but the most deserving of any cosmetic treatment is undoubtedly Blood Omen 1 which could have an outright third person RPG reMAKE! And after that Blood Omen 2. Soul Reaver 1 always got by really well for being the most perfect artistic representation of the franchise even with the cut content which eventually got retroactive retcon explained especially since you could emulate the sharper Dreamcast version on PC, and Soul Reaver 2 was the closest to the Defiance level of graphics out of the remainders. Now SR1 and 2 get to look like Defiance meanwhile BO1 is a relative clunky chore to play, especially on modern hardware. All this not without a caviat either... They are releasing some new SR1 prequel comic with an ugly modernist lazy artstyle (like when Batman TAS got bad) and some forced female token NEW character of some sorts inside it for the non-existing modern audience which is a barely populated extremely loud micro-cult without money to pay even for their own pandering.
"Poor Whilliam..." Another amazing analysis video. To be honest, i hope that somehow these would never stop coming. I know it's not possible, you can only talk about one series so much, but i can still hope...
I love this so much. It's like that in the God of War Saga both Greek and Norse, that betrayal, deceit, manipulation, trust and corruption all festered as well as in the Game of Thrones.
@@JabamiLain It has never been confirmed or denied if that is still actually Athena in GOW3 or the god that was manipulating the downfall of the Olympians using her form to manipulate Kratos. Personally I am on the side of it not being Athena as no other god came back from the dead as a spirit unless some magic was being used like Zeus in Hel. Then again it looks like they dropped the chaos entity altogether as it has not shown up in the last two games.....so your side may actually be right at this point.
I believe we have you to thank for the remake's existence. I remember you first talking about it some time back. In some way, you are the arbiter-the herald of this series' revival. Excellent video as always.
Hey brother. Long tlme LOK fan. I just wanted to say how much I love your videos! I've fallen asleep listening to your LOK playlists many nights. Your breakdowns are 1000% spot on! Back in 2003 I posted my theory that LOK was based on ancient texts and I was ridiculed a bit so I just kept the gnosis to myself. Obviously I hadn't read kaballah, book of enoch, annunaki, etc etc until later but you are so tapped in to the lore! Thank you so much for all of the awesome content and breakdowns / character studies. Keep it up! And go deeper too! I think people are ready for it!!
The transition from the elder god playing benefactor and you his easily motivated attack dog in SR. To the skepticism of Raziel, and the stark change in the elder gods demeanor, and of course the mother of all red flags an alliance with Moebius. It was all so well realized.
The voice acting in this series will forever be my favorite, I reckon. The face animation were well ahead of it's time when Soul Reaver 2 was first released in 2001.
A truly awesome video as usual, highlighting an essential narrative aspect of the series as a whole. I always enjoy hearing your perspective on these topics; frequently an angle I hadn’t considered is highlighted. But I must also thank you specifically for bringing the fact that the remaster is coming out this December. Just over a month from my writing this. I hadn’t expected it for a year or more. Sometimes it’s nice being in this timeline
Thank you for taking the time to put these videos together. Love revisiting the legacy of kain series and these videos do a great job at igniting that fervor.
IM so happy i could cry, this game is finally getting more attention. yes!! My childhood, this game is my SOUL its such an important part of my life and memories.
While I will always champion your videos on the Legacy of Kain. I eagerly await your Elden Ring character series to continue. With Moag, Michalla, Rykard, & Melina at the top of my personal list. Also thank you for introducing people not only to the Legacy of Kain but the forgotten jewel that is the Legend of Dargoon.
Raziel on paper should be a character I absolutely detest with all my soul with how righteous and pompous he acts but Michael Bell just does such an amazing job at making him sound like someone I want to root for. That "setting my own path" speech would piss me off if said by anyone else. The themes of trust and betrayal the games tackle I connect to much more now than I did when I originally played the games a decade ago. I don't think I played the series since 2014 but I'm glad those remasters are coming out, just bummed no Defiance as of yet. But if Tomb Raider and the Angel of Darkness can get a remaster, it would be insane for Definace not to get one.
I wished we got an "Angel of Darkness" remake, and that they made it a trilogy, like they originally planned. For me, it was a flawed gem, but still a gem. And they should set it on the "Legends" trilogy timeline. If nothing else, so that we can get the Doppelganger back. ...I wonder if that game is the unconscious reason why I juxtaposition "Evangelion" and "Tomb Raider".
@@JabamiLain That game sounds like it needs a genuine remake than a remaster. Not even sure I will play it. Tomb Raider as a franchise seemed like it happened by accident.
Some stories capture our imaginations and stay with us long after we experience them. Their themes resonate with universal truths and profound emotions. These tales often explore complex characters grappling with difficult choices. The power of such narratives lies in their ability to transport us to other worlds. It is no wonder that they continue to be celebrated and revisited for generations.
