Hey Dad, I just want to say thanks so much for watching. I put a lot of time into this and I really appreciate the reception and I couldnt be happier with the turnout. Just know there will be a lot more like this in future. If you care to support I have a Patreon which you can find here: www.patreon.com/YourFavoriteSon Again I can't thank you enough for spending your time watching this. I really appreciate it. Bye Dad.
"You said it yourself Kain! There are only two sides to your coin!" "Apparently so, but suppose you throw a coin enough times... Suppose that one day, it lands on its edge." One of my favorite lines in all of gaming.
"You said it yourself, Kain... there are only two sides to your coin." "Apparently so, but suppose you throw a coin enough times... suppose one day, it lands on its edge."
Ich hatte vor über einem Jahr an der Umfrage des Studios zu einem remake teilgenommen und jetzt ist es soweit. Da kommen Erinnerungen hoch aus der Kindheit 🥳🥳🥳
Have I replayed this whole series just the other month? Yes. Have I seen everything youtube has to offer on Legacy of Kain? Yes. Will I watch this 3 hour LoK retrospective? Hell yes!
@@Legionary219 Nosgoth had promise. It was just that it was badly optimised in the beta and all the series fans couldn't see the forest for the trees so they kept complaining that it wasn't an adventure game.
@@KnjazNazrath Nosgoth was fun for awhile but the reason it failed is simply because LoK is a heavily story driven game single player series that utilized strong writing and intelligent dialogue, it also had no multiplayer component anywhere in the series, Psyonix who's gameography consists of only multiplayer games was chosen to make a multiplayer focused game where you had to go read pages of subpar writing when compared to the original series to get the story behind the game and of course let's not forget them changing and redesigning the Vampire Clans to be more human like which for one kind of defeats the purpose of them mutating due to having inherited Kain's corruption and two goes against canon because when Raziel was thrown in the Abyss his brothers were already showing signs of changing, that's why the game had a lackluster performance and had to shut down.
I love the ending of Defiance and I would never want to disrupt it. That said... how cool would it be to play an entire campaign about the Hylden either during their fall as they struggle to oppose the Elder God, or after it as they carve out a world in this hellish landscape and are transformed by it?
Raziel’s sacrifice at the end of the series showed that he wasn’t lying about choosing integrity when he first met Kain again after his resurrection. From the start, he really did have the right to judge Kain.
You say that like Kain sacrificing himself at the end of Blood Omen would have fixed things when we all know that's not true. Kain was doing what he did in Soul Reaver 1 because all he could do was bide his time in a doomed version of Nosgoth until he could goad Raziel into following him through the time streaming device.
@@ArvelDrethyeah but lets be real, when Kain refused the sacrifice at the end of Blood Omen 1, there's like no way he was aware of what was really going on yet. it wasn't some spicy 3d chess maneuver, he just wanted to be a god. only later, sometime in the 1500 years between Blood Omen and Soul Reaver 1, did he slowly start growing up and figuring shit out, and *then* decide to embark on his third-option gambit
@@allisongretsinger322 that's not really relevant, because when Raziel said "I would choose integrity" it wasn't about Kain's decision in Blood Omen 1, it was about Kain's "act of genocide" against Raziel's clan. That decision was made to spur Raziel's actions to set up everything that happened in Soul Reaver 1 and 2.
With all respect, no, he did not. By the time Raziel decided to sacrifice himself he had already "lived" long enough to taste both power and knowledge, to experience much enough to make up his mind. Sure, he could have refused, but he did not, for which I respect and admire him. By the time Kain decided to refuse, he was merely a 30 years old nobleman killed without a reason (in his eyes at least), then entangled in a web of lies and manipulations he never asked for. Just a foolish kid for vampire standards. How could one feel when learning that the long promised "cure" was in fact his demise? It's so easy to judge as long as it's not us who have to die. Not to mention that Kain's sacrifice would just make things worse since he was both the last guardian and the first vampiric guardian in a long time and the Pillars were made by vampires for vampires, not for humans.
@@allisongretsinger322 Kain never had a real choice. When he first got the soul reaver it was already a soul stealing sword. Meaning they already was stuck in the loop.
This series was a pillar of gaming throughout my teens. One of the greatest gaming universes and story I've ever experienced. It's unfortunate that Kain never got a proper ending to his story and this series has been abandoned seemingly for good. Thanks for taking the time to shine a light on this classic series!
as much as i like this series. legacy of kain hasn't aged well. the combat is essentially pointless, you only need to engage in combat to refill health. why do you lose health? because you engaged in combat. soul reaver 2 has aged a bit better i think and defiance is still great imo
@@Jacen436987 I believe in Blood Omen 1 (I can't remember about 2) and Soul Reaver 1, you were at a constant health drain over time that forced you to engage in combat in order to refill your life. Admittedly this ended once you got the Soul Reaver midway through the game as it sustained you. LoK: Defiance I believe you're exactly correct but you were locked in to areas until you defeated the enemies and couldn't just bypass them (typically)
I remember watching my uncle play blood omen 1 a few times as a 6. I never played or followed the series closely but always knew I wanted to go back and check it out 25 years later. I just randomly decided to look for a retrospective on this title 2 days ago and I must say I am truly impressed by the level of detail you put into this video. I have seem quite a few retrospectives and yours is one of the best I've seen on any series. Thanks for the high level of care, effort and detail you went to make this video. I know feel like I can truly appreciate this ground breaking series. I hope square will decide the remake to the original as well as a sequel.
@@Illidor1 They also know how important that particular IP is. If you seen the survey they did asking gamers about legacy of kain, they had over 100k responses and that was only like mid-november. So who knows what they might do, I just hope they take their time. We've already been waiting decades, what's a few more years.
The fact that 200k ppl have watched a 3 hour long video about a near 20 year old series says a lot. Thank you for this amazing video. I can only imagine how many hours it took you to make this happen. Time fades even legend. Kain
Christmas morning 1996, my grandma bought me a PlayStation and one game, Legacy of Kain. Terrific memories as a gamer. Thanks so much for taking the time to make this vid.
@@torbenfranke1859 i am 41 years old, my brother is 9 years younger then me, he had a baby a little bit ago who will be one in april, both of us including his step son are nerdy gamers, and yet my mom still thinks her little grand baby will not be one, yes yes he will, hes already trying to get my brothers controller when he games and sat one day watching MK 11 when my brother was playing it and was just staring at the tv Gamer is in his DNA
@@meatloafperfume8218 Nice. My wife and I are both gamers as too. We're pretty sure once we plan for kids, they are going to enjoy that a lot themselves as well.
In a world full of remakes/remasters of some of the amazing gems of the past, I can say that this series is something that would be a good target for that.
