Really, thanks for taking the dry deleted materials and bringing it to life, live action style. No, really. That made a quantitative difference in my ability to fully appreciate the original. A valuable community service was performed here. Indeed, ...Sirrah. I can't help but notice McMac The Squid never gets a shoutout, though, for his awesome contribution over the years of annoying all the canon-lovers you mentioned by forcing them to cognate. Oh well, my non-hero role is as thankless as that of the anti-hero, it would seem. Also, since i don't maintain a web presence how were you supposed to mention a non-existant url? Quite understandable then when viewed in that light. Ever forward: Love to Nosgoth and all its assorted urchins! My full Ouroboros of Love goes out to you all. Here's hoping the studio tries something bold again, like they pulled by creating Soul Reaver from the corpse of Shifter. A new great gameplay concept is what's needed to bring the dead LOK back to life. Steal that idea to capture mass appeal for the game, then slap Kain onto it and blindside a new generation with Nosgoth's awesomeness. This time-travel saga lost sight of its future--a tragedy on par with Raziel's own.
Would you be interested in to, maybe, make a video or a collab video with other LoK channels where you would try to imagine what the sequel to your SR Prime would look like ? A Soul Reaver ²ⁿ Prime scenario draft, taking into accounts what devs at the time and in more recent interviews let slipped as information (like Amy Hennig's statement that all the paths taken would have eventually lead to Defiance's conclusion ?) In a form of a live discussion event with the other TH-camrs you mentioned ? Don't know just throwing this here since I'm thrilled and enthusiastic to see that more than being a mere cult-classic keeping the flames lit the active fans and members of the LoK community are more akin to digital paleontologists and historians, and that's rare enough to cherish appreciate and above all, celebrate. Love your content and your personal approach to the matter by the way.
I’ve always imagined this to be the original time line. And Raziel’s first trip into the past and being trapped within the soul reaver is what allows Soul Reaver 1-2 to happen the way we see it.
Growing up I always found it a cruel irony that Tony Jay died right as both Legacy of Kain and Reboot were gearing up for a finale with Jay's villain fully revealed to the heroes. Though to be fair, as epic a set up as Megabyte's "The Hunt" speech was, Megabyte had already gotten a satisfying conclusion as a villain in season 3 at the end of the original run. The Elder God had no such fortune, sadly.
I think it’s a testament to Amy Hennig that she took one game with a cliffhanger, and turned it into an even deeper and engaging series. I’m dying for a modern remake, but even more interesting is the ideas of what might have been (hint hint, video on dead sun?)
The priestesses "Possession" sorcery could explain how she was able to serve Vampire kind for so long if she is indeed centuries old. she may simple transfer her consciousness into suitable new host when her current avatar ages out.
Yeah. Good stuff. Quick work, too. That's the number 1 new question to come from all this: how the hell is a human immortal in nosgoth without being in the Circle?
@@larrymcmacarroon9529 What I wouldn't give for a continuation of the series, even in Comic or Novel form. there's defiantly still a market for the IP and its deep narrative.
I think I recall reading in an interview with Amy Hennig, when Raziel used the cathedral to destroy all the remaining vampires, it released a new enemy into Nosgoth. I think the idea of the hylden, and how the vampires existence somehow locked them out of the material realm, was always in her mind, even during the making of SR1. Anyway, great video.
I think it was something along the lines of the elder god making it clear he was destroying Nosgoth and not the vampires and he was supposed to go back in time to stop him. So roughly the same plot
"WHERE TIME IS BUT A LOOP, A LOOSE STITCH IN THE UNIVERSAL CLOTH, A STREAMER MIGHT SEIZE UPON A CHANCE, A FATAL SLIP - AND PLUNGE THE FATE OF PLANETS INTO CHAOS ..."
As interesting as the cut content is, I actually prefer the story told by the sequels to the original story. Raziel is only blinded by revenge here where as in the sequels he gets strung along by moebius and the elder god, while discovering the history of Nosgoth and his true destiny. I also prefer Kain being an anti-hero instead of the villain. Sorry if my english sucks
I liked the idea of the Priestess and the human cultists that worshiped the vampires as gods. It would have been nice to see more of that in the series.
Square Enix doesn't even need to recast the characters, they have all the tools at they're disposal. Just retexture here and there. Upgraded gameplay and graphics and their you go. A remake that will be the best remake ever for a game that deserved it.
Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver has heavily influenced my awakening to the esoteric nature of our own world. First time seeing it inside a gamestore I was just a kid and it immediately captured my attention, almost like the soul within me magnetically connected me to Soul Reaver. I immediately bought the game and when I went home to play the game... I was not dissapointed. Just the intro alone resonated so much with my inner being. Despite not being native English, this game lead me to learn its language, and uncover its highly esoteric lore. The voice actor of the Elder God is so incredibly empowering, there has never been anything like it after it.
What's your nationality? I'm curious. You're the only person I've seen that has a strong, honest to god spiritual connection to Soul Reaver. It's interesting.
@@TheVeryAngryShrimp Its not that I have a spiritual connection to Soul Reaver necessarily, its that I have a connection to my higher self, and as such I immediately recognized and felt the resonance to it. For example in Soul Reaver when you go to The Tomb of the Sarafan, you can see the fallen brothers of Raziel. The word, Sarafan is directly derived from Seraphim, wich are the highest order of angels biblically. So they are the fallen seraphs, or also known as the ''fallen ones''. The coming ''alien'' disclosure is also not a coincedence, and perfectly concides with the nazi connection to these unidentified phenomena. As for my nationality? I am born and live in the Netherlands. But my ancestry is not Dutch, I'm quite mixed, I have some native american in me according to my great grandfather, some Assyrian and Turkic, and somewhere down the line Aryan ancestry also got mixed in considering me and my 2 children have some blondness from my grandmothers side. A few decades ago, it was easy to come by real authentic esoteric material within everything. Now its being replaced by fake wokeness for the masses to ingest. The elite despise the masses and think of them as pathetic sheep... I however do NOT. They are naive little children, and should be loved.
Just want to share as well, LOK introduced me to the Lovecraft Mythos, and more importantly, Gnosticism. The concept of a False God whose promised salvation is nothing but a lie. Really set the way to make me Atheist.
@@Takesis The concept of the False God is called the Demiurge in gnosticism. Gnosticism is not atheism, its the opposite, the gnosis of mystical knowledge. Atheism is an oxymoron and a paradox by itself... it is like denying the light and the darkness itself. There is a reason why the Gnostics and also the Freemasons see them as lower then cattle. Gnostics acknowledge the existance of the demiurge, and his control over this illusory realm of matter, they just do not glorify it the same way catholics do. Lovecraft is indeed amazing btw, without his work we wouldn't have the inspiritation of all the gems in modern day art.
@@musicdamar583 exactly, which is what made me delve deeper into exploring other faiths and concluding that it doesn't matter at all to me. So Atheism. Just sharing that it all stemmed from playing these games.
Even after all these years, we're uncovering stuff that could have been. And looking deep into the character's and lore. It says something about a game when people are talking about it after two decades.
If a game deserves a remake, this is the one they should do. I think Crystal Dynamics should at least remake all soul reaver arcs as this game deserves to be on the next generation consoles. Esp the consoles we have now, everything wouldve been perfect if this was remade or revived by crystal dynamics to be in the ps4 console and ps5 consoles.. :)
How I imagine that this version is probably one of the fates that was seen by Kain at the Chronoplast. Kain threw the coin of fate enough times that instead of dying at the Mountain Retreat or at the crypt of the Willaim the Just, this time coin lands on it's edge and he survives both encounters against Raziel? It's a nice mind exercise to ponder on these possibilities and shows how Hennig masterfully crafted the story.
This series needs to be remastered like Homeworld was. Keep the original VO work and gameplay, simply revamp the graphics. It doesn't need anything more.
honestly the old combat got kind of repetitive. i'd expect an immortal that was some form of warrior over 2 previous lives, would have more moves than 2 basic swings of the soul reaver. they should also let him outlevel certain vampire clans and as he does he becomes OP towards that clan.(i mean he is supposed to feed on vampires like they do humans).
The Dreamcast Version is gorgeous and looks like a PS2 game in upgrade. Highly reccomend it if looking for the best version graphically. But a full remaster of Soul Reaver would be welcomed in the future.
Yeah, i agree sorta like how Medievil was remastered. They tweaked it a little for the gameplay and some quality of life changes. Other than that they kept it true to the original. Seeing these games that i grew up with getting the royal treatment gives me hope that one day a Soul Reaver remaster will grace us with its presence.
I think even with the original ending Kain would have been back for the sequel. It probably would have just been an earlier version of Kain who time traveled after he cast Raziel into the abyss. The Kain you kill in the original ending might have been a Kain who already lived through SR2 and Defiance or some version of those events, and he died knowing that Raziel would change the past in a way that would let him live.