With TheLoadingCrew back to doing D&D Alignment videos, a collab with them to analyze the alignments of Kain and Raziel would be just what you'd both need to boost views and subs.
Sun Tzu wrote in the Art of War that it's unwise to completely eradicate the enemy soldiers once their army was defeated. Instead, the bravest, most ferocious and most loyal enemy soldiers should be absorbed into your own ranks. As long as they're given an appropriate position, they'll fight for you just as loyally as they fought for their former commanders. Why? Because warriors only concern themselves with war, they don't actually care why they're fighting or for whom they fight. Kain knew that by resurrecting the Seraphan as his lieutenents that they'd serve him just as fanatically as they served the Circle of Nine.
Hey ! That was my mindset while playing "Infamous 2" ! I only spared the strongest enemies, in order to use them to build an army to use against the Beast That is, before I realized betraying them for Jonh was fairer, in the sense you got to fight back against all who helped manipulate you.
The vampire leiutenants did not know about their sarafan former lives though. And raziel was very upset when he found out he used to be sarafan. It's a major plot point in the series. So in this instance, if they knew they used to fight for the other side, they would have been very upset with knowing they now are fighting for the side they fought against while mortal men......
@@bxmully When Raziel told Rahab that they were Sarafan in their former life, Rahab simply replied "Does it matter?"... and Raziel, later in the series, resented the way he behaved as a Sarafan. And we saw the same thing in Blood Omen 2 when Kain's vampire generals willingly betrayed the vampires to serve the Hylden. It proves Sun Tzu's point: Warriors don't actually care why or for whom they fight, they only concern themselves with fighting.
You're completely right and wrong. Raziel did care. He took turns striking back against everyone who'd conscripted him. Elder's soul sucking party is poisoned due to Raziel sacrificing himself to improve the souls' standard of living, to strike back at China.
the LOK titles were the games that engraved the importance of truth onto me. Raziel was able to forgive Kain's deep betrayal because he sought out the truth behind it, as well as being able to sus out the elder god because he saw the truth behind the elder god's intent to push him so bad into trying to murder Kain. The games are the embodiment of the saying "The truth will set you free".
Great video, as always. I noticed one thing and would like your elaboration on it. You said it was no wonder Kain refused the sacrifice and despised deception and liars (4:17). But he was never really honest with his children either. He hid their origins from him, he allowed for them to quarrel to some extent while he (in my opinion) sought for the way out of the dilemma. We do not now for certain when he started to try to right the wrongs Nosgoth had suffered but I personally believe it was not after a millenium. As you said, he felt betrayed and wanted to find truth. That must have motivated him to find a way of flipping the coin on its side. I assume he learned about Raziel as a wraith at some point, using the chronoplast or listening to Ariel. And it was when Raziel stood before him with his wings he knew that his visions meant and what he had to do. That is my belief. What do you think?
Hey strictly Fantasy, there's a huge part of LOK that you haven't talked about that could make an interesting video. Vampirism as a whole. How the powers differ between Kain and his descendants. How he was barely bothered by the full power sun while the clans young can be killed by its weak polluted rays. How raziel's evolution of wings was a big deal about allowing him to get the areas other vampires couldn't, implying no one but Kain could shake shift. And how Kain, vorador, melchia, turel, rehab, dumah and zephon all evolved and theorizing why they evolved the way they did and what it says about them
This might sound weird, but stories like "Legacy of Kain" always gave me more hope for humanity than stories like "Kingdom Hearts". The latter actually drained some of my faith for a time.
@@doomd1816 don't get me wrong I do too. But ever since "KH 2", the story, aside from "BBS" and the mobile games, has been losing some of its former edge, with all the excessive forgiveness and free ressurections, the latter being confirmed to contradict much previously established lore.
@@JabamiLain I was agreeing with you. Soul Reaver is a man making a difference at all bleak odds. But Kingdom of hearts is all friends to save the world cliche in anime now in days.
I hope whenever the remaster comes out it’ll bring attention to the legacy of kain series and we get new games or at the very least blood omen remasters
my favorite game of all time is Blood Omen legacy of Kain and I'd like nothing more than to have a remake. That being said, JUSTICE FOR BLOOD OMEN 2!!!
I wonder if I might request a video. Would love to see you do one on the plot holes and confusing, never explained parts of these stories. Like how Kain somehow lives after the Heart of Darkness is removed, and how exactly the Soul Reaver cleanses Kain, and why isn't it their goal to release the Hylden if the Hylden are against the elder god? The series doesn't provide a clear, explicit explanation for why the Hylden isn't released when the pillars fall into ruin... Thank you for the intriguing entertainment
im so sad they're not remaking these games into one and expanding the combat system abit.. also the graphics leave alot to be desired.. it had so much potential..😣
Great Video as always! I feel that there is a Gap between Raziels attitute towards the EG between Soul reaver 1 and 2 since by the end of Soul reaver 1 Raziels still follows the advise of the EG then by their 1st encounter, in the past, in Soul reaver 2, He just flat out shows attitute towards EG while he's never showed doubt or any emotion towards EG before that point.. I just found it odd
For the most part, I think it's because Raziel found out about the Elder God's alliance with Moebius who has a massive repuation as a deceiver. Also you will notice that in Soul Reaver 1, the Elder God could speak to Raziel no matter where he was in Nosgoth, suggesting he had gotten so big that his body expanded across the size of a continent underground in that era. Raziel likely believed in the creature's power and omnipotence but by the time of their first meeting in Soul Reaver 2, Raziel can see he's a lot smaller and not as omipotent as the Elder had led Raziel to believe...