"Kain is deified. The clans tell tales of him. Few know the truth. He was mortal, once, as were we all. However his contempt for humanity drove him to create me and my brethren." - Raziel This is by far the best series retrospective for the LoK franchise on TH-cam. If there's ever a series which deserves a remaster if not a full-fledged reboot, it's this one. Everything from the narrative structure to the art style and world presentation to the audio design serve up what is collectively one of the greatest stories ever told in this medium. Well done @YourFavoriteSon and thanks for the content!
An interesting observation I've heard about Blood Omen 1 is how at the beginning of the game, there are enough human enemies for you to avoid killing innocents. But later, as monsters become more common, you get to a point where you are forced to feed at every opportunity. This could be a metaphor for Kain slowly losing his humanity.
I remember I really tried to have Kain only kill enemies he killed in self-defense towards the beginning until that became an unviable approach. Succumbing to killing innocents for Kain's sustenance really delivers that feeling of a gradual degradation into depravity that Blood Omen is all about.
@RobDeLaMort 'Janos Juice'... so that's why Kain didn't want Raziel finding Janos at the end of Soul Reaver 2 - he wanted all the Janos Juice to himself!
As far as I remember, it was never necessary, as you could just use a combination of feeding on enemies and casting magic spells. And don't forget the Energy Bank Artefact, and the Chaos Armour or the Wraith Armour. It's all about using the most efficient strategy, at the most appropriate time. Nice analogy, though. However, It must be noticed that Kain did not 'lose' his humanity : He discarded it, when realising how corrupt and horrible humans truly are. When he saw how humans would hide their fanaticism behind the mask of morality (especially Vampire hunters during the last Vampire purge - the one that ended with Vorador's death), he decided he no longer wanted to risk his own (un)life for humans and that led to his choice not to sacrifice himself to restore the pillar of balance. And that was the good ending (despite what one would think), since, even though he did not yet know it, his death would have allowed the Hylden to doom Nosgoth even easier and even sooner. Another thing worth mentioning is that, some time later, after using Moebius's time manipulating devices, he decided to risk everything to restore Nosgoth (even being happy to see Raziel destroy his Reaver in SR1 or offering Raziel the choice to kill him in SR2 or refusing to kill Raziel in their last duel in Defiance and choosing to warn Raziel that the Reaver was trying to absorb him, instead of taking that opportunity to win the fight - even if it meant certain death for himself). Also, no matter the situation, Kain is always the only one trying, as best as he can, to uphold the notion of loyalty. But, to come back to this blood drinking necessity, it is seemingly 'necessary' in Blood Omen 2, for two reasons : One, Kain's health automatically and continuously decreases, no matter what and, two, only by 'overdrinking' blood can he increase his blood metre - allowing him to require less constant feeding, afterwards.
There is something about these unique, early, and nearly forgotten fantasy console games that feels so iconic to this day. Games like Vexx and Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy, You can even kind of notice how fantasy games like Legacy of Kain have had an impact on the storytelling of similar fantasy games over the years like Darksiders and the God of War series.
You are probably the first other person to ever acknowledge Sphinx. That game was so incredible for its time and I almost don’t want to go back and have my mental image of it destroyed, but it had some amazing puzzles and the twists of the story kept me so hooked as a child. Unfortunately it is a rather long game and I don’t think I ever had the chance to finish it
@@KommissarBanx+1 I loved playing Sphinx and the cursed mummy, took me a few restarts because I got stuck a few times (And as a young kid I didn't know that pressing in the sticks counted as another input - which was a huge roadblock for me until I figured it out on accident in a different game) Absolutely fantastic game, interesting story, great world building and lots of extra side objectives.
I've seen a few videos mentioning Sphinx (mostly Nitro Rad, I think?) but I completely forgot Vexx even existed. If you want some forgotten timeless fantasy though, I'm quite fond of Koudelka. It's even more shakespearian, and the cast was all stage play actors.
My all time favorite game ever. I would give anything for a remake. I'm glad you made this man, good job. I'm 41 years old, this took me back to the good ol days of gaming, simpler times.
What a game! I'm 41 also, and still say "Vae Victus," and "What trickery is this!" all the time... The Voice acting was outstanding. A top 10 game of all time for me personally...
are the voice actors still alive? pretty sure elder god VA.... has passed. kain and raziel would be around 70 already. are there VA of the same caliber today? havent heard of anyone matching raziel and kain deep rich voices
Be careful what you wish for. With the way "remakes" are done nowadays, it may be better if the series stays untouched and awesome instead of some greedy company bastardazing it for a quick buck.
This series would benefit for a remake on par with some other games like Demon’s Souls or FF7R. The story of Legacy of Kain is really good and deserves to continue.
Definitely, among the best stories out there. Remake is a definite too. It'll be hard to carry on the same voice actors I know the voice actors for Kain (Simon Templeton 67) and Raziel (Michael Bell 84) are still alive. But a few have passed away.
2:15:50 Just a small correction, but Magnus explains that he wasn't a traitor. Instead, he had been arrogant and believed he could defeat the Sarafan lord on his own, and so left Kain's camp at night to do so, only to be defeated and imprisoned. Kain forgives him and grants him the release of death, thanking him as his great champion.
I was obsessed with this series when I was younger and I didn't know anyone else who played. Very cool to see that it has such a big and dedicated fanbase.
Yeah dude I was the exact same! Always found people with common interests but barely anyone had heard about Legacy of Kain - let alone played any of the games. But the last few years I’ve found TH-camrs discussing it and then I’ve introduced the series to people I reckon will like it and they fall in love with the legend. And seeing the response to this video and others…you know what they say about legends: they grow. I feel there is potential for a remake series akin to the Final Fantasy VII remake…and a start towards that would be a HD re-release of Soul Reaver I & II and Defiance…which could do well and then prompt said sequel/reboot. If any series can do the crazy time alternate universe as a simultaneous sequel/ reboot story then it’s the series that basically did it before lol
I wish there was a modern animated version of the cutscenes compiled with the original music and dialogue so we could fully experience it without having to deal with the outdated game itself. It is the best game of all time, next to baldurs gate 1 & 2, planescape torment, etc
I quote the opening from defiance almost daily lmfao. For no reason other than I love the way it sounds. Simon Templeman is one of my favorite voice actors & I even love him playing the angel of death in the old charmed series.
I'm almost 40 years old, and I remember when the first Blood Omen released when I was barely in middle school. I instantly fell in love, the story, dialog, characters, game play and open world gripped me from the start. To this day whenever talkin bout the best vampire ever with my friends, I sing Kain's praises. Edward who? Dracula who? Blade....well naw Blade is ah bad a$$ too lolz.