You mean that Kain let Raziel kill him because he knew that Raziel needed to power the reaver with his soul to fulfill his destiny? Meaning that he sacrificed himself to the blade just like Raziel did in Defiance? Interesting!
That does make an interesting point. Prime Kain may have simply failed in SR2 and Defiance and watched the wraith he created be consumed by the wraith blade. This failure could have made Kain bitter, leading him to watch as his kingdom became corroded, his children were slaughtered, and the monster of his own design came to slay him as some sort of retribution against himself.
It seems obvious to me that Prime SR2 would also have Kain. Raziel is trying to change history, so he would be trying to convince fatalistic Kain throughout SR2 that destiny can be changed. Essentially the same game just with roles reversed. He would be manipulated by Mobeius to storm the Sarafan Keep, and the ending would appear hopeless, as described in the video, until Kain appears and pulls the sword from Raziel. Like Amy Henning herself said (paraphrasing,) we''d wind up more or less at the same place, just by taking a different road. I also like the idea of Prime Kain being a post-"Defiance" Kain. His fatalistic attitude would come from his knowing that his sacrifice would empower Raziel to change history.
These games need to be remade so badly. We now have basically the entirety of the first game as it was intended, and it still ends with Raziel going back in time! It's just so ripe for the remaking, the whole series is! Treat it like Medievil and keep the dialouge that's still perfectly great! Hell, learn from recent history and the past while you're at it! I say give this remade game 2 separate endings like in both Dark Souls and the game that spawned this one Blood Omen, where one ending would be how the released game ends with Raziel chasing Kain through the time portal, and the second ending being as the game was originally intended. I just... I need these games to be properly remade in my lifetime. No ports, no slight graphical enhancements. This whole series from Blood Omen to Defiance deserves to have every graphical and mechanical aspect of it overhauled, for the music to be updated with symphonic beauty. The story and the voice acting can remain as those are timeless, but all else? Oh, if only it would happen soon...
The problem is that Square Enix doesn't seem interested. If recall correctly their attempt to reboot Tomb Raider failed, so i don't think they would invest money in sonething less popular. My dream would be having Amy Hennig directing the project with the same design artists and musicians as before, and with the technical/gameplay stuff handled by From Software.
Blood Omen first. Blood Omen 2 actually happens after Defiance so BO2 should come after Defiance. But If SR2 doesn't get expanded it should be merged with Defiance. Also Dark Prophecy should be made as well Some of the voices can be replaced and the games should be bigger
Great video! It reminded me of us having only a month to produce 20 SR1 alpha videos last year, that was so stressful, never doing that again, haha :D Thank you for crediting my channel and featuring it in your video, that was really kind of you, much appreciated! I have a couple of things to point out. At 35:32, the courtyard room from the Retreat was exclusively created for the movie rooms after the original ending was cut, which means this room was potentially never meant to be part of the Retreat. I can see it being the first room Raziel lands into from the Smokestack, though, as the Retreat was incomplete as such. The third Kain encounter was in his throne room which was not shown in this video (untextured in alpha, so I get why you did not show it). There are a couple of screenshots of it with textures, but they are too low res. The window murals featured Kain´s exploits as we were told by Daniel Cabuco. Regarding the Ariel and Kain Reavers which were cheats in the final game, they were merely repurposed Sunlight and Spirit Reavers, respectively, in the retail version. The amplified Reaver was meant to be black and red but they added an extra colour after the sequence was cut, reusing the Sunlight Reaver for this purpose. We assume it was easier to recolour the existing Spirit Reaver into Kain Reaver as well, as the original Amplified Reaver was counted as an ability, not an extra Reaver enhancement. Great timing, btw, it´s been almost exactly a year since the alpha content was exposed so it was nice to look back on this again.
I really hope crystal dynamics manages to bring back legacy of kain, not just as a sequel and conclusion to the plot, but as a series. I always thought it would be really cool to explore the desolate nosgoth of the future, even if not as kain or raziel.
I really loved this series, the writing was great, it had awesome story telling with an compelling story.With a terrific voice acting team, they dont make games like this no more, we need a remake.
Raziel consume the spirit of Ariel is if I recall correctly a glimps of the future that Raziel views in the original game, towards the end. It is one of several events that Raziel is shown, and was the only one that didn't happen like it was shown in the Defiance. It is a small point that bugged me over the years. However with this it now makes a lot more sense, as it is viewed just like shown.
Indeed. It even adds a really interesting extra layer of meaning to the scene, if you think about it. Considering the mirrors in Mobius' Chamber were designed to offer glimpses of the timeline as a whole, including all the tiny variants and alternative timelines that resulted of different choices, it makes perfect sense that Raziel simply glimpsed a scene belonging to what is now, from the canon perspective, a divergent timeline. It was still bound to happen, though, even if not exactly as he witnessed. We still got one hell of a good story, but it's very interesting to explore what it could've been. And, in a series that it's all about time travel and altering the future by changing the past, this story gets more of a value on its own.
@@wareforcoin5780 There's no such thing as alternate timelines in Legacy of Kain, just one single, nearly immutable one - that's like, the whole point of the story. Every player performing complicated gymnastics, navigating around this hard rule. Whenever a change is made through a paradox, the entire history is violently wrangled and dragged onto a new course, reshaping reality around the irritants.
@@TheKain202 considering it was mobius' chamber, it was probably something to simply trick and confuse Raziel unless they completely retcon the vision later... i forget.
This was such a awesome video, thanks for all the effort you put into it. Love how LoK is still being discussed and geeked over by its fans. "As long as a single one of us stands, we are legion." - Kain
Kain is the best character ever created, so I am pretty happy with how they took the series instead of going with Hymn and Raziel going back by himself. And Defiance was fantastic, though wish we had sequel.
Yeah, I must have spent hours as a kid exploring the City, thinking there was some special secret that I was missing. Who knew years later, we'd find out there was a whole other city beneath it.
Friend/foe mechanic? Wait... is that when you don't attack humans so they help you instead? I think during one playthrough I did not attack humans so they never attacked me, but I was never able to replicate that behaviour so I was thinking that I had just made that up in my head.
@@taz0k2 It was such an understated mechanic, most people likely missed it. I thought it was quite clever that killing Cultists didn't affect the system in any way.
@@pious83 I have to read up on that because I have no idea how it worked honestly. Your comment is the first indication I've ever seen that that was an actual real mechanic in the game, 20 years later.
If the Legacy of Kain gets a reboot for the PS5, then the Soul Reaver with all of the cut content will be the perfect starter to this rebooted universe. Soul Reaver 2 will be sort of the same and Defiance will be the last installment to the franchise with an expansion that resolves the Hylden Lord possessing Janos and Kain discovering how the Elder God came to be and how he can be slain for good. And the franchise ends with Kain looking at the sun as it dissolves him, that maybe the world doesn't need fate to guide their hand and mankind, the humans and the Hylden who escaped from the demon dimension will figure it out for themselves. In any case, Soul Reaver Prime would be a great remake for the PS5 with all of the cut content like the Human Priestess Boss Fight, Turiel Boss Fight and the Kain Final Boss as well as the finale where Raziel uses the Cathedral's pipes to wipe out all of the vampires on Nosgoth. After watching this video, I felt that Soul Reaver's story would had a much impactful and much deeper experience as Raziel kills all that stood in his way of his revenge against Kain without realizing that the Elder God was just using him so he can use the last groups of humanity as his play things and feast on the souls of Nosgoth.
I want this whole series on one disc so i can burn through all that luscious Gothic dialogue again. Never have i enjoyed expansive dialogue in a game this much.
Naahhh, I prefer the original. Figth against Turel, against the priest, have more powers, and kill Kain, only to realize that I was a pawn in the Elders god plan... THEN, it would have started Soul Reaver 2, with the time travel, this time, Raziel would seek the answers to stop the Elder God... It would be a much bigger game, it's a shame we never see it.
@@francogarcia2668 Um no, it would've not made any sense, since killing Kain would mean the end of everything and the series is called LEGACY OF KAIN, not Raziel's. And btw, the way everything turned out to be is much more better, a shame is that we never got a proper closure to the series, Kain is the scion of balance and Raziel is just a very important puzzle piece and soul reaver was only meant to be Raziel's story.
@@carlosaponte2349 LEGACY of Kain... You can left a legacy even if you are dead. The second game could be of Raziel seacrhing for Janos and a Young Kain...
@@francogarcia2668 Well that actually sounds appealing, but would not make sense with what Blood Omen established for the story to progress. The games we got make all story pieces come together without being a total mess, and that's the brilliance of it. I thinkt they would've gone way too far if they went with what they originally had in mind.
Yeah I agree. Even if we would have gotten a roughly similar story in the end, Kain's speech at the Pillars in SR2 is one of the best scenes in the entire franchise.