wait i just thought i something (doubt this could be truely a thing tho), so moebius had it set up so the vampire would all be extinct by sending kain back in time, its reasonable to assume that kain was supposed to sacrifice himself for the pillars to save nosgoth and kill off the vampire race, i just thought the dark entity is the hylden lord and the hylden are supposed to be immortal, sense we know that the soul reaver kain uses is the older raziel soul and he stabs the hylden lord at blood omen 2, could it be that the hylden lord was now apart of raziels soul and that both of them existing as a soul (technically) could have caused a paradox to occur and this stops kain from sacrificing himself (im sure this is not the case sense we do know the elder god and moebius tend to play the long game but i figured it could be some fun speculation sorry)
Hi. That was a fun trip. We meet hylden lord in other games still running around with his soul after this Dark Entity fight though (and maybe lots of souls if that's how he was overflowing with green energy.) So that was Mort's body you'd be collecting the soul of at Blood Omen's end, if Kain did that. And Blood Omen 2 can't be the cause of anything in Blood Omen 1 because omen2 didn't exist until this latest timeline, plus it comes after Omen1 chronologically. It is odd that elder had no scheme to make kain choose the sacrifice, and it would be nice to have some patch for that. so elder maybe didn't see Kain's refusal coming until Moe's paradox changed the timeline just before this? Moe's meddling made kain pissed enough to refuse in this new timeline. then Moe and Elder were like Damn! But they did contain the problem, Raziel did kill Kain in that new timeline. Just after 1000 year necro empire is all. Elder isn't a real god and had to wait on that. I'm also looking into timelines where other folks are shoved into the blade to take raziel's place, etc. It's a fine passtime. Did you have the two souls arm wrestling in the sword to cause the paradox? Soul friction. That's new.
@@larrymcmacarroon9529 yeah kinda why I figured it was just a long game plan, it makes some sense just cause as raziel is an immortal being and the hylden lord does state the demon realm does make them immortal as well I thought it could have some plusability, tho I'm sure it's just me grasping at straws, it just makes some sense to me just cause it feels wierd that the eldar god and moebius would allow the vampires to live again for so long, then because of a possible paradox that ends up making raziel they both then go oooo plan b time
I'm so happy that the remasters are 100% faithful in terms of story, characters, dialogue, voice acting and they just updated the graphics. This is how true remakes and remasters should be. Hopefully it will do well so we will get the Blood Omens and Defiance next. I NEED Defiance on my PS5.
I flip flop on the voices. I wonder if they should have got new actors and given you the option to switch to the originals like they let you do with the graphics
That way they can guard fan response and if they do more they already have the actors lined up
@@billmcdermott9647 Absolutely not. Resident Evil did that and the new actor for Leon, Claire, Jill and Ada are complete garbage.
I NEED DEFIANCE ON MY PS5 TOO!!!!
I preordered it,would be nice if they would add some of the deleted content in to the game
@@georgehouliaras7239 but the problem is many of the prominent actors have passed so they will have to be replaced if the series actually carries on
Tony Jay is gone and he is the central villain so you definitely need the Elder God
Vorador is also very important
This is why I feel it might be better to do it now to get people used to it
"Let's drop the moral posturing shall we? We both know there is no altruism in this pursuit, your reckless indignation brought you here; I counted on it! There's no shame in it Raziel, revenge is motivation enough; at least it's honest. Hate me, but do it honestly." Honesty is the best policy.
Kain is Deified!😊
This is legit something I want to see politicians say to each other when.
this truth business makes kain unfit for politics. Which is odd considering he's an emperor. of backstabbing clans. What, he's not a part of his own culture? Like he wasn't setting an example well enough for them to follow the ways of poppa, or the whole truth thing wasn't the face he put on for them. They were the brats, let them be spoiled....because they were spoiled and doomed from birth. Raziel is the hope for something better; raise him right with fatherly moralizing about how moral posturing is silly, but then insist on the moral of truthful actions. Odd mixture. Honesty born of just being tired of manipulative deception so you make yourself so powerful you no longer need to lie like all the other shadow creatures. These pillars are a spin free zone.
@@larrymcmacarroon9529 Nicely said!