Fun fact, I once managed to position human Kain in a certain place and killed all the attackers. Unfortunately once they are all dead there is nothing else to do and the game cannot progress, so I had to reset the game. Another fun fact with Soul Reaver, as it constantly streamed areas from the disk before reaching them, it is possible to open the disk lid on ps1 and keep playing. I would then reach a non loaded blank space. Throw enemies into this and they fall into nothingness. Close the lid and the level loads but the enemy is gone. This can also be manipulated to reach areas that shouldn’t be reached normally such as the elder god starting area but in the material realm. Slightly less green.
I managed the same thing, but there's a caveat. If you walk into a building and walk out again, all the bandits respawn. So resetting wasn't technically necessary.
@@sirwill4223 I did not know that. Cool. It's only the intro so even if you don't do this you only lose about 10mins of time regardless. Waiting for those full moon doors was way more tedious
it's so sad that this series has generally been forgotten. I can't think of another work of fiction that has affected me as much. Not only did it get me into video games, but it's what made me want to start writing.
People that want more vampire games think of it along with Bloodrayne and vampire the masquerade. There's simply not enough games where you play as vampires. :(
@@bradleymoore2797 Yeah, and in ESO it doesn't look too exciting to be a vampire as I don't find the combat in general to be very good (even as a regular character.)
i don't know why there hasn't been a reboot of this series yet. it's quite literally one of the best game series ever lore-wise, and now that the times and tech have caught up, i couldn't think of a series that deserves a reboot more.
It probably has to be that most companies that are willing to remake this game want to exploit it for profits. It's like Baldur's Gate 3 that took 20 years before a company that was worthy of doing a sequel of BG2 appeared.
@@fraidei2094They ruined Baldur's Gate with gratuitous sex and breaking the Lore. Illithids have never been created by some Parasite. It would be Blasphemy for the Lore Illithids. They viewed other races as lesser beings to be exterminated or enslaved. Not Host Bodies. If you actually liked Forgotten Realms and knew the Lore, that game was a slap in the face.
It wasn't commercially successful enough, most people love the lore and story but not really the gameplay, it's old enough for a lot of people to have moved on or straight up died (RIP Elder god Tony Jay), it's a game for nerds who read Shakespeare, you need a good writer for a reboot and most video games have mid writing at best, having to do two environments at once is a pita, etc. The only studio that could make a Legacy of Kain game that sells well is From Software, but I don't know if I want Miyazaki to sprinkle the games with his fetishes.
Simon Templeman's voice as Kain is so iconic. I absolutely love the narration and dialogue in this game, it's unlike no other. I'm afraid if they ever did do a remake/reboot it just wouldn't do it justice unless they literally ripped the voice acting from the original games and enhanced them somehow and put them in a remake.
my friend was a big big LoK fan (sadly no longer with us), but I got Simon Templeman to do a cameo video for him, and he remarked how he's a little relieved the dialogue in games is a lot more condensed now, but he has fond memories for the series.
In an interview, Amy Henning said that the BO2 team pretty much just acted on their own. She tried to work with them to form some continuity, but they just kind of did their own thing regardless. So they had to adjust Soul Reaver 2 to fit with Blood Omen2. Which is where the Hylden came from.
@@followingtheroe1952 They were demons. Nothing too crazy. Mortanius was possessed by a creeping presence; the Hylden Lord was a giant, unneeded retcon to that, one caused by the Blood Omen 2 team.
@@ramtin-s8722They did a good job stitching it up, but I can't help but wonder what the direction would have been if the Elder God's significance is not shared and lessened by the Hylden storyline.
@@kalacs32 Ya you could have had Hash-a-Gik be one of the Elder Gods aspects, for example. And more about why the Elder God was trying to bring down the pillars, which was heavily hinted at in SR2. As it is there is no reason for him to be doing it, as he would have hated the Hylden as much as the Vampires did. The reason for the war as stated is that the Hylren were Immortal and their souls were not going into the wheel. There is no reason why the Elder god would have been trying to turn them lose.
This is the curse of many well written games, literature and movies where the creators put their soul in their vision. There's simply no one else other than themselves who can have the same love for their creations and visions are extremely personal. Two of my favorite stories since I was a kid have gone through this. First, Legacy of Kain and the second one, Berserk. I appreciate the work behind the team but without Miura, the story will never have an ending that adjusts with the feeling he provided through the story. At this point it is better to keep these stories close to our hearts and be thankful for the moments we were able to enjoy them.
I can’t believe I watched 3 hours worth of history and retrospective about I game I’ve only seen my Dad play when I was 3-5. This was a well put together video and the lore of this game is LEGENDARY. 💯
The opening music to Soul Reaver was EPIC. It blew me away, watching Raziel get thrown by Kain off the cliff. Information Society - Ozar Midrashim Kurt Harland changed my outlook on video game music.
god and the voice acting was just so phenomenal. I still firmly remember that opening chords followed by "Kain is deified." What happens when you get actual professionals instead of Joe from the marketing department. I think the only time that has ever gone well was getting Joseph Kucan, who was phenomal as, uhhh...Cain. Maybe something about that?
It’s no coincidence that most of my favorite games (and I bet you guys too) have amazing soundtracks. If you skimp on music and sound you definitely do your game a disservice.
This was an impressive breakdown of a series that really deserves way more attention than it has today. I've been a fan ever since I first saw the intro to Soul Reaver back when I was 12, and spent way to much time on the Dark Chronicle and The Lost Worlds-websites, downloaded the soundtracks and of course played the games again and again. I've noticed an uptick in attention for the series, with Mandalore's review of Blood Omen, Strictly Fantasy's in-depth character-studies and retrospectives like yours. It's so much fun to see, and I hope updated re-releases of the old games could be coming. We finally got Blood Omen on GOG, so maybe there is hope. We'll probably never get a proper conclusion, but I will be happy if just more people get to experience these classics who's story and voiceacting still puts most modern games to shame!
Great video. The 3 hours flew by listening to a retrospective of one of my favorite franchises of all time. Love that there are so many dedicated fans of a series that has been abandoned for almost 20 years.
This series is, by far, one of my favorites. And, echoing leagues of fans before me, most of it boiled down to the story. Not only the overarching, time- and world-bending stuff. But also just the dialogues between characters, particularly Kain and Raziel. Building on that, I think the other huge thing for me is definitely the voice cast they chose. It's hard to imagine anyone but Simon Templeman voicing Kain, and Michael Bell brough the perfect energy to Raziel. I'm not sure if you tripped across it in all your research (I'm sure you did) but there were behind the scenes videos of some of the voice sessions, and those are a really, really fun watch if you haven't already. This was an incredible video, full of a lot of really awesome information, and even an old-school fan like me learned a few things. Fantastic work and I can't wait to see what else you put out!