The original soul reaver saga could be more a vison of the future seen by kain. Coming to realize his fate needs to change he begins his gamble. His attempt to toss the coin. Betting on it landing its edge. From the players point of view having met the elder. Kain would awaken and decide to alter his fate. With raziel just arriving at the time streaming chamber. Kain would converse with raziel and begin the events of soul reaver 2. Of course much of its events would remain vague to kain not being able to comprehend who or what the elder is.
A game forged by fate, no matter how the events played out, the result would've been the same. The pillars are still corrupted, and the elder god is fully revived, thus history must be rewritten to fix what transpired.
Imagine that you get to play through this timeline and the alternate LOK:SA 2 timeline where there is no Kain, only to get the same "get consumed by the blade" ending but with no Kain to take over... and to suddenly move onto the proper LOK timeline. This version being the first coinflip that kickstarted all of the misery that Nosgoth has endured
Alright! More legacy of KAIN! I've been subscribed since I saw the first episode. They need to remake this series, no changes but a full revamped game. Imagine Kain and Raziel in HD. I guess a man can dream 🤔😈
I'd loathe to see a remake. Can you imagine how today's political sensibilities and corporate interests would influence everything from the story, the gameplay, the casting, the voice acting? It'd be rife with microtransactions, cut out content sold back to us as DLCs, new SJW characters added for "diversity." Better graphics do not a good game make. It's a gem that doesn't need any more polishing.
It another universe, we have the entire full Soul Reaver game. The series would've ended there, but like the story we received, our characters pushed beyond their roles and became something else.
Soul Reaver probably inspired and influenced my art and writing more than any other game. even today im writing novels about a cursed hero, that has a living weapon attatched to his arm, thats slowly consuming his body and mind, whenever he uses it. Soul Reaver and Raziel as a design will always remain a part of my heart. When I finished SR, I was happy but also sad. yes, it wasnt the ending I was hoping for. But I was glad for sequels. I had SoulReaver2 for years and I was sitting on it, unable to play it, due to the infamous Shader Bug, that would render the game pitch black. With no interenet to look up a fix, I happened to play Defiance sooner than SR2. Defiance remains one of my all time favourite games to this day. On the one hand, you felt that there was more to the game of SR when you played it, because lots of structures and areas were unused or too big. Nowadays you can point at it and say that it was unfinished. But back then, as a kid, it simply added to the mystery. There was more to the world than met the eye and it was shrouded in shadow. Not showing or explaining something can often be more powerful than exploiting the detail. That said. Your LOK series is one of my favourite YT content out there. I thank thee for providing, collecting and presenting all those theories, features and hidden content, which I had not known before. It adds to the glory and mystery of the LoK franchise. It didn't reach its enthusiasts soley because of the games and their quality, but because of the time entanglement, the secrets, the unfinished mysteries, hidden and missing characters and behind-the-scenes-shananigans. theres is just a lot to discover beyond the physical game. and tho this might sound like an ending by your end, i do hope for more content on this channel, being it LoK themed or maybe another franchise I admire. take Care, mate.
Another ABSOLUTE BANGER! Fantastic job! You pieced together, quite nicely I might add, this beautiful alternate ending. I too am happy with the story I've grown up and known and love(d), but it was nice to catch a glimpse of what we almost had. So here's to you, and here's to the next Legacy of Kain video you produce. Whatever it may be, I'm sure I'll love it.
Gotta say if someday this gets a remaster with all this content ill would love to play it once more with this alternative path also well done with this vid man and props to Raina and Lost Worlds and others artists for such a hard work as well.
It wont.....You cannot remaster a PS1 game, the poly count is too low. Its the reason why MGS1 wasn't included in the MGS Collection. With PS1 games you have to completely remake they
To me, the perfect ending would have been this... Raziel goes back to the time streamer device but travels back in time moments after Kain enters the time streamers chamber. He tells Kain what's happened and locks the doors to the time stream chamber so that his past self cannot enter. Because of this, future Raziel is wiped out because he can no longer exist. Past Raziel manages to burst into the room only in time to see Kain go into the past. Raziel chases after him... then we have Soul Reaver 2.
Raziel would've had less time to grow into the elder's pet, and never gain all the abilities he gained during that journey as a result. He would've only been at the beginning of his arc, which.... might've made soul reaver 2 slower, actually. He would've also never learned all the things that he did, whether some of it was misleading or straight up lies from the elder god, some of it was probably viable information...
Now picture this game remade with current technologies, Souls-like combat, and with its entire content included. There's enough lore here to put most fantasy franchises on their knees...
This has to honestly be one of the most interesting videos I have ever watched. I am on a "Strictly Fantasy marathon viewing" and I am enjoying every minute of it. Thank you for the content and let's all hope there will be a remake with all the content.
Only recently came across your channel and man I am hooked! This series is a highly underrated masterpiece, I only hope that someday they will remake Soul Reaver with the deleted content and continue the Legacy of Kain series from there with new games. Great work and content!
I would like it to be a little less anime and more like some of the older adult animation like heavy metal, or better yet an original animation style resembling the concept art for the series
I Will always think that it was the greatest blessing that the Soul reaver 1 was unfinished at the end. Cause the travel of both Raziel and Kain would never have been so perfectly done if they hadn't traveled it together until the end of defiance. And while i would love to see some of this erased content in a remake of the game (But never a reboot cause nothing worst to kill the legacy than with a reboot) like the priestess, the territory of Turels clan and other that would not conflict with the canon of the story, It definitely must keep the core of the story preserved.
I'm still waiting that one day we will have a remastered version. But by then, thank you Stricly Fantasy to keep our LoK's passion alive. Cheers from Brazil
THIS WAS A GREAT VIDEO STRICTLY FANTASY I remember seeing advertisements for this game when I was a kid, but until 24 hours ago had forgotten about it. I didn't know this world/game was so good. Can't stop watching these deep dives on the universe. It helps to have the knowledge presented in such a well constructed way.
I'd love to see a remake like RE2 got a few years ago. I really like how the released story played out and the expansion of Kain's character. I began my gaming journey as a disciple of Raziel, but by the end I was a much bigger fan of Kain.
Gosh, this game inspired and kick started my art career back in 1999 and was a turning point in my life, out of all the games I own I love the legacy of Kain the most, it is THE definitive game for me, this is spectacular and well put together, you've rekindled so many awesome memories for me, thankyou
You could say the cut content and conclusion was the original timeline that was the beginning and normal repeating time loop where Raziel gets absorbed by the Soul Reaver and goes mad inside it. It makes the most sense too as Kain isn't around to save Raziel from the sword as he was killed by him so its like the perfect circle. What was intended was a coin flip with a heads or tails outcome, what we got was the one time the coin landed on its side.
I would love a remastered, updated, and extended version of this game. Though, I'm not so sure that Kain would be permanently down and out with Raziel changing the past. His first act, probably in defiance of the time keeper, could bring back all of his vampire family, allowing Kain to save Raziel. Or, Raziel is simply saved by a younger Kain, who is still time traveling.
After thinking about it for some time, i agree - how things turned out was a blessing in disguise, at least for the most part. The story we've got in the end seems much more engaging and mysterious. I just wish blood omen 2 was made by the same team as other games, and... well, i wish for a lot of things.
I've been waiting for this video so much! Thank you for the great devotion you have for the Legacy of Kain series, and all the hard work you do to keep it alive
Really appreciate this reconstruction of SR1's original vision, you're doing God's w...err Elder God's work? JK, but I must say while LoK is always present in my heart, it's content creators like you that actively keep it alive in my mind, thank you again!
Absolutely fantastic video. Its clear yo put a lot of love and energy into this. I do wonder if the owners of this ip understand how much of an honor it is to have people such as yourself numbered in their fan base. Thank you for putting in all this work.
If Soul Reaver was ever remade they could totally use all of this cotent, by implementing a branching pathway type of play-style you could end up at the ending where Kain is killed or you could end up at the true ending where you travel to Soul Reaver 2. Like i legit think with todays technology this could be easily done. And it would even fit the theme of fighting fate/destiney/blunted lives.
People often dwell on what may have been instead of being satisfied with what has become. I wouldn't trade a moment of The Legacy of Kain series for any potential what ifs.
Thank you for creating this video. SR has had an outsized influence in my imagination since I first played it with my younger brother. I view this missing content as a monumental loss. Yes, the sequels were good and yes, it was still a great game. You're missing the point. The original story as explained here would have married the game's incredible technical and narrative achievements to a much more elegant storyline. Raziel annihilating the vampires of Nosgoth only to realize he'd been played by the Elder God would have BOTH been more satisfying AND provided ample opportunity for sequels. Thank you for this amazing video, it's as close as I've ever been to feeling resolution for a game that was extremely formative for me.