With regards to power and the freedom to be honest. I think Nitche in 'Beyond Good and Evil' said something like: True freedom is ability to stretch yourself out in all directions and face no resistance. @larrymcmacarroon9529
R.I.P. Tony Jay a most booming voice that captured emptiness. That game series raised the bar on voice acting in gaming imo.
An awesome individual indeed!
Tony Jay, Simon Templemen and Michael Bell are my top 3 favorite VAs of all time.
We lost Janos and Vorador too :c
CALL YOUR DOGS! THEY CAN FEAST ON YOUR CORPSES!
That man’s voice was epic. Loved him as the Elder God and Claude Frollo. Good voice to imagine when writing.
So true; his baritone voice is just so iconic; I also enjoyed his voice as Judge Lord Forto in Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame and Megabyte in Reboot =)
I will say the lipsync in both Soul Reaver and Defiance is one of the reasons I speak english now....I remember learning the dialogues and repeating them over and over!!! What an achievement that was back in the day!!!
Simom Templeman and his role as Kain surely helped me to learn English.
Can't wait for the remaster. It can't come soon enough!
Just glad we found out 2 months before instead of 1 year or more! That would be absolute torture! 😂
Remasters are usually shit.
@@MrEpz4321 in your opinion. Don’t buy then. I, personally, who live in my childhood, have enjoyed almost every remaster I’ve played, and that seems to be all I buy. No risk like a new game. I know this game is good, now it just looks better and plays on my current gen system!
I hope they're still working on some tweaks. If you look at the trailer you'll see that the effects for the wraithblade were still identical to the original ones in 1 and 2.
@@MrEpz4321 Depends whos remastering, some people don't care to faithfully commit to a game's vision and alter things to fit their own agendas or whatever bs
Kain still hasn't atoned for the vampires' greatest betrayal, their war against the Hylden. The Hylden knew the Elder God was an unnatural parasite and the vampires banished them. If Kain really wants to restore Nosgoth, he's going to have to make peace with the Hylden and work together to defeat the Elder God.
We would have gotten that if the series hadn't been cancelled.
@@JabamiLainYup. That saddest thing that it was actually somewhat the plan for Kain's next adventure
@@KingOfMadCows once fucked some things cannot be unfucked
Aren't they corrupted beyond redemption after their banishment?
@@stevenotto1456 yea. And Kain lost the ability to alter the timestream
It's almost poetic that after manipulating practically everything throughout the entire LoK timeline, Mobeus had been manipulated himself from the very beginning.
And that Kain showed how for all his utilitarianism, he did love Raziel as if he was something like a son. The man who doomed the world because of his masters, redeemed it for his apprentices.
I wonder if that's what I'll see in the "Naruto" fic "The Daemon of Pain". Nagato already rejected Obito/Madara. That's a start.
@@JabamiLainDont bring shonen naruto bullshit in Legacy of Kain. Stop tainting it whelp!
@@JabamiLain don't worry about that other comment. Fine to draw analogies between different series and games... Enjoy!
@@MagnosummitI'm honestly surprised I got that comment. "Naruto" is pretty popular, not to mention pretty deep in exploring human relationships and world politics.
@@JabamiLainNaruto is pretty popular for 2000 youngster shonen brats like you. Berserk is where my days are not fucking shonen over the top analyzing over explaination between two ninja trying to kill each other. I watched Naruto back in the day and I still loath shonens. So again dont compare masterpiece of LoK series with shonen garbage thank you.
I always welcome some more legacy of kain content. Especially this new resurgence because of the remasters.
It’s been just us for so long. New fans brings both good and bad things but I still welcome them all.
I agree with you. But more fans means more popularity and a better chance for further remasters.
@@IfYouInsistas do I.
I said it before, but man you are magician. You keep squeezing stone to get water, and produce more inside in the game. The biggest strength is your writing of narrative.
Strictly Fantasy, there are no words to describe your contribution and devotion to this franchise's lore. On behalf of all of us, thank you!!
You’re single handedly keeping the community alive. Thank you for your channel and all the LoK videos you produce! This game series is such a major part of my youth, and therefore my life, and it’s bittersweet to relive these memories. I hope a remaster comes one day. I don’t care how much they cost, it’ll be worth it.
RainaAudron???????????????
Around four minutes in the video mentions that Ariel had deceived Kain. But I remember her telling him, straight up: "There is no cure for death, only release."
Blood Omen 2 was one of my Fav Games as a Kid.
After years of hoping for a remaster of the franchise its finally happening! I cannot wait to be able to play through it all over again!! 👏🙌
Right!? In my top 3 stories of all times. Never believed for a second that it would ever get touched again!
I can't wait to play through the Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1&2 - Remastered soon!
I'll probably go back to your older videos to catch up on the lore, etc.
me too.
@@melanieschmidt673 same, never got a chance to play them as i never had a ps1/ps2 so can finally play it for myself
Wish they would remaster Blood Omen
@erictorres8496
Definitely, but I feel a remake would work better if done correctly.