Every time I see a LoK video i am reminded how privileged I was to be able to play one of the best game series of our generation. No other game until this point was able to topple this series from my mind, as one the best game series ever made.
I’m telling you right now……. The moment I heard that intro music I got goosebumps!!!! I am a 50 year old woman… and played the entire series when each game came out. Trust me when I say…. The game was the FIRST I had ever played where there was actually extremely well done voiceover actors. Up until this series.. voiceovers were rare in RPGs, and the ones that were out, the acting was beyond cheesy and cringy. I was so wrapped up in each games story line that I felt like I was a part of it. the game play, the music, and the acting… top notch!!! A SERIES THAT NEEDS TO BE REMADE!! PLEASE!
I must say, the choice of fixed camera for Defiance in and of itself isn't the problem. Prince of Persia Sands of Time had it, and it worked just fine. The problem is the abysmal angle choices for said fixed camera. The platforming and fight sections would had worked just fine if they had picked angles that serve visibility instead of scenic views.
@@krtvstudios I didn't mention DMC because it doesn't have nearly as much platforming but DMC also suffered from poor camera angle choice (though nowhere near as bad as this)
It was a problem that plagued most games of that era. Something you never thought about when they were good, but when they were bad it made sections suck.
I'm the kind of person who read a bunch of wikis about games I never got the chance to play, so a video like this is right up my alley. It's really scratches that itch of learning about the lore of a game and the behind the scenes stuff.
Honestly, one of the most comprehensive retrospectives of the legacy of kain series I have ever seen. It's hard to properly thank someone for three hours of such high quality content, but really, thank you. I think the only thing I wish I could have seen, was a controller map input overlay at 2:31:31, cause I don't remember it being quite THAT bad, but certainly aggravating still to be sure.
I am in love with Legacy of Kain. Every time I see a fan project, I get giddy like a kid on Christmas. This was a really well made project. I hope the love for these games never die.
The intro cutscene to soul reaver is probably my favorite intro cutscene of all time. Another scene that sticks out to me was was raziel was examining the glass morals in soul reaver 2. I just remember how interesting the world was. I never finished the series but finding out that raziel dies at the end made me tear up. He was my favorite character
I see the "death scene" as joyful. Raziel completes the Circle. He does not die, he surrenders to the Reaver and frees his future self from Imprisonment. You can see the spirit in the Reaver dissipating as he vanishes. So it's actually both a Sad and Happy moment as you know Raziel is no longer suffering, and he has successfully changed history in a way that brings about... hope. In the old "cruel, ill formed" story he was sucked into the Reaver and that was that, doomed by Mobios to repeat the hopeless circle. But he managed to change things enough that the Balance Guardian now had a chance. I know, I know, Nerd blather, but hey it's a nice thought at least. :)
This is an amazing compilation that must have taken a lot of time. It really is hard to put all of this together and make it memorable. Thanks for this.
EXCELLENT WORK!!! 3hrs is a laughable runtime to sit through when it comes to LOK as most of its fans would gladly sit through 6hrs just to reminisce and bask in the old glory. I so wish there could be a proper closer or two to the series, made by the original teams and writers. A man can only dream.
2:55:30 This scene always makes me tear up. Raziel realising that Fate he was so adamant to escape at all cost, was actually the only way to save Nosgoth. The difference is that he Made the choice to follow it and became once More Kain's right hand and most trusted Blade.
I watched this 11 times the last 2 months , becuase theres always so much information ...and each time I watch is a pleasure and somthing new for me to absorb .the narration by you is superior , and I also love falling asleep listening to it time and time again ..., when my mind is full and just wants to absorb and relax this is my video lately ...
The second and 3rd Soul Reaver games didn't sell well. I remember being super pumped for SR2 but disappointed with how bland the gameplay was and the jump puzzles really pissed me off. It was a good looking game with a great story but it was a chore/bore to actually play. Blood Omen 2 was fun to play with a pretty good story but it was graphically very ugly. I think all the cuts from SR2 from the rushed development killed the series.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is my favorite game of all time. Nothing I played before it was like it and I haven't played anything like it since. Everything that makes a memorable game is here and fires on all cylinders. The story, the mechanics, the acting, the music, the atmosphere; all of it is tremendous. I place it on the shortlist of games that I submit as proof that the medium is a legitimate art form and I'll take it with me on a deserted island any day.
This is definitely the best summary of the series I've seen so far and I'm sure even someone who wasn't familiar with it before would've had no problem following you along the lines of this very complicated topic so it goes to show how much effort you put into it - well done! 👏
I played Soul Reaver as a kid on the ps1. Then, years and years later, I stumbled onto Nosgoth by joining a viewer lobby of a streamer I followed that happened to be playing it. I know Nosgoth is a bit of a black sheep in the LoK fandom, but goddamn I loved playing that game. The nostalgia I have for Soul Reaver though is completely unrivalled. Having played Soul Reaver as a kid, I kinda just stumbled through the game and never really got into the lore. Partly because of being a kid and not knowing better, partly because of English not being my native language and I barely spoke it back then. This retrospective made me rediscover an interest and fascination for the LoK world I haven't felt in almost 20 years. Thank you.
I think Elzevir's section was out of place with intention. I think it was supposed to take you out of the power trip for a bit and show you that there are other monsters in Nosgoth besides Kain. Some more deranged than a blood thirsty vampire, which as evil as it is, the vampire's actions are still dictated primarily by survival instincts, while Elzevir and his dark magic were nothing more than insanity and mallice.
Elzevir is the most offbeat boss in the game. It must have been awkward for Kain to discuss with Raziel that he once faced up against a toymaker clown in his youth.
@@virgogaming6488 . Elzevir was possibly the Medieval Ancestor of a certain "Clown Prince of Crime". While Kain or any 1 of his Lieutenants is the Undead Ancestor of a certain Dark Knight of Gotham City.
lol I saw this vid pop up and was like hell yeah I could do with a reminding of how great LoK was. Only to start watching and realize this was one of the vids I watched after completing the series last year. This video is so in-depth that it’s gonna become my comfort video for LoK. Being able to see gameplay from each game while you talk about it really helps relive it all and makes this amazing
I liked Kain but there was always something about the Sarafan that made me love them. They where like the Knights Templar, but the world they existed in was literal hell. You always knew they would fail but still they fought. Yes I know they are the main antagonists but I still really related to them, making a stand even though it was certain defeat. Nosgoth was about as Dark Fantasy as dark fantasy could get. Hell when you go into the future in the second game, humanity has become close to extinct, to a world that is so full of evil and monsters, threat it is breaking apart.