That video was truely fascinating. I remember having acces to audio files of the dialogs with the priestess thanks to my action replay ^^ at the time I always wondered what that meant, and why that was not in the game... I can't believe I finaly got closure on that thanks to your video !
back in the game unholy war there is a demon of soul reaver i have it still and the gameplay of the lighthouse area is different then in the final game. as a kid this was the most fascinating thing ever. when i got to that point in the actual game i remember being so confused by the different parts. also there was a cheat code to get the kain reaver in the old game (it was black and red) i never understood what it meant. now this sheds light on that. omg thats so dope. i love this series
Excellent video and content overall. I especially enjoyed your character study videos. I stumbled on to this series by chance in ‘99 have been hooked since. The ending of Defiance was both hollow and fulfilling. I hope they remake Soul Reaver one day.
I don't know how to feel about this version. Yes, it makes the SR1 better, but not having Kain alive and desperate to derail his destiny by meddling with the history in SR2 is ultimately a loss. Still... knowing how many timelines are there in this game, this one too could be a canon that we get to follow until the end. Maybe a reboot of the series with this alternate timeline which will finally finish the Elder God too?
I can see the two versions compatibles as the series already dabbles in different timelines (as the many worlds interpretations), Raziel could meet, in the past, an alive version of Kain, just like SR2... just suppose the coin lands on it's edge.
I recall playing the games, and I recall seeing Soul Reaver as following more or less the same "template" that was present in Blood Omen before it. And while I liked Kain's bloody revenge arc in Blood Omen, I'm actually rather happy- even if by accident- that Soul Reaver as it turned out was not just a rehash of a story I knew. I personally feel that's one of the compelling aspects of it- that it's not what you expected it to be.
Thank you for doing your part in keeping this amazing series from falling into the aethers of time. It is truly a becoming a forgotten rough gem more and more as the years pass.
Damm! That would have been quite an experience! I love this game and the sequels exactly as they were though, they're easily the most important games of my life. I randomly picked up Soup Reaver off the shelf in a game shop in 1999, still replaying SR2 and Defiance today. 🤘
Im binge watching your videos. I played the Demo version of SR1 on playstation, and bought the second game for my computer as kid. This game aged so well for me
Legacy of kain has as much material and lore as a jrr Tolkien franchise. I sit in awe when imagining what these games would look like with today's graphics engine. The owners of these properties are sitting on a gold mine and are sadly letting it collect dust.
Really well put together, SF. Well done. It is a shame that the original, intended version is not playable, but I agree with you’re sentiment about how it worked out being a blessing in disguise. I’ve enjoyed watching through your Soul Reaver series of videos during Lockdown, and it’s been a blast. Please keep going!
To see how different of a game it could have been. I still would have loved it, but to see this version as a whole game would have been epic. Still though, I’m glad we got the games we did. Amazing video!
Awesome video! The human citadel did seem strangely underused. I'm glad things played out the way the did. Old Kain pulling the Reaver out of Raziel, in Soul Reaver 2, was one of the few times a video game made me jump out of my chair and scream "Yeah!". Perhaps they could have used young Kain, fatalistically accepting his eventual doom, but I don't know if it would have resonated as much as Old Kain did.
If they made a remake of this game, there should almost be like a choice between the “Soul Reaver Prime” story or the canon story integrated at one point. Either on the menu or an integral moment during the game.
Yes this is how I would have liked it to be 👍🏻thank you so much for all the work! I'm still hoping there will be a fully developed game version with the original script in the future. (fan made or not)
My dream would be waking up one morning to discover that Square Enix are remaking the game in full HD quality as well as updated special effects while keeping all originality of gameplay mechanics intact. Additionally, I'd love if they provided a choice route of either the final retail release and having complete the unfinished alpha version routes. Personally I'd play both.
Now I feel freed from the diffuse feeling that something didnt go as planned in the first game. It was very satisfying to see what could have been. My childhood is a little more concluded 🙃 So thank you very much 😃
Luckily i'm subscribed to all of those channels and i read a lot on the lok lost world's website. It's nice hearing the unused dialogue for soul reaver and seeing how it was originally planned. I wonder when we'll get to see any video's on legacy of kain the dark prophecy. Currently only screenshots of it are available.
Would be great if there was a re-make and that all this cut content was the original time line, but with Kain being able to see how things unfolded he then escape Raziel before he could finish him off
Man im grateful Soul Reaver is getting a remaster but its already kinda perfect. A new story is welcome any time they wanna hit me with one but i guess they wanna test the waters and introduce a new generation to Nozgoth. I suppose ill take what i can get. First M rated title i ever played was Soul Reaver 2 and i had no idea what was going on.
@@HittokiriBattousai17 You make it sound like it was a general thing. Video games weren't so hated, just in a state of development and misunderstanding. If there was anything to prove, it was the potential of gaming, not to defy persecution.
if they would just shut up about what is "coming soon" the fans wouldn't have anything to bitch about when a game is behind schedule, and they wouldn't have to live up to expectations that come from "advertisement". also gaming companies should be co-ops ,....if you are gonna make "crunch time" a thing, you should have to work those same hours for the similar pay as the developers.
So this is how the story went the first loop then. What would be a more character altering event than a broken Raziel from a failed future telling Kain what he could before time ran out?
I hope you all enjoy the video
I LOVE all your videos friend! Thanks so much for all your time and efforts!!
Really, thanks for taking the dry deleted materials and bringing it to life, live action style. No, really. That made a quantitative difference in my ability to fully appreciate the original. A valuable community service was performed here. Indeed, ...Sirrah.
I can't help but notice McMac The Squid never gets a shoutout, though, for his awesome contribution over the years of annoying all the canon-lovers you mentioned by forcing them to cognate. Oh well, my non-hero role is as thankless as that of the anti-hero, it would seem. Also, since i don't maintain a web presence how were you supposed to mention a non-existant url? Quite understandable then when viewed in that light. Ever forward:
Love to Nosgoth and all its assorted urchins! My full Ouroboros of Love goes out to you all. Here's hoping the studio tries something bold again, like they pulled by creating Soul Reaver from the corpse of Shifter. A new great gameplay concept is what's needed to bring the dead LOK back to life. Steal that idea to capture mass appeal for the game, then slap Kain onto it and blindside a new generation with Nosgoth's awesomeness. This time-travel saga lost sight of its future--a tragedy on par with Raziel's own.
Would you be interested in to, maybe, make a video or a collab video with other LoK channels where you would try to imagine what the sequel to your SR Prime would look like ?
A Soul Reaver ²ⁿ Prime scenario draft, taking into accounts what devs at the time and in more recent interviews let slipped as information (like Amy Hennig's statement that all the paths taken would have eventually lead to Defiance's conclusion ?) In a form of a live discussion event with the other TH-camrs you mentioned ? Don't know just throwing this here since I'm thrilled and enthusiastic to see that more than being a mere cult-classic keeping the flames lit the active fans and members of the LoK community are more akin to digital paleontologists and historians, and that's rare enough to cherish appreciate and above all, celebrate.
Love your content and your personal approach to the matter by the way.
This story deserves hundred of hours of whole humanity to praise it. It is WORTHY.
I’ve always imagined this to be the original time line. And Raziel’s first trip into the past and being trapped within the soul reaver is what allows Soul Reaver 1-2 to happen the way we see it.
RIP Tony Jay. You were THE Elder God!
The one and only.
@@strictlyfantasy Now and Always
No one else has both the gravitas, the presence, nor the deep baritone voice necessary to capture the character as portrayed by Tony Jay.
Growing up I always found it a cruel irony that Tony Jay died right as both Legacy of Kain and Reboot were gearing up for a finale with Jay's villain fully revealed to the heroes.
Though to be fair, as epic a set up as Megabyte's "The Hunt" speech was, Megabyte had already gotten a satisfying conclusion as a villain in season 3 at the end of the original run. The Elder God had no such fortune, sadly.
He passed away years
How does such a game with such a perfect voice acting and story never get a remake?
Square enix are greedy aholes and wont even scratch their backsides if it doesn't bring profit
Let' be thankful for that given how trash remakes are lately.
Id be happy if they did nothing more then fix the bugs on the steam version and made the controls work with a controller
Long story short, it was LoK or Tomb Raider. You know the rest.
Because they can't relentlessly monetize it or turn it into a live service.
The Legacy of Kain game series is one of the, if not, the most beautifully scripted game series I've ever played, and still play to this day.
Agreed
I think it’s a testament to Amy Hennig that she took one game with a cliffhanger, and turned it into an even deeper and engaging series.
I’m dying for a modern remake, but even more interesting is the ideas of what might have been (hint hint, video on dead sun?)
I personally look up to Ms. Hennig. We need to recognize our great game scriptwriters and their influence.
Dead Sun was blasphemous to the series!
Why Dead Sun? It was a spin-off, the cancelled ending of the series was Dark Prophesy. Dead Sun looked like a more dark and Gothic Warrior Within.
Pretty much. I hope she finds her way back to this series. She is clearly gifted.