@@VendettaActivist agreed it would need a remake or reboot sense too much of what it did is hard to fit into the full narrative like vorador and the eternal prison
I am a simple man I see a legacy of kain contents? I click faster than the light! Thank you so much
Given all of the betrayal and manipulations in Nosgoth, is it any wonder 'hope' is such a bitter and terrible illusion?
Thanks for another breakdown Strictly! Looking forward to your future videos concerning the LoK visual novel as well as a review of the Remastered Soul Reaver 1 and 2 =)
I'm pumped for the remasters. Just caught onto your content and started binging it all. All great work!
Welcome aboard! Glad you're enjoying them :)
I like to rewatch the entire series in no commentary lets plays every now and then because the writing and voice acting was on a different level. In rewatching Soul Reaver you can kind of see the foreshadowing that Kain wasn't so much jealous of Raziel, but knew prophecy was coming to pass and he had to act accordingly for that coin of his to land on its edge. In the scene where he says to "toss him in" you can almost see the grim resolve and reluctance. Games were made different back in the day.
Your channel is gona get a lot mroe views bc of the remasters!
So happy about that.
I've watched all your LOK content. Happy to see newer stuff lately.
I'm so happy they remastering the games now all we need is defiance please keep up the good videos up we need you now more than ever🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤
What a great time for you to make more videos with the up coming remasters coming out, hope you do some videos on your thoughts of it
Maybe if the Soul Reaver remaster does well, They might then do some honest remakes of Blood Omen 1 & 2, maybe fix the story of 2 as well.
That would be awesome! Fingers crossed
Mate I got hyped as hell as soon as I saw that you posted a new Video. Legend
I believe kain wasn't actually jealous when he saw raziel's wings. You have to remember that kain was studying mobius the time streamer's time machine and prophecies. When he saw the wings, he knew what he had to do to set in motion the events that would lead to see his plans realized.
Think of kain words at the first encounter and the final fight, think how he never displayed any jealousy for the rest of the game or later games. He was purposely leading raziel in a direction from the beginning.
I have been waiting for a nee LOK video! Happy to see an upload
I could just listen to you talk about Legacy Of Kain for days. You bring out the intrigue and highlight it for everyone, and on behalf of the Legion, we thank you.
A shame you didn't draw more attention to the long deception Moebius between the final meetings of him and Raziel in SR2, and then again in Defiance in Vorador's Mansion for this topic. The greatest deceit Moebius played on the wraith was the idea of his free will in the matter, which Moebius at first full throatedly denies, then later confirms to be legitimate. To lie so thoroughly for so long, and to such near catastrophic end is possibly the greatest deception in the whole series second only to the Elder's very existence.
Still, fantastic vid as always!
Manipulation comes in different forms and in the least expected time, when we're at the peak of our lives or when we're at the bottom of it.
Facts and sometimes from unlikely sources, those that claim to care for us and claim to be what we have been looking for, fooling everyone around us too.
Hope to see your channel grow with the new wave of fans being introduced to the game
Remake is coming booooyyyys
I am hopeful. This game is almost as niche as "Nier/Drakengard". And those remain on top.
@waldirnacarath At last...
Not reMAKES but reMASTERS. And only Soul Reaver remakes are coming.
SR1 is my favorite out of the 5 games but the most deserving of any cosmetic treatment is undoubtedly Blood Omen 1 which could have an outright third person RPG reMAKE!
And after that Blood Omen 2.
Soul Reaver 1 always got by really well for being the most perfect artistic representation of the franchise even with the cut content which eventually got retroactive retcon explained especially since you could emulate the sharper Dreamcast version on PC, and Soul Reaver 2 was the closest to the Defiance level of graphics out of the remainders.
Now SR1 and 2 get to look like Defiance meanwhile BO1 is a relative clunky chore to play, especially on modern hardware.
All this not without a caviat either...
They are releasing some new SR1 prequel comic with an ugly modernist lazy artstyle (like when Batman TAS got bad) and some forced female token NEW character of some sorts inside it for the non-existing modern audience which is a barely populated extremely loud micro-cult without money to pay even for their own pandering.
"Poor Whilliam..."
Another amazing analysis video. To be honest, i hope that somehow these would never stop coming. I know it's not possible, you can only talk about one series so much, but i can still hope...
I love this so much. It's like that in the God of War Saga both Greek and Norse, that betrayal, deceit, manipulation, trust and corruption all festered as well as in the Game of Thrones.
There's one crucial difference. Kain genuinely does care for Raziel, in spite of all his manipulations.
Athena became no better than Ares.
LoK and GoT have something else in common. They will both remain unfinished.
@@JabamiLain It has never been confirmed or denied if that is still actually Athena in GOW3 or the god that was manipulating the downfall of the Olympians using her form to manipulate Kratos. Personally I am on the side of it not being Athena as no other god came back from the dead as a spirit unless some magic was being used like Zeus in Hel. Then again it looks like they dropped the chaos entity altogether as it has not shown up in the last two games.....so your side may actually be right at this point.