I watched the whole video. This is a good crafted documentary and I cant imagine how many hours you spent to put it together. The storyline is what makes this series special. I think it is in the top place with Planescape Torment in whole gaming medium. Aside I dont think the series will come back. To give it the rights it deserves, the development will require an expensive AAA budget, and no studio will risk it. But imagine what it should be. Sometimes I imagine when I play God of War, this technology should be applied to a Soul Reaver game…
The writing to this franchise was sublime. I fell in love with this when I first saw that intro at a Funcoland in CA demonstrated on a Dreamcast. What a marvelous game.
This was a wonderful LoK retrospective, so few videos talk about Kain's emotional state, shifting morality and wishes and his overall relationship with Raziel during his entire stay in the series. A delightful 3 hours of pure entertainment.
I have always loved this series. And I know I'm in the minority, but I've always thoroughly loved Blood Omen 2. At this point I'd love to see Dark Prophecy and possibly one other game made to completely wrap up the story. I'd love to see it utilizing the assets, settings, and character models from the Nosgoth game as well.
Thank you for the time and effort to create this content. It is much appreciated, and these games and this franchise is so criminally underrated. People like you help it keep alive, and this is awesome. Only critique I can have (please consider this as a positive critique, I am not trying to belittle your work) is you forgot to give Simon Templeman and Michael Bell their proper acknowledgment about their voice work. Other than that, thank you, this has been a joy to look and listen to.
So glad you liked it! I definitely left some things out for sure. I am revamping the way that I do research and take notes so the next video I'm currently working on will be much more comprehensive. I really appreciate the feedback! Thanks Dad!
I spent hundreds of hours on these games and studying, and making sense of the story. Underrated and beautiful series. The gameplay was sometimes plagued by issues from that era. Very nostalgic.
I listen to this frequently, and I’m writing this with a Soul Reaver 1&2 Remaster slated for release. My hope is that it sparks a new interest in the series to where we may just get a new game someday.
I've played Soul Reaver for the first time about 20 years ago. Since then, I've been trying to explore the lore through internet, and dipped my toes in other games of the series. But today... today is the day when I finished Defiance, thus concluding my playthrough marathon of the series. From Blood Omen, Through Souls Reavers and Blood Omen 2, to Defiance. I've experienced the whole thing. It was glorious, and I feel even more sad with the unanswered questions the series has left us with. I can only nurture, cradle in my heart this tiny glimmer of hope, hope that this isn't the end. Even if it is the case, it was all worth it, every single minute. Thank you, Son, for reminding me why I fell in love with this universe all those years back.
Such an in-depth look at a series I had no interest in 30 minutes ago, well done! It’s going to take me a few watches to finish this retrospective completely, but I loved what I’ve seen so far with your synopsis of the first game. I’m disappointed I never heard of this series before this video, it’s incredibly interesting
This was one of my favorite game series. It's not perfect, and going back the gameplay can be tedious. However this was one of my favorite constructed worlds in videogames. This story was a blast and was compelling enough for me to play through them multiple times. The first blood omen is incredibly hard to go back and play currently lol. Just try and ignore some of the plot holes from blood omen 2. That was the series low point not only did it have some wonky parts that didnt work in the series timeline but the entire boils down to bad guy uses trick to defeat kain then kain uses the exact same trick to defeat bad guy and it's really just a low for the story.
This series was one of those games where the lore was a lot more interesting than the gameplay. It came out in a period of gaming where games with rich lore were a rarity outside of JRPG's anyway. And like the video said, there weren't many anti-heroes in this period of gaming. For those reasons, it has a loyal fanbase, and, we're all hoping Square Enix, who bought up the rights to crystal dynamics, will revive this franchise someday.
Thank you for existing and for making this video, MyFavoriteSon. I only played Soul Reaver when I was 12. I never got to the part where I can start shifting into the material world for how scared I was. My feelings about it never changed. This is what makes it a fantastic game.
My man, you had me at "industrial, ethereal, egyptian influenced fusion... it works incredibly well for developing this post-apocalyptic vampire corrupted world..." Holy shit I know how I'm spending my Saturday afternoon!. Also going through defiance right this moment as I revisit it every other year, I'm almost scared they bring this series back as I don't know how can they posible live up to the lore, the world, the characters, and the fans.
The way that you read your scripts (annunciation, cadence, etc) basically makes anything you say intended to be vaguely humorous become WAY funnier as a result. I love it. This video is also incredibly thorough and interesting. It rips. But it's got 3.1 million views and people on the comments already saying how much it rips, so you know that, king.
Man, you thanked them for their amazing work. I thank you for such an amazingly detailed work. It took me about a week to finish it in my lunch breaks, but I definitely loved it. Thanks.
I love this series so much. The dialogue propels the characters into legendary status. The world of Nosgoth is honestly ripe with possibility to explore. If only we could get the games made in a non-cash grab way.
i freakin love Blood Omen 2, the art style, the environment, the character designs are amazing, Umah and Kain especially. And the steampunk world with its technological advancements combined with magic is amazing to me. I find it that this game shows more of the normal life of people than any other game in the series, and that is always fascinating to me. Its great world building. Highly underrated imo, feels like people have the same feelings for it as for Dark Souls 2, as in the black sheep in the series, and i highly disagree, in both cases. Also, i hate that Kain kills Umah. I also love the character designs in Defiance, characters looks so good, for its time it has remarkably competent facial animations.
I hated that scene too. If Umah had to die, i'd have preferred it if someone else killed her. I blame the scriptwriters here. Regarding Kain, i'd suggest he may have been suffering from PTSD which addled his judgement on who was loyal & who wasn't.
Agree, I really like BO2. I think I would even place it at 2nd after the first SR. Honestly, I expected Umah's death. And, considering that I am not a fan of devs turning Kain into unlikely hero because they needed the plot for SR2 and Defiance moving and I'd prefer if Kain's story ended in SR as it was intended I definitely see Kain killing Umah
You killed it, Son. Got a sub from me. I was lucky enough to play these games as they released on the systems they were built for, and still cherish the experience to this day. Also, hats off to not only making this vid, but getting the games to run on current machines. I know that's no simple task. I still have a copy of the original Soul Reaver I naively bought off steam that I've never gotten to work the way I want, so know what a Herculean effort that is.