@@Coreisus really I'm the only one interest in that project
The priestesses "Possession" sorcery could explain how she was able to serve Vampire kind for so long if she is indeed centuries old. she may simple transfer her consciousness into suitable new host when her current avatar ages out.
Yeah. Good stuff. Quick work, too. That's the number 1 new question to come from all this: how the hell is a human immortal in nosgoth without being in the Circle?
@@larrymcmacarroon9529 What I wouldn't give for a continuation of the series, even in Comic or Novel form. there's defiantly still a market for the IP and its deep narrative.
The Darkside gives way to powers some may see as being unnatural
@@larrymcmacarroon9529 i think that the guardians too were mortal, with the obvious exception of the guardians of time and death.
Or gets drinked. To be fair, I'd gladly drink from her...😏
This moment does not have to be an ending - it can become a prelude.
Love that line.
@@strictlyfantasy I wish we had gotten a conclusion to the series.
@@ElTwOJaY Same. Still I can think of worse endings than the way Defiance ended.
@@strictlyfantasy Very true. Love your content, keep it up!
@@strictlyfantasy Exactly. I don't feel robbed by the ending of Defiance.
I think I recall reading in an interview with Amy Hennig, when Raziel used the cathedral to destroy all the remaining vampires, it released a new enemy into Nosgoth. I think the idea of the hylden, and how the vampires existence somehow locked them out of the material realm, was always in her mind, even during the making of SR1. Anyway, great video.
ya and we saw more hints of this in blood omen 2
good picture choice
Sounds right, even with the pillars destroyed I think Kain being alive still kept them out. The elder wanted them to return to feed on.
Aww man, would have sucked for the humans even more, if the Hylden from Blood Omen 2 are anything to go off
I think it was something along the lines of the elder god making it clear he was destroying Nosgoth and not the vampires and he was supposed to go back in time to stop him. So roughly the same plot
"WHERE TIME IS BUT A LOOP,
A LOOSE STITCH
IN THE UNIVERSAL CLOTH,
A STREAMER MIGHT SEIZE
UPON A CHANCE, A FATAL SLIP -
AND PLUNGE THE FATE
OF PLANETS INTO CHAOS ..."
As interesting as the cut content is, I actually prefer the story told by the sequels to the original story.
Raziel is only blinded by revenge here where as in the sequels he gets strung along by moebius and the elder god, while discovering the history of Nosgoth and his true destiny.
I also prefer Kain being an anti-hero instead of the villain.
Sorry if my english sucks
Your English is really good.
I prefer Kain as a redeemable villain, although I can understand your preference in character choice.
Your English is great, man
I agree.
I agree I prefer Kain as the anti-hero. And since he is also the main character of the series that's what he should be instead of a villain
Most ideas were revived for the sequels but still, I would love to see the original vision someday.
I liked the idea of the Priestess and the human cultists that worshiped the vampires as gods. It would have been nice to see more of that in the series.
I am sure Kain would have been in the sequels, but it would have been blood omen era Kain.
The final ending would be so sad. Kain would not be there to save Raziel in SR2 😢
Square Enix doesn't even need to recast the characters, they have all the tools at they're disposal. Just retexture here and there. Upgraded gameplay and graphics and their you go. A remake that will be the best remake ever for a game that deserved it.
Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver has heavily influenced my awakening to the esoteric nature of our own world. First time seeing it inside a gamestore I was just a kid and it immediately captured my attention, almost like the soul within me magnetically connected me to Soul Reaver. I immediately bought the game and when I went home to play the game... I was not dissapointed. Just the intro alone resonated so much with my inner being. Despite not being native English, this game lead me to learn its language, and uncover its highly esoteric lore.
The voice actor of the Elder God is so incredibly empowering, there has never been anything like it after it.
What's your nationality? I'm curious. You're the only person I've seen that has a strong, honest to god spiritual connection to Soul Reaver. It's interesting.
@@TheVeryAngryShrimp Its not that I have a spiritual connection to Soul Reaver necessarily, its that I have a connection to my higher self, and as such I immediately recognized and felt the resonance to it. For example in Soul Reaver when you go to The Tomb of the Sarafan, you can see the fallen brothers of Raziel. The word, Sarafan is directly derived from Seraphim, wich are the highest order of angels biblically. So they are the fallen seraphs, or also known as the ''fallen ones''. The coming ''alien'' disclosure is also not a coincedence, and perfectly concides with the nazi connection to these unidentified phenomena.
As for my nationality? I am born and live in the Netherlands. But my ancestry is not Dutch, I'm quite mixed, I have some native american in me according to my great grandfather, some Assyrian and Turkic, and somewhere down the line Aryan ancestry also got mixed in considering me and my 2 children have some blondness from my grandmothers side.
A few decades ago, it was easy to come by real authentic esoteric material within everything. Now its being replaced by fake wokeness for the masses to ingest. The elite despise the masses and think of them as pathetic sheep... I however do NOT. They are naive little children, and should be loved.
Just want to share as well, LOK introduced me to the Lovecraft Mythos, and more importantly, Gnosticism.
The concept of a False God whose promised salvation is nothing but a lie.
Really set the way to make me Atheist.
@@Takesis The concept of the False God is called the Demiurge in gnosticism. Gnosticism is not atheism, its the opposite, the gnosis of mystical knowledge. Atheism is an oxymoron and a paradox by itself... it is like denying the light and the darkness itself. There is a reason why the Gnostics and also the Freemasons see them as lower then cattle.
Gnostics acknowledge the existance of the demiurge, and his control over this illusory realm of matter, they just do not glorify it the same way catholics do.
Lovecraft is indeed amazing btw, without his work we wouldn't have the inspiritation of all the gems in modern day art.
@@musicdamar583 exactly, which is what made me delve deeper into exploring other faiths and concluding that it doesn't matter at all to me. So Atheism.
Just sharing that it all stemmed from playing these games.
Even after all these years, we're uncovering stuff that could have been. And looking deep into the character's and lore.
It says something about a game when people are talking about it after two decades.
I'm not usually one for video requests, but have you considered doing something regarding the cancelled "LoK: Dead Sun" game?
I didn't know you were also a Legacy of Kain fan. You're a man of great taste Rem.
a man of culture
i was about to comment this.
The less coverage that blasphemy gets, the better.
Why Dead Sun though? Dead Sun is a spin-off Prince of Persia, the true sequel was Legacy of Kain: Dark Prophesy.
If a game deserves a remake, this is the one they should do. I think Crystal Dynamics should at least remake all soul reaver arcs as this game deserves to be on the next generation consoles. Esp the consoles we have now, everything wouldve been perfect if this was remade or revived by crystal dynamics to be in the ps4 console and ps5 consoles.. :)
After avengers, I don’t think they should never make a game again
Not before finally getting the rights to Blood Omen.
@@Guciom They own the rights to LOK, including Blood Omen, just not the pc port.
Blood Omen first before Soul Reaver
You're getting one!
9:30 "I was executed not excomunicated" daaaaamn goosebumps!!! ❤❤
U know this series has the best dialog any game has ever seen
Kain "Your membership to my inner circle has been ....revoked. You are now excommunicated, Raziel"
*Raziel gets thrown into the Abyss*
How I imagine that this version is probably one of the fates that was seen by Kain at the Chronoplast. Kain threw the coin of fate enough times that instead of dying at the Mountain Retreat or at the crypt of the Willaim the Just, this time coin lands on it's edge and he survives both encounters against Raziel? It's a nice mind exercise to ponder on these possibilities and shows how Hennig masterfully crafted the story.
aaaah the times back when games were made By Gamers For Gamers
This series needs to be remastered like Homeworld was. Keep the original VO work and gameplay, simply revamp the graphics. It doesn't need anything more.
honestly the old combat got kind of repetitive.
i'd expect an immortal that was some form of warrior over 2 previous lives, would have more moves than 2 basic swings of the soul reaver. they should also let him outlevel certain vampire clans and as he does he becomes OP towards that clan.(i mean he is supposed to feed on vampires like they do humans).
The Dreamcast Version is gorgeous and looks like a PS2 game in upgrade. Highly reccomend it if looking for the best version graphically. But a full remaster of Soul Reaver would be welcomed in the future.
Yeah, i agree sorta like how Medievil was remastered. They tweaked it a little for the gameplay and some quality of life changes. Other than that they kept it true to the original. Seeing these games that i grew up with getting the royal treatment gives me hope that one day a Soul Reaver remaster will grace us with its presence.
Just use the combat of defiance with the updated graphics.
@@ZeroOmega-vg8nq
i was thinking something more like darksiders2
I think even with the original ending Kain would have been back for the sequel. It probably would have just been an earlier version of Kain who time traveled after he cast Raziel into the abyss. The Kain you kill in the original ending might have been a Kain who already lived through SR2 and Defiance or some version of those events, and he died knowing that Raziel would change the past in a way that would let him live.