@@thorinhannahs4614 On that note, I agree.
@@JabamiLain Oh not just both Athena and Ares, but Zeus and Odin as well.
Many thanks for another spectacular video your channel is absolutely epic!!!!!🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
I’m a simple mortal being, see new LoK vid drops and all is good in Nosgoth
Thank you for making so much LoK content.
And thank you for a making a Legacy of Kain movie :) Lets hope the future is bright for this series 🤞
I believe we have you to thank for the remake's existence. I remember you first talking about it some time back. In some way, you are the arbiter-the herald of this series' revival. Excellent video as always.
Hey brother. Long tlme LOK fan. I just wanted to say how much I love your videos! I've fallen asleep listening to your LOK playlists many nights. Your breakdowns are 1000% spot on! Back in 2003 I posted my theory that LOK was based on ancient texts and I was ridiculed a bit so I just kept the gnosis to myself. Obviously I hadn't read kaballah, book of enoch, annunaki, etc etc until later but you are so tapped in to the lore! Thank you so much for all of the awesome content and breakdowns / character studies. Keep it up! And go deeper too! I think people are ready for it!!
The transition from the elder god playing benefactor and you his easily motivated attack dog in SR. To the skepticism of Raziel, and the stark change in the elder gods demeanor, and of course the mother of all red flags an alliance with Moebius. It was all so well realized.
Damn, the animation in the Soul Reaver 2 cutscenes is still amazing after all this time
These videos are always a treat!
Magnificent Thumbnail Godspeed.
the voice acting and the face animation in these games, are out standing.
The voice acting in this series will forever be my favorite, I reckon. The face animation were well ahead of it's time when Soul Reaver 2 was first released in 2001.
A truly awesome video as usual, highlighting an essential narrative aspect of the series as a whole. I always enjoy hearing your perspective on these topics; frequently an angle I hadn’t considered is highlighted.
But I must also thank you specifically for bringing the fact that the remaster is coming out this December. Just over a month from my writing this. I hadn’t expected it for a year or more.
Sometimes it’s nice being in this timeline
I love the deep dives in Legacy Of Kain series they're absolutely amazing & intriguing thanks for keeping it alive.
This story is a cornerstone of my life. Soul Reaver is such an amazing tale.
Thank you for taking the time to put these videos together. Love revisiting the legacy of kain series and these videos do a great job at igniting that fervor.
Oooh, I had no idea the Sould Reaver games were going to get a remaster! I'm so looking forward to that!
A new comic as well.
IM so happy i could cry, this game is finally getting more attention. yes!! My childhood, this game is my SOUL its such an important part of my life and memories.
Finally dreams of the remasters answered 🎉 my favourite quote “Kain’s parasitic empire”
Whenever I see anything about LOK from this channel, I give a like before watching, because I know it will be worth watching
While I will always champion your videos on the Legacy of Kain. I eagerly await your Elden Ring character series to continue. With Moag, Michalla, Rykard, & Melina at the top of my personal list. Also thank you for introducing people not only to the Legacy of Kain but the forgotten jewel that is the Legend of Dargoon.
Love your videos man, listened so them on long trips around the country. I can't believe a game from PS1 era has such depth of writing and themes.
The dialogue on these games has always been top notch.
Christmas can't come soon enough.
One of the favorite stories with philosophical themes (alongside MGS and earlier AC series)
The finest voice acting in video game history
Miss your videos!!!! I always learn new things that i missed or makes me think of things in a different perspective
Brilliant as always man! Love everything you put up.
pre-ordered it and have it in my library cant wait to play these again.
Raziel on paper should be a character I absolutely detest with all my soul with how righteous and pompous he acts but Michael Bell just does such an amazing job at making him sound like someone I want to root for. That "setting my own path" speech would piss me off if said by anyone else. The themes of trust and betrayal the games tackle I connect to much more now than I did when I originally played the games a decade ago. I don't think I played the series since 2014 but I'm glad those remasters are coming out, just bummed no Defiance as of yet. But if Tomb Raider and the Angel of Darkness can get a remaster, it would be insane for Definace not to get one.
I wished we got an "Angel of Darkness" remake, and that they made it a trilogy, like they originally planned. For me, it was a flawed gem, but still a gem.
And they should set it on the "Legends" trilogy timeline. If nothing else, so that we can get the Doppelganger back.
...I wonder if that game is the unconscious reason why I juxtaposition "Evangelion" and "Tomb Raider".
@@JabamiLain
That game sounds like it needs a genuine remake than a remaster. Not even sure I will play it. Tomb Raider as a franchise seemed like it happened by accident.