I will never forget this game in all my life. I remember in the summer of 2006 when I came to visit my mother in the US from Africa, and she surprised me with the PS2 and LOK:Defiance. I was instantly hooked. The storytelling, the characters, the lore and the universe. I was fully immersed and I am saddened by it's current stagnation. Perhaps it's for the best, seeing as the "Wheel" does not continue to turn under a corporation's gaze
I started watching this as a long time fan of the series. I think that Soul Reaver might be one of my first experiences with narrative heavy games, which influenced my career path as a game writer. While watching the video my girlfriend started listening, interested by the lore. When the video was around Soul Reaver 2 I stopped the video, asked her if she found the story interesting. She said yes, so I said, I have bad news for you, because the story never ended, the franchise died. Taking some artistic liberty in honor of the topic at hand. Her blood-curdling scream of primal rage echoed within the confines of the chamber, like the long lost howl of a cursed wraith, trapped between the boundaries of life and death.
omg im so glad im not the only one who loved this game. it was a childhood favorite. i named almost all future game characters in any game i played Raziel. SOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOD
This is my favorite saga, soul reaver 1 is actually my favorite ps1 game of all time for the simple fact of its premise, while others play cute games like crash or spyro or over the top stuff like twisted metal... soul reaver didn't gave me just a serious story, it gave me one of the best protagonist I ever met, (you can even check my user picture here). The shekspirian acting in this games are some of the best and just adds to the lore, the fate of this game with such a cliffhanger is as bad as half life in my opinion. Even if it was a PS5 exclusive this would bring new fame to the saga, this HAS TO RETURN somehow... and if a company wont do it? well, lets US the fans do it, lets create a fangame that will at the very least CLOSE the original story left in DEFIANCE. Because we all deserve that feeling.... HOPE.
I don't know what's worse; the fact that I'm watching a 3-hour video on a franchise that hasn't seen a real follow-up in 20 years or the fact I've watched said video multiple times.
Ok, since I just found myself watching this for the 4th time and noticed I never commented, I have to say, thank you so much for the time and effort you put in!! I'm 34 now and grew up with the series. Somehow always wondered, why God Of War exploded like it did, when the Legacy had such a better story and way more interesting gameplay, if you ask me. Makes me really happy younger people not only love the game, but also appreciate the shakespearean dialogue and deeper themes. Oh boy do I sound old! Cheers, keep up the good work!!
What a fantastic documentary man. Congratulations. Kept me entertained the whole time and helped me revisit the good old PS days. It’s sad to know that we’ve lost some of the voice cast, but I still hope we get a remake of this wonderful story, either in novels, movies, games or however. Once again, thanks man.
The Pirate Ship isn't removed, it's just a bitch to access. You have to activate 4 hidden switches in the game, which either Opens a Teleport spot, or teleports you directly (I forget which exactly)
@@Marcustheseer . Also, the humans should get to know the truth behind the vampire's curse. All 3 species joining together to destroy the parasitic Elder God.
@@NanashiSaru break OR cancel out all paradoxes? The loop closed and the world saved. It would be easier if Rafael could do it. Then could move away from time travel shinanagains and into dimension shinanagains
This is one of my all time favorite videos on TH-cam. BO2 was the first M rated game I played (back when that even meant anything 😂) and it was so incredible to experience such adult situations like the betrayal when you’re like 10. Man what an incredible series. Remake PLEASE. AND BTW, THANK YOU SON.
I just want to say son, your videos have helped me get through a mundane point in my life bringing me helpful information and amazing writing, I’m proud of you my fave son, you have made dad proud. Haha but all seriousness keep up your good work your videos are highly detailed, and I love observing every hour you provide, your knowledge in game development and the way you critic games is so real, your not biased, you say the bad and the good no matter how much you like the game, you have became my fave critic channel over the past few months and I know you probably will never read this but I just want you to know you have inspired me into the future off my channel as I’m beginning to write scripts on analysis of my favourite games and to be honest you are my key inspiration and I want to thank you for the motivation you have brought to my bleak life, you have inspired me to do better for myself and my family and focus on something in life finally, thank you son, never give up on this because you have a extreme talent in the way you criticise and analyse games, simping over hahaha if you ever read this, I hope your life is as blessed as you make so many others❤
The Legacy of Kain series cannot be called particularly successful or important for the industry, but its fate is, without any doubt, tragic. During the period from 1996-2003, five games were released in this line, which were worked on by completely different people and teams. Seven years afloat, total sales of three and a half million copies, and then the series was swallowed up by gloomy darkness. After 2003, the developers tried to do something, experimented with formats, but all their new attempts were in vain. The fans scattered who where, and the name of the vampire Cain was forgotten. A great series, still goosebumps from the main musical theme from the first SOUL RIVER.
I think I know almost everything about these series but I 'm glad to see more people analyze it and make videos like this for people who doesn't know it yet. Thanks for all your work.
Just came across this video and it reminded me of soul reaver, I totally forgot it existed. I played it when I was younger and remember thinking it was so cool, I had no idea it's a series. Now I want to go back and play it, you hit me the nostalgia 🤯
Wonderful job on this video, my guy. You really put your heart into it and we old time fans of LoK appreciate any update of any sort, even fan ones! I know you were focusing on the main factor of the series itself but I'm surprised you didn't mention the failure that was adding the Kain and Raziel skins and horribly botched reused voice clips they put into that co-op Tomb Raider game.
Denis formed Apocalypse Studios & is working on a massive spiritual successor to this series. A stand alone player driven game called Deadhaus Sonata 👍
I specifically remember playing SR2 on PS2, when the reaver started healing you, and my exact thought was "I'm not supposed to be doing this, but it feels good..."
i watched this with my friends, because we have a sudden nostalgic flashback regarding this game at our nearby cafe and decide to use your video as a reference. thank you so much. Masterfully done!!
I look forward to your growth, and extremely well crafted retrospectives. I can see so much you are more than just a fan of LoK but videogames in general. So you know what I'll say it too. I am proud of you son. Subscribed.
I made it to the end!! Thank you, thank you for this amazing documentary! I was 12 years old when I first attempted Blood Omen. It was so damn difficult. I followed the game up until Defiance. You couldn't beat storytelling and mechanics of the first two games in the late 90s.
weird, this is the only channel of narration that isn't hosted by a british guy. I mean AVGN is obvious, but really its amazing this is going on instead of "oh come see my let's play of something dumb" or "also check my prank videos and how to's". Bravo sir.
Ever since I was a little kid who only had a bunch of PS1 Demo Discs, I played the demo of Soul Reaver over and over again and I watched the intro cutscene so many times that the Demo Disc is not permanently glitched for that part. I loved the first and second Soul Reaver games and only when I grew up I got my hands on the rest of the games. I was surprised how long Blood Omen was and how different Blood Omen 2 was compared to the rest of the games. I will never stop loving this series and hoping for a Remaster/Remake of atleast Blood Omen 1 and Soul Reaver 1 the same way we had the Remake of the first MediEvil. This video is really awesome and even tho I (and many others) have watched pretty much every retrospective of this series I have to say that this particular video has been the best so far. Great work!!!