You mean that Kain let Raziel kill him because he knew that Raziel needed to power the reaver with his soul to fulfill his destiny? Meaning that he sacrificed himself to the blade just like Raziel did in Defiance? Interesting!
That does make an interesting point. Prime Kain may have simply failed in SR2 and Defiance and watched the wraith he created be consumed by the wraith blade. This failure could have made Kain bitter, leading him to watch as his kingdom became corroded, his children were slaughtered, and the monster of his own design came to slay him as some sort of retribution against himself.
i think it will be a little predictable and linear
It seems obvious to me that Prime SR2 would also have Kain. Raziel is trying to change history, so he would be trying to convince fatalistic Kain throughout SR2 that destiny can be changed. Essentially the same game just with roles reversed. He would be manipulated by Mobeius to storm the Sarafan Keep, and the ending would appear hopeless, as described in the video, until Kain appears and pulls the sword from Raziel. Like Amy Henning herself said (paraphrasing,) we''d wind up more or less at the same place, just by taking a different road.
I also like the idea of Prime Kain being a post-"Defiance" Kain. His fatalistic attitude would come from his knowing that his sacrifice would empower Raziel to change history.
These games need to be remade so badly. We now have basically the entirety of the first game as it was intended, and it still ends with Raziel going back in time! It's just so ripe for the remaking, the whole series is! Treat it like Medievil and keep the dialouge that's still perfectly great!
Hell, learn from recent history and the past while you're at it! I say give this remade game 2 separate endings like in both Dark Souls and the game that spawned this one Blood Omen, where one ending would be how the released game ends with Raziel chasing Kain through the time portal, and the second ending being as the game was originally intended.
I just... I need these games to be properly remade in my lifetime. No ports, no slight graphical enhancements. This whole series from Blood Omen to Defiance deserves to have every graphical and mechanical aspect of it overhauled, for the music to be updated with symphonic beauty. The story and the voice acting can remain as those are timeless, but all else? Oh, if only it would happen soon...
The problem is that Square Enix doesn't seem interested. If recall correctly their attempt to reboot Tomb Raider failed, so i don't think they would invest money in sonething less popular. My dream would be having Amy Hennig directing the project with the same design artists and musicians as before, and with the technical/gameplay stuff handled by From Software.
@@arx3516 that would be perfect
@@arx3516 no the new tomb raider did make a profit once they jumped to new gen, so yes they did succeed.
Blood Omen first. Blood Omen 2 actually happens after Defiance so BO2 should come after Defiance. But If SR2 doesn't get expanded it should be merged with Defiance. Also Dark Prophecy should be made as well
Some of the voices can be replaced and the games should be bigger
I was really surprised by MediEvil to be remade
Great video! It reminded me of us having only a month to produce 20 SR1 alpha videos last year, that was so stressful, never doing that again, haha :D Thank you for crediting my channel and featuring it in your video, that was really kind of you, much appreciated!
I have a couple of things to point out. At 35:32, the courtyard room from the Retreat was exclusively created for the movie rooms after the original ending was cut, which means this room was potentially never meant to be part of the Retreat. I can see it being the first room Raziel lands into from the Smokestack, though, as the Retreat was incomplete as such. The third Kain encounter was in his throne room which was not shown in this video (untextured in alpha, so I get why you did not show it). There are a couple of screenshots of it with textures, but they are too low res. The window murals featured Kain´s exploits as we were told by Daniel Cabuco.
Regarding the Ariel and Kain Reavers which were cheats in the final game, they were merely repurposed Sunlight and Spirit Reavers, respectively, in the retail version. The amplified Reaver was meant to be black and red but they added an extra colour after the sequence was cut, reusing the Sunlight Reaver for this purpose. We assume it was easier to recolour the existing Spirit Reaver into Kain Reaver as well, as the original Amplified Reaver was counted as an ability, not an extra Reaver enhancement.
Great timing, btw, it´s been almost exactly a year since the alpha content was exposed so it was nice to look back on this again.
I'm gonna second this. I'm flattered to have been mentioned and glad that our work has been informative and useful. Great video by the way.
I really hope crystal dynamics manages to bring back legacy of kain, not just as a sequel and conclusion to the plot, but as a series. I always thought it would be really cool to explore the desolate nosgoth of the future, even if not as kain or raziel.
"Raziel... Redeemer and Destroyer... Pawn and Messiah ... Welcome, time-spanned soul... Welcome... to your destiny ..." - Moebius The Time Streamer
This is really informative. I had no idea that the vampire cult took place after the second Kain battle or that the preistess was so long lived
I really loved this series, the writing was great, it had awesome story telling with an compelling story.With a terrific voice acting team, they dont make games like this no more, we need a remake.
Raziel consume the spirit of Ariel is if I recall correctly a glimps of the future that Raziel views in the original game, towards the end. It is one of several events that Raziel is shown, and was the only one that didn't happen like it was shown in the Defiance. It is a small point that bugged me over the years. However with this it now makes a lot more sense, as it is viewed just like shown.
Indeed. It even adds a really interesting extra layer of meaning to the scene, if you think about it. Considering the mirrors in Mobius' Chamber were designed to offer glimpses of the timeline as a whole, including all the tiny variants and alternative timelines that resulted of different choices, it makes perfect sense that Raziel simply glimpsed a scene belonging to what is now, from the canon perspective, a divergent timeline. It was still bound to happen, though, even if not exactly as he witnessed.
We still got one hell of a good story, but it's very interesting to explore what it could've been. And, in a series that it's all about time travel and altering the future by changing the past, this story gets more of a value on its own.
Those are things that happened in a different timeline, I think. Consider all the messing around with time he did after Soul Reaver.
& a black & red Kain reaver.
@@wareforcoin5780 There's no such thing as alternate timelines in Legacy of Kain, just one single, nearly immutable one - that's like, the whole point of the story. Every player performing complicated gymnastics, navigating around this hard rule.
Whenever a change is made through a paradox, the entire history is violently wrangled and dragged onto a new course, reshaping reality around the irritants.
@@TheKain202 considering it was mobius' chamber, it was probably something to simply trick and confuse Raziel
unless they completely retcon the vision later... i forget.
This was such a awesome video, thanks for all the effort you put into it. Love how LoK is still being discussed and geeked over by its fans.
"As long as a single one of us stands, we are legion." - Kain
Kain is the best character ever created, so I am pretty happy with how they took the series instead of going with Hymn and Raziel going back by himself. And Defiance was fantastic, though wish we had sequel.
So...limitations in time and technology led to a much better story with far superior characters. Nice 👌
I knew there had to be more to the Human settlement, aside from the friend/foe mechanic.
Yeah, I must have spent hours as a kid exploring the City, thinking there was some special secret that I was missing. Who knew years later, we'd find out there was a whole other city beneath it.
@@strictlyfantasy Same here. When it didn't even have a boss fight. I had many questions.
Friend/foe mechanic?
Wait... is that when you don't attack humans so they help you instead?
I think during one playthrough I did not attack humans so they never attacked me, but I was never able to replicate that behaviour so I was thinking that I had just made that up in my head.
@@taz0k2 It was such an understated mechanic, most people likely missed it. I thought it was quite clever that killing Cultists didn't affect the system in any way.
@@pious83 I have to read up on that because I have no idea how it worked honestly. Your comment is the first indication I've ever seen that that was an actual real mechanic in the game, 20 years later.
Outstanding work. This video is treads far beyond any I've seen. This game definitely has aged well. Needs a remake or at least a solid remaster.
Eternity is relentless
One of the best games ever for me , that graphics are now outdated but the atmosphere voice acting and the story was never matched .
I cannot describe how grateful I am to you for making this masterpiece of a content
If the Legacy of Kain gets a reboot for the PS5, then the Soul Reaver with all of the cut content will be the perfect starter to this rebooted universe. Soul Reaver 2 will be sort of the same and Defiance will be the last installment to the franchise with an expansion that resolves the Hylden Lord possessing Janos and Kain discovering how the Elder God came to be and how he can be slain for good. And the franchise ends with Kain looking at the sun as it dissolves him, that maybe the world doesn't need fate to guide their hand and mankind, the humans and the Hylden who escaped from the demon dimension will figure it out for themselves.
In any case, Soul Reaver Prime would be a great remake for the PS5 with all of the cut content like the Human Priestess Boss Fight, Turiel Boss Fight and the Kain Final Boss as well as the finale where Raziel uses the Cathedral's pipes to wipe out all of the vampires on Nosgoth. After watching this video, I felt that Soul Reaver's story would had a much impactful and much deeper experience as Raziel kills all that stood in his way of his revenge against Kain without realizing that the Elder God was just using him so he can use the last groups of humanity as his play things and feast on the souls of Nosgoth.