Please Old Ones 🙏🏻 dare I push and wish for a Defiance remake tooooooooo😭😭🖤🖤what a gift to get these old gems back 🖤
F. YEAH we got another video! 😀
Some stories capture our imaginations and stay with us long after we experience them. Their themes resonate with universal truths and profound emotions. These tales often explore complex characters grappling with difficult choices. The power of such narratives lies in their ability to transport us to other worlds. It is no wonder that they continue to be celebrated and revisited for generations.
I CAN’T WAIT! …. This has been MY FAVORITE GAME SINCE DAY ONE.
This channel will have so much content when the remaster comes.
With TheLoadingCrew back to doing D&D Alignment videos, a collab with them to analyze the alignments of Kain and Raziel would be just what you'd both need to boost views and subs.
Amazing video as always, you make the lore of this amazing game clear like vaati for ds.
Thank you for yet another insightful video!
Sun Tzu wrote in the Art of War that it's unwise to completely eradicate the enemy soldiers once their army was defeated. Instead, the bravest, most ferocious and most loyal enemy soldiers should be absorbed into your own ranks. As long as they're given an appropriate position, they'll fight for you just as loyally as they fought for their former commanders. Why? Because warriors only concern themselves with war, they don't actually care why they're fighting or for whom they fight. Kain knew that by resurrecting the Seraphan as his lieutenents that they'd serve him just as fanatically as they served the Circle of Nine.
Hey ! That was my mindset while playing "Infamous 2" ! I only spared the strongest enemies, in order to use them to build an army to use against the Beast
That is, before I realized betraying them for Jonh was fairer, in the sense you got to fight back against all who helped manipulate you.
The vampire leiutenants did not know about their sarafan former lives though. And raziel was very upset when he found out he used to be sarafan. It's a major plot point in the series.
So in this instance, if they knew they used to fight for the other side, they would have been very upset with knowing they now are fighting for the side they fought against while mortal men......
@@bxmully When Raziel told Rahab that they were Sarafan in their former life, Rahab simply replied "Does it matter?"... and Raziel, later in the series, resented the way he behaved as a Sarafan. And we saw the same thing in Blood Omen 2 when Kain's vampire generals willingly betrayed the vampires to serve the Hylden. It proves Sun Tzu's point: Warriors don't actually care why or for whom they fight, they only concern themselves with fighting.
You're completely right and wrong. Raziel did care. He took turns striking back against everyone who'd conscripted him. Elder's soul sucking party is poisoned due to Raziel sacrificing himself to improve the souls' standard of living, to strike back at China.
Cool ER panel. I hope the remaster rekindles the lore videos
Oh, so now I have to play as Raziel in Elden Ring. You've created this monster...
Congratulacions for your vídeo, its a Very good work, i miss The Soul Reaver franchise, you até The best!
the LOK titles were the games that engraved the importance of truth onto me. Raziel was able to forgive Kain's deep betrayal because he sought out the truth behind it, as well as being able to sus out the elder god because he saw the truth behind the elder god's intent to push him so bad into trying to murder Kain. The games are the embodiment of the saying "The truth will set you free".
I hope in the remasters all they do is upgrade the graphics, leave the script alone. it's perfect as it is.
Great video, as always. I noticed one thing and would like your elaboration on it. You said it was no wonder Kain refused the sacrifice and despised deception and liars (4:17). But he was never really honest with his children either. He hid their origins from him, he allowed for them to quarrel to some extent while he (in my opinion) sought for the way out of the dilemma. We do not now for certain when he started to try to right the wrongs Nosgoth had suffered but I personally believe it was not after a millenium. As you said, he felt betrayed and wanted to find truth. That must have motivated him to find a way of flipping the coin on its side. I assume he learned about Raziel as a wraith at some point, using the chronoplast or listening to Ariel. And it was when Raziel stood before him with his wings he knew that his visions meant and what he had to do. That is my belief. What do you think?
I believe it is confirmed that Kain didnt want to betray Raziel, but knew he had to in order to begin the domino of events.
Love your work man. Keep it up
I enjoyed it, liked it, shared it!❤
Hey strictly Fantasy, there's a huge part of LOK that you haven't talked about that could make an interesting video. Vampirism as a whole. How the powers differ between Kain and his descendants. How he was barely bothered by the full power sun while the clans young can be killed by its weak polluted rays. How raziel's evolution of wings was a big deal about allowing him to get the areas other vampires couldn't, implying no one but Kain could shake shift. And how Kain, vorador, melchia, turel, rehab, dumah and zephon all evolved and theorizing why they evolved the way they did and what it says about them
A new Soul Reaver/LoK video, I watch. That's the rule.
Beautiful video, cheers
Elder Kain with ears is haunting!
19:23 Michael letting a little bit of Lawrence in there.
This might sound weird, but stories like "Legacy of Kain" always gave me more hope for humanity than stories like "Kingdom Hearts". The latter actually drained some of my faith for a time.
I love both
@@doomd1816 don't get me wrong I do too. But ever since "KH 2", the story, aside from "BBS" and the mobile games, has been losing some of its former edge, with all the excessive forgiveness and free ressurections, the latter being confirmed to contradict much previously established lore.