Ah, but you missed the most crucial trick of the entire play. The Hylden Lord was behind it all along. Up to the endgame of Defiance, we are left with nothing but shards of the full drawing. A Dark Entity possessing Mortanius in BO1, the Sarafan/Hylden Lord somehow having used Janos Audron in events prior to BO2. Here we realise the full extend: In the waning centuries the banished Hylden realise that the binding of the Pillars weakened more and more and in order to sped-up the weakening, their strongest Champion, the Hylden Lord, managed to slip through into the material world with a devillipsh plan. He possessed Mortanius in order to kill Ariel, causing her lover to go mad and infest the Circle, then years later to orchestrate the death of Kain so he could cast him as a Vampire with the Heart of Darkness, ripped from Janos Audron centuries earlier, forcing him to kill the maddened circle. Meanwhile, the future Kain would appear at that moment and be "killed" by Raziel, who uses the future Heart of Darkness to revive Janos Audron, while Mortanius battled the present Kain and the Hylden Lord/Dark Entity reveals himself. Upon being cast away by Kain, the Hylden Lord possesses the still weakened Janos Audron, who is still leagues stronger than Raziel and uses Janos Body to form the Beast that would power the Mass. This is why Audron is so belligerent towards the Hylden Lord. Not due to their racial war, out of personal rage against his abuser. And this was the ultimate trap of the Hylden that Kain realised at the end in SR2. This plot twist has been three (four, though the whole schebang has not been yet mentioned in SR1) games in the making, dropping minute hints and leaving scraps of information that were confusing and conflicting, but only made sense if you see the timestreams of future-selves taking place at the same time as past-selves having different aims and plans. Arguably, many of it is a retconning of events to make them fit into a singular narrative, like the eponymous Dark Entity of BO1 actually being the Hylden Lord (we only realise that connection by a throwaway-line from Raziel who describes that which possess Mortanius in the Below-Caverns of Avernus as "some kind of Dark Entity"), but dang that wrap-up was impressively executed.
Actually, no. It's the Elder God that allows and helps every and any plan that ends up in wars. Hyldens are not invisible to EG's omniscience. This "master" plan was only allowed by EG because it allows him to feed further, which is why Moebius allows everything planned by the Hylden to happen. They know they will be defeated regardless and demons, even though freed, will be defeated by Kain anyway. I'm amazed that the whole Defiance ending and twist is totally ignored by some, maybe because Winged Beautiful Vampires are too cute to be considered religious fundamentalists psychos and Hylden are still considered as "the main antagonists". No, they're not. That's the point of the whole saga: revealing the puppeteer.
Hey Dad, I just want to say thanks so much for watching. I put a lot of time into this and I really appreciate the reception and I couldnt be happier with the turnout. Just know there will be a lot more like this in future. If you care to support I have a Patreon which you can find here: www.patreon.com/YourFavoriteSon
Again I can't thank you enough for spending your time watching this. I really appreciate it. Bye Dad.
With all these ads you’re lucky I don’t give you the belt.
@@kingstarscream320 No dad, not again
@@kingstarscream320
*judges you from Premium*
I'm not your dad, yourfavoriteson
@@gronndar you're all my dad
"You said it yourself Kain! There are only two sides to your coin!"
"Apparently so, but suppose you throw a coin enough times... Suppose that one day, it lands on its edge."
One of my favorite lines in all of gaming.
94 and not 1 comment. Time to fix.
I got chills reading that, just as I got chills the first time I heard it, so long ago.
🔥
Facts
"What manner of creature have you been practicing this on? Mortals, with their minds full of commerce and dung?"
That's my favorite lmao
And with this, my friends, Kain pushes in the strange and wonderful lands of speed gaming RNG manipulation....
"You said it yourself, Kain... there are only two sides to your coin."
"Apparently so, but suppose you throw a coin enough times... suppose one day, it lands on its edge."
Still gives me goosebumps to this day, the writing was fantastic.
Still can remember those legendary lines
beautiful
That’s my favorite line from SR2! The story rivals that of FFVII and IMO, it surpasses FFVII.
the kind of dialogue that splits your soul open. Almost like... being reaved.
Who’s here after the soul reaver 1+2 remaster was announced? I’m so excited!
Here here!
All things soul reaver, I’m a Kain fan through & through Blood Omen initially, but the way he fights in defiance hands down Kains my boy 👍
Ironically I had watched this maybe 2 weeks before the remasters were announced and I was sitting here saying “I wish these games would get revived”.
As long as one of us still stands, WE ARE LEGION!!
Ich hatte vor über einem Jahr an der Umfrage des Studios zu einem remake teilgenommen und jetzt ist es soweit. Da kommen Erinnerungen hoch aus der Kindheit 🥳🥳🥳
Have I replayed this whole series just the other month? Yes.
Have I seen everything youtube has to offer on Legacy of Kain? Yes.
Will I watch this 3 hour LoK retrospective? Hell yes!
Same
Didn't even realize it was 3 hours, thought it said 31 minutes. Will still watch.
And fuxking legend 🙌🙌🙌
I replay Soul reaver once a year every year since it came out
Ever been up for a six hour film retreading the entire series (except the failed MOBA Nosgoth)? This guy is!
I now accept that Defiance is the best ending and closure to the series that we're going to get without some soulless corporate cash grab
You mean like the free to play game, Nosgoth?
@@Legionary219 Yeah, not to mention a lot of the talent/developer team has passed away or moved on to new projects
@@Legionary219 Nosgoth had promise. It was just that it was badly optimised in the beta and all the series fans couldn't see the forest for the trees so they kept complaining that it wasn't an adventure game.
@@KnjazNazrath Nosgoth was fun for awhile but the reason it failed is simply because LoK is a heavily story driven game single player series that utilized strong writing and intelligent dialogue, it also had no multiplayer component anywhere in the series, Psyonix who's gameography consists of only multiplayer games was chosen to make a multiplayer focused game where you had to go read pages of subpar writing when compared to the original series to get the story behind the game and of course let's not forget them changing and redesigning the Vampire Clans to be more human like which for one kind of defeats the purpose of them mutating due to having inherited Kain's corruption and two goes against canon because when Raziel was thrown in the Abyss his brothers were already showing signs of changing, that's why the game had a lackluster performance and had to shut down.
I love the ending of Defiance and I would never want to disrupt it. That said... how cool would it be to play an entire campaign about the Hylden either during their fall as they struggle to oppose the Elder God, or after it as they carve out a world in this hellish landscape and are transformed by it?
Raziel’s sacrifice at the end of the series showed that he wasn’t lying about choosing integrity when he first met Kain again after his resurrection. From the start, he really did have the right to judge Kain.