I want this whole series on one disc so i can burn through all that luscious Gothic dialogue again. Never have i enjoyed expansive dialogue in a game this much.
The original content might have been good but I prefer how everything played out in the end
Naahhh, I prefer the original. Figth against Turel, against the priest, have more powers, and kill Kain, only to realize that I was a pawn in the Elders god plan... THEN, it would have started Soul Reaver 2, with the time travel, this time, Raziel would seek the answers to stop the Elder God... It would be a much bigger game, it's a shame we never see it.
@@francogarcia2668 Um no, it would've not made any sense, since killing Kain would mean the end of everything and the series is called LEGACY OF KAIN, not Raziel's.
And btw, the way everything turned out to be is much more better, a shame is that we never got a proper closure to the series, Kain is the scion of balance and Raziel is just a very important puzzle piece and soul reaver was only meant to be Raziel's story.
@@carlosaponte2349 LEGACY of Kain... You can left a legacy even if you are dead.
The second game could be of Raziel seacrhing for Janos and a Young Kain...
@@francogarcia2668 Well that actually sounds appealing, but would not make sense with what Blood Omen established for the story to progress.
The games we got make all story pieces come together without being a total mess, and that's the brilliance of it. I thinkt they would've gone way too far if they went with what they originally had in mind.
Yeah I agree. Even if we would have gotten a roughly similar story in the end, Kain's speech at the Pillars in SR2 is one of the best scenes in the entire franchise.
The original soul reaver saga could be more a vison of the future seen by kain. Coming to realize his fate needs to change he begins his gamble. His attempt to toss the coin. Betting on it landing its edge. From the players point of view having met the elder. Kain would awaken and decide to alter his fate. With raziel just arriving at the time streaming chamber. Kain would converse with raziel and begin the events of soul reaver 2. Of course much of its events would remain vague to kain not being able to comprehend who or what the elder is.
A game forged by fate, no matter how the events played out, the result would've been the same. The pillars are still corrupted, and the elder god is fully revived, thus history must be rewritten to fix what transpired.
Imagine that you get to play through this timeline and the alternate LOK:SA 2 timeline where there is no Kain, only to get the same "get consumed by the blade" ending but with no Kain to take over... and to suddenly move onto the proper LOK timeline.
This version being the first coinflip that kickstarted all of the misery that Nosgoth has endured
Alright! More legacy of KAIN! I've been subscribed since I saw the first episode. They need to remake this series, no changes but a full revamped game. Imagine Kain and Raziel in HD. I guess a man can dream 🤔😈
I'm sure a remake is bound to happen eventually. It's just a matter of when.
Hopefully fully in next gen graphics
@@strictlyfantasy i envy your confidence. I've lost most of my hope at this point.
I'd loathe to see a remake. Can you imagine how today's political sensibilities and corporate interests would influence everything from the story, the gameplay, the casting, the voice acting? It'd be rife with microtransactions, cut out content sold back to us as DLCs, new SJW characters added for "diversity." Better graphics do not a good game make. It's a gem that doesn't need any more polishing.
@@Craxin01 it'd be fun in an anti-hero story to have the option of vampire-biting the SJW characters.
It another universe, we have the entire full Soul Reaver game. The series would've ended there, but like the story we received, our characters pushed beyond their roles and became something else.
Soul Reaver probably inspired and influenced my art and writing more than any other game. even today im writing novels about a cursed hero, that has a living weapon attatched to his arm, thats slowly consuming his body and mind, whenever he uses it.
Soul Reaver and Raziel as a design will always remain a part of my heart.
When I finished SR, I was happy but also sad. yes, it wasnt the ending I was hoping for. But I was glad for sequels. I had SoulReaver2 for years and I was sitting on it, unable to play it, due to the infamous Shader Bug, that would render the game pitch black. With no interenet to look up a fix, I happened to play Defiance sooner than SR2.
Defiance remains one of my all time favourite games to this day.
On the one hand, you felt that there was more to the game of SR when you played it, because lots of structures and areas were unused or too big. Nowadays you can point at it and say that it was unfinished. But back then, as a kid, it simply added to the mystery. There was more to the world than met the eye and it was shrouded in shadow.
Not showing or explaining something can often be more powerful than exploiting the detail.
That said. Your LOK series is one of my favourite YT content out there. I thank thee for providing, collecting and presenting all those theories, features and hidden content, which I had not known before.
It adds to the glory and mystery of the LoK franchise. It didn't reach its enthusiasts soley because of the games and their quality, but because of the time entanglement, the secrets, the unfinished mysteries, hidden and missing characters and behind-the-scenes-shananigans. theres is just a lot to discover beyond the physical game.
and tho this might sound like an ending by your end, i do hope for more content on this channel, being it LoK themed or maybe another franchise I admire. take Care, mate.
I like that even in the original story line for Soul Reaver, The Elder God was always the antagonist.
Another ABSOLUTE BANGER!
Fantastic job! You pieced together, quite nicely I might add, this beautiful alternate ending.
I too am happy with the story I've grown up and known and love(d), but it was nice to catch a glimpse of what we almost had.
So here's to you, and here's to the next Legacy of Kain video you produce. Whatever it may be, I'm sure I'll love it.
Gotta say if someday this gets a remaster with all this content ill would love to play it once more with this alternative path also well done with this vid man and props to Raina and Lost Worlds and others artists for such a hard work as well.
It wont.....You cannot remaster a PS1 game, the poly count is too low. Its the reason why MGS1 wasn't included in the MGS Collection. With PS1 games you have to completely remake they
@@lutherheggs451 one can dream okay? I don't need someone random like you to reply with bullshit.
Manifesting a remake & restore 🤞
To me, the perfect ending would have been this...
Raziel goes back to the time streamer device but travels back in time moments after Kain enters the time streamers chamber. He tells Kain what's happened and locks the doors to the time stream chamber so that his past self cannot enter. Because of this, future Raziel is wiped out because he can no longer exist. Past Raziel manages to burst into the room only in time to see Kain go into the past. Raziel chases after him... then we have Soul Reaver 2.
Raziel would've had less time to grow into the elder's pet, and never gain all the abilities he gained during that journey as a result. He would've only been at the beginning of his arc, which.... might've made soul reaver 2 slower, actually.
He would've also never learned all the things that he did, whether some of it was misleading or straight up lies from the elder god, some of it was probably viable information...
Now picture this game remade with current technologies, Souls-like combat, and with its entire content included.
There's enough lore here to put most fantasy franchises on their knees...
Would be awesome! If they kept original voice acting too? Masterpiece
This has to honestly be one of the most interesting videos I have ever watched. I am on a "Strictly Fantasy marathon viewing" and I am enjoying every minute of it. Thank you for the content and let's all hope there will be a remake with all the content.
Only recently came across your channel and man I am hooked! This series is a highly underrated masterpiece, I only hope that someday they will remake Soul Reaver with the deleted content and continue the Legacy of Kain series from there with new games. Great work and content!
I wish this beautiful story gets animated like Castlevania on Netflix
Oh my gosh that would be incredible
I would like it to be a little less anime and more like some of the older adult animation like heavy metal, or better yet an original animation style resembling the concept art for the series
No way it’ll ruin it.
I know what they did with the last 2 seasons of Castlevania series and the Castlevania Nocturne show,
They messed it up.😠
No way
It would be convoluted and boring without the game mechanics.
I Will always think that it was the greatest blessing that the Soul reaver 1 was unfinished at the end.
Cause the travel of both Raziel and Kain would never have been so perfectly done if they hadn't traveled it together until the end of defiance.
And while i would love to see some of this erased content in a remake of the game (But never a reboot cause nothing worst to kill the legacy than with a reboot) like the priestess, the territory of Turels clan and other that would not conflict with the canon of the story, It definitely must keep the core of the story preserved.
I'm still waiting that one day we will have a remastered version. But by then, thank you Stricly Fantasy to keep our LoK's passion alive. Cheers from Brazil
Soon...soon
THIS WAS A GREAT VIDEO STRICTLY FANTASY
I remember seeing advertisements for this game when I was a kid, but until 24 hours ago had forgotten about it. I didn't know this world/game was so good. Can't stop watching these deep dives on the universe.
It helps to have the knowledge presented in such a well constructed way.
I'd love to see a remake like RE2 got a few years ago. I really like how the released story played out and the expansion of Kain's character. I began my gaming journey as a disciple of Raziel, but by the end I was a much bigger fan of Kain.
You had me totally thrown off until the very end with the Time Streaming.
Gosh, this game inspired and kick started my art career back in 1999 and was a turning point in my life, out of all the games I own I love the legacy of Kain the most, it is THE definitive game for me, this is spectacular and well put together, you've rekindled so many awesome memories for me, thankyou
You could say the cut content and conclusion was the original timeline that was the beginning and normal repeating time loop where Raziel gets absorbed by the Soul Reaver and goes mad inside it. It makes the most sense too as Kain isn't around to save Raziel from the sword as he was killed by him so its like the perfect circle.