Your right where one person can make a difference instead of me and all my friends
@@jonnymars7164 sorry, but I'm confused by your comment. Were you agreeing with me, or not ?
@@JabamiLain I was agreeing with you. Soul Reaver is a man making a difference at all bleak odds. But Kingdom of hearts is all friends to save the world cliche in anime now in days.
Awesome video. Thank you
Strictly Hickly! Thanks
Awesome as ever!🫡
Great LoK content, keep it up
I hope whenever the remaster comes out it’ll bring attention to the legacy of kain series and we get new games or at the very least blood omen remasters
Appreciate your content
my favorite game of all time is Blood Omen legacy of Kain and I'd like nothing more than to have a remake. That being said, JUSTICE FOR BLOOD OMEN 2!!!
Still watching anything related. Even with the remaster just around the corner.
I wonder if I might request a video. Would love to see you do one on the plot holes and confusing, never explained parts of these stories. Like how Kain somehow lives after the Heart of Darkness is removed, and how exactly the Soul Reaver cleanses Kain, and why isn't it their goal to release the Hylden if the Hylden are against the elder god? The series doesn't provide a clear, explicit explanation for why the Hylden isn't released when the pillars fall into ruin...
Thank you for the intriguing entertainment
"There is no shame in it raziel. Revenge is motivation enough at least it's honest! Hate me, but do it honestly." - Kain
This saga is the gaming equivalent of the Lord of the Rings. Full remake is needed.
Sometimes, trust must be broken before it can be repaired
🤔
Who's here because Strictly Fantasy is the only way to subside your anticipation of December 10th? I'm guilty too.
im so sad they're not remaking these games into one and expanding the combat system abit..
also the graphics leave alot to be desired..
it had so much potential..😣
I agree. Better than nothing i guess
Great Video as always! I feel that there is a Gap between Raziels attitute towards the EG between Soul reaver 1 and 2 since by the end of Soul reaver 1 Raziels still follows the advise of the EG then by their 1st encounter, in the past, in Soul reaver 2, He just flat out shows attitute towards EG while he's never showed doubt or any emotion towards EG before that point.. I just found it odd
For the most part, I think it's because Raziel found out about the Elder God's alliance with Moebius who has a massive repuation as a deceiver. Also you will notice that in Soul Reaver 1, the Elder God could speak to Raziel no matter where he was in Nosgoth, suggesting he had gotten so big that his body expanded across the size of a continent underground in that era. Raziel likely believed in the creature's power and omnipotence but by the time of their first meeting in Soul Reaver 2, Raziel can see he's a lot smaller and not as omipotent as the Elder had led Raziel to believe...
wait i just thought i something (doubt this could be truely a thing tho), so moebius had it set up so the vampire would all be extinct by sending kain back in time, its reasonable to assume that kain was supposed to sacrifice himself for the pillars to save nosgoth and kill off the vampire race, i just thought the dark entity is the hylden lord and the hylden are supposed to be immortal, sense we know that the soul reaver kain uses is the older raziel soul and he stabs the hylden lord at blood omen 2, could it be that the hylden lord was now apart of raziels soul and that both of them existing as a soul (technically) could have caused a paradox to occur and this stops kain from sacrificing himself (im sure this is not the case sense we do know the elder god and moebius tend to play the long game but i figured it could be some fun speculation sorry)
Hi. That was a fun trip. We meet hylden lord in other games still running around with his soul after this Dark Entity fight though (and maybe lots of souls if that's how he was overflowing with green energy.) So that was Mort's body you'd be collecting the soul of at Blood Omen's end, if Kain did that. And Blood Omen 2 can't be the cause of anything in Blood Omen 1 because omen2 didn't exist until this latest timeline, plus it comes after Omen1 chronologically.
It is odd that elder had no scheme to make kain choose the sacrifice, and it would be nice to have some patch for that. so elder maybe didn't see Kain's refusal coming until Moe's paradox changed the timeline just before this? Moe's meddling made kain pissed enough to refuse in this new timeline. then Moe and Elder were like Damn! But they did contain the problem, Raziel did kill Kain in that new timeline. Just after 1000 year necro empire is all. Elder isn't a real god and had to wait on that.
I'm also looking into timelines where other folks are shoved into the blade to take raziel's place, etc. It's a fine passtime. Did you have the two souls arm wrestling in the sword to cause the paradox? Soul friction. That's new.
@@larrymcmacarroon9529 yeah kinda why I figured it was just a long game plan, it makes some sense just cause as raziel is an immortal being and the hylden lord does state the demon realm does make them immortal as well I thought it could have some plusability, tho I'm sure it's just me grasping at straws, it just makes some sense to me just cause it feels wierd that the eldar god and moebius would allow the vampires to live again for so long, then because of a possible paradox that ends up making raziel they both then go oooo plan b time