You say that like Kain sacrificing himself at the end of Blood Omen would have fixed things when we all know that's not true. Kain was doing what he did in Soul Reaver 1 because all he could do was bide his time in a doomed version of Nosgoth until he could goad Raziel into following him through the time streaming device.
@@ArvelDrethyeah but lets be real, when Kain refused the sacrifice at the end of Blood Omen 1, there's like no way he was aware of what was really going on yet. it wasn't some spicy 3d chess maneuver, he just wanted to be a god. only later, sometime in the 1500 years between Blood Omen and Soul Reaver 1, did he slowly start growing up and figuring shit out, and *then* decide to embark on his third-option gambit
@@allisongretsinger322 that's not really relevant, because when Raziel said "I would choose integrity" it wasn't about Kain's decision in Blood Omen 1, it was about Kain's "act of genocide" against Raziel's clan. That decision was made to spur Raziel's actions to set up everything that happened in Soul Reaver 1 and 2.
With all respect, no, he did not. By the time Raziel decided to sacrifice himself he had already "lived" long enough to taste both power and knowledge, to experience much enough to make up his mind. Sure, he could have refused, but he did not, for which I respect and admire him. By the time Kain decided to refuse, he was merely a 30 years old nobleman killed without a reason (in his eyes at least), then entangled in a web of lies and manipulations he never asked for. Just a foolish kid for vampire standards. How could one feel when learning that the long promised "cure" was in fact his demise? It's so easy to judge as long as it's not us who have to die.
Not to mention that Kain's sacrifice would just make things worse since he was both the last guardian and the first vampiric guardian in a long time and the Pillars were made by vampires for vampires, not for humans.
@@allisongretsinger322 Kain never had a real choice. When he first got the soul reaver it was already a soul stealing sword. Meaning they already was stuck in the loop.
This series was a pillar of gaming throughout my teens. One of the greatest gaming universes and story I've ever experienced. It's unfortunate that Kain never got a proper ending to his story and this series has been abandoned seemingly for good. Thanks for taking the time to shine a light on this classic series!
One could argue that the story couldn't have ended better.
The series was a pillar…eheheh…
Glad someone else caught that too
as much as i like this series. legacy of kain hasn't aged well. the combat is essentially pointless, you only need to engage in combat to refill health. why do you lose health? because you engaged in combat. soul reaver 2 has aged a bit better i think and defiance is still great imo
@@Jacen436987 I believe in Blood Omen 1 (I can't remember about 2) and Soul Reaver 1, you were at a constant health drain over time that forced you to engage in combat in order to refill your life. Admittedly this ended once you got the Soul Reaver midway through the game as it sustained you.
LoK: Defiance I believe you're exactly correct but you were locked in to areas until you defeated the enemies and couldn't just bypass them (typically)
"Kain is deified"
Just the start of that game still, to this day, gives me chills.
Ozar midrashim starts blasting an atmosphere of death
They didn't waste any time either, as soon as it boots up BOOM
I remember watching my uncle play blood omen 1 a few times as a 6. I never played or followed the series closely but always knew I wanted to go back and check it out 25 years later. I just randomly decided to look for a retrospective on this title 2 days ago and I must say I am truly impressed by the level of detail you put into this video. I have seem quite a few retrospectives and yours is one of the best I've seen on any series. Thanks for the high level of care, effort and detail you went to make this video. I know feel like I can truly appreciate this ground breaking series. I hope square will decide the remake to the original as well as a sequel.
Crystal Dynamics has taken control of the franchise from Square months ago.
@@Illidor1 They also know how important that particular IP is. If you seen the survey they did asking gamers about legacy of kain, they had over 100k responses and that was only like mid-november. So who knows what they might do, I just hope they take their time. We've already been waiting decades, what's a few more years.
At 6 you knew you'd come back to it 25 years later?
@@howlrichard1028 what's with the nitpick get a life 💀 you wonder why your lonely
@@AshChiCupcakl😢
The fact that 200k ppl have watched a 3 hour long video about a near 20 year old series says a lot.
Thank you for this amazing video. I can only imagine how many hours it took you to make this happen.
Time fades even legend.
Kain
Almost 400k and counting, this series has a lot of fans and this dude is a very good story teller.
@@navtektv 515k and counting
@@Tbam99 You posted this 12 days ago as of writing this comment, and it's already jumped to 601. Wild.
0
Oh P
Christmas morning 1996, my grandma bought me a PlayStation and one game, Legacy of Kain. Terrific memories as a gamer. Thanks so much for taking the time to make this vid.
You sir, have (hopefully not had) a kick ass grandma. Mine would always complain that video games are bad for me. 😅
@@torbenfranke1859 i am 41 years old, my brother is 9 years younger then me, he had a baby a little bit ago who will be one in april, both of us including his step son are nerdy gamers, and yet my mom still thinks her little grand baby will not be one, yes yes he will, hes already trying to get my brothers controller when he games and sat one day watching MK 11 when my brother was playing it and was just staring at the tv
Gamer is in his DNA
@@meatloafperfume8218 Nice. My wife and I are both gamers as too. We're pretty sure once we plan for kids, they are going to enjoy that a lot themselves as well.
@@torbenfranke1859
Oh definitely
Damn that’s a cool ass grandma
In a world full of remakes/remasters of some of the amazing gems of the past, I can say that this series is something that would be a good target for that.
I agree I've been always saying this
Couldn't agree more but which studio today would do justice to the series
@@57ham will Activision used to be a publisher for that game I think Activision would be a good fit
I still want Dead Sun to be released
Then boy do i have good news for you
"Kain is deified. The clans tell tales of him. Few know the truth. He was mortal, once, as were we all. However his contempt for humanity drove him to create me and my brethren." - Raziel
This is by far the best series retrospective for the LoK franchise on TH-cam. If there's ever a series which deserves a remaster if not a full-fledged reboot, it's this one. Everything from the narrative structure to the art style and world presentation to the audio design serve up what is collectively one of the greatest stories ever told in this medium. Well done @YourFavoriteSon and thanks for the content!
How could you turn a sarafan priest into a vampire? Raziel
How could I not? Kain
An interesting observation I've heard about Blood Omen 1 is how at the beginning of the game, there are enough human enemies for you to avoid killing innocents. But later, as monsters become more common, you get to a point where you are forced to feed at every opportunity. This could be a metaphor for Kain slowly losing his humanity.
I never thought of it that way but it makes a lot of sense in hindsight.
I remember I really tried to have Kain only kill enemies he killed in self-defense towards the beginning until that became an unviable approach. Succumbing to killing innocents for Kain's sustenance really delivers that feeling of a gradual degradation into depravity that Blood Omen is all about.
@RobDeLaMort 'Janos Juice'...
so that's why Kain didn't want Raziel finding Janos at the end of Soul