What was intended was a coin flip with a heads or tails outcome, what we got was the one time the coin landed on its side.
I would love a remastered, updated, and extended version of this game. Though, I'm not so sure that Kain would be permanently down and out with Raziel changing the past. His first act, probably in defiance of the time keeper, could bring back all of his vampire family, allowing Kain to save Raziel. Or, Raziel is simply saved by a younger Kain, who is still time traveling.
This video and information is an absolute blessing for fans of this series. Thank you so much
After thinking about it for some time, i agree - how things turned out was a blessing in disguise, at least for the most part. The story we've got in the end seems much more engaging and mysterious. I just wish blood omen 2 was made by the same team as other games, and... well, i wish for a lot of things.
I've been waiting for this video so much! Thank you for the great devotion you have for the Legacy of Kain series, and all the hard work you do to keep it alive
Really appreciate this reconstruction of SR1's original vision, you're doing God's w...err Elder God's work?
JK, but I must say while LoK is always present in my heart, it's content creators like you that actively keep it alive in my mind, thank you again!
Absolutely fantastic video. Its clear yo put a lot of love and energy into this. I do wonder if the owners of this ip understand how much of an honor it is to have people such as yourself numbered in their fan base. Thank you for putting in all this work.
"Oblivious to the danger creeping just outside"
[Cultist Naruto-running]
Truly, their evil knows no bounds!
Haha you wont believe the hoops I had to go through to get him to do that. 😂
If Soul Reaver was ever remade they could totally use all of this cotent, by implementing a branching pathway type of play-style you could end up at the ending where Kain is killed or you could end up at the true ending where you travel to Soul Reaver 2.
Like i legit think with todays technology this could be easily done. And it would even fit the theme of fighting fate/destiney/blunted lives.
I'm glad we didn't get this to be honest, since we kept Kain who was indeed always the true protagonist
People often dwell on what may have been instead of being satisfied with what has become. I wouldn't trade a moment of The Legacy of Kain series for any potential what ifs.
My thought exactly.
You'll never know how the original Soul Reaver narrative would have turned out and you may have enjoyed it even more than the retail line.
Thank you for creating this video. SR has had an outsized influence in my imagination since I first played it with my younger brother. I view this missing content as a monumental loss. Yes, the sequels were good and yes, it was still a great game. You're missing the point. The original story as explained here would have married the game's incredible technical and narrative achievements to a much more elegant storyline. Raziel annihilating the vampires of Nosgoth only to realize he'd been played by the Elder God would have BOTH been more satisfying AND provided ample opportunity for sequels. Thank you for this amazing video, it's as close as I've ever been to feeling resolution for a game that was extremely formative for me.
That video was truely fascinating.
I remember having acces to audio files of the dialogs with the priestess thanks to my action replay ^^ at the time I always wondered what that meant, and why that was not in the game...
I can't believe I finaly got closure on that thanks to your video !
back in the game unholy war there is a demon of soul reaver i have it still and the gameplay of the lighthouse area is different then in the final game. as a kid this was the most fascinating thing ever. when i got to that point in the actual game i remember being so confused by the different parts.
also there was a cheat code to get the kain reaver in the old game (it was black and red) i never understood what it meant. now this sheds light on that. omg thats so dope. i love this series
Excellent video and content overall. I especially enjoyed your character study videos. I stumbled on to this series by chance in ‘99 have been hooked since. The ending of Defiance was both hollow and fulfilling. I hope they remake Soul Reaver one day.
I don't know how to feel about this version. Yes, it makes the SR1 better, but not having Kain alive and desperate to derail his destiny by meddling with the history in SR2 is ultimately a loss.
Still... knowing how many timelines are there in this game, this one too could be a canon that we get to follow until the end.
Maybe a reboot of the series with this alternate timeline which will finally finish the Elder God too?
I can see the two versions compatibles as the series already dabbles in different timelines (as the many worlds interpretations), Raziel could meet, in the past, an alive version of Kain, just like SR2... just suppose the coin lands on it's edge.
I recall playing the games, and I recall seeing Soul Reaver as following more or less the same "template" that was present in Blood Omen before it. And while I liked Kain's bloody revenge arc in Blood Omen, I'm actually rather happy- even if by accident- that Soul Reaver as it turned out was not just a rehash of a story I knew.
I personally feel that's one of the compelling aspects of it- that it's not what you expected it to be.
Such an amazing video, beautiful.
Thank you for doing your part in keeping this amazing series from falling into the aethers of time. It is truly a becoming a forgotten rough gem more and more as the years pass.
Damm! That would have been quite an experience! I love this game and the sequels exactly as they were though, they're easily the most important games of my life. I randomly picked up Soup Reaver off the shelf in a game shop in 1999, still replaying SR2 and Defiance today. 🤘
Im binge watching your videos. I played the Demo version of SR1 on playstation, and bought the second game for my computer as kid. This game aged so well for me
Legacy of kain has as much material and lore as a jrr Tolkien franchise. I sit in awe when imagining what these games would look like with today's graphics engine. The owners of these properties are sitting on a gold mine and are sadly letting it collect dust.
Really well put together, SF. Well done. It is a shame that the original, intended version is not playable, but I agree with you’re sentiment about how it worked out being a blessing in disguise. I’ve enjoyed watching through your Soul Reaver series of videos during Lockdown, and it’s been a blast. Please keep going!
Thanks for the kind words :)
Legacy Of Kain is one my favorites videogame sagas!!!, good video brother.
To see how different of a game it could have been. I still would have loved it, but to see this version as a whole game would have been epic. Still though, I’m glad we got the games we did. Amazing video!
Awesome video! The human citadel did seem strangely underused. I'm glad things played out the way the did. Old Kain pulling the Reaver out of Raziel, in Soul Reaver 2, was one of the few times a video game made me jump out of my chair and scream "Yeah!". Perhaps they could have used young Kain, fatalistically accepting his eventual doom, but I don't know if it would have resonated as much as Old Kain did.
If they made a remake of this game, there should almost be like a choice between the “Soul Reaver Prime” story or the canon story integrated at one point. Either on the menu or an integral moment during the game.
those vampire worshipping humans...
that's me, i'm a software engineer and i often feel like a serve a Metal Devil from Horizon New Dawn
i would like to know more about the octopus being.
"I have served my Gods!"
"And now, you will meet them."
God DAMN, Raziel.
If were lucky, we might get a remake or remaster someday, and see this content brought back.
a fixed alpha prototype would be awesome too... the lost worlds are working on that, but i don't see a release soon
Yes this is how I would have liked it to be 👍🏻thank you so much for all the work! I'm still hoping there will be a fully developed game version with the original script in the future. (fan made or not)
My dream would be waking up one morning to discover that Square Enix are remaking the game in full HD quality as well as updated special effects while keeping all originality of gameplay mechanics intact. Additionally, I'd love if they provided a choice route of either the final retail release and having complete the unfinished alpha version routes. Personally I'd play both.
This was a fascinating watch. Thank you!
Now I feel freed from the diffuse feeling that something didnt go as planned in the first game. It was very satisfying to see what could have been. My childhood is a little more concluded 🙃 So thank you very much 😃
such a good series! both the LOK series and your videos explaining the lore.
Luckily i'm subscribed to all of those channels and i read a lot on the lok lost world's website. It's nice hearing the unused dialogue for soul reaver and seeing how it was originally planned. I wonder when we'll get to see any video's on legacy of kain the dark prophecy. Currently only screenshots of it are available.
Would be great if there was a re-make and that all this cut content was the original time line, but with Kain being able to see how things unfolded he then escape Raziel before he could finish him off
Excellent video sir! Thank you very much for all the time and effort you put into this amazing video! ☺👍
Man im grateful Soul Reaver is getting a remaster but its already kinda perfect. A new story is welcome any time they wanna hit me with one but i guess they wanna test the waters and introduce a new generation to Nozgoth. I suppose ill take what i can get. First M rated title i ever played was Soul Reaver 2 and i had no idea what was going on.
Imagine videogames being released in time and without any cut content.
Always over-achieving 'cause you had something to prove back then, when videogames were hated and pursued systematically.
@@HittokiriBattousai17 You make it sound like it was a general thing. Video games weren't so hated, just in a state of development and misunderstanding. If there was anything to prove, it was the potential of gaming, not to defy persecution.
if they would just shut up about what is "coming soon" the fans wouldn't have anything to bitch about when a game is behind schedule, and they wouldn't have to live up to expectations that come from "advertisement". also gaming companies should be co-ops ,....if you are gonna make "crunch time" a thing, you should have to work those same hours for the similar pay as the developers.
So this is how the story went the first loop then.
What would be a more character altering event than a broken Raziel from a failed future telling Kain what he could before time ran out?
I hope this game really gets a remake someday. It's due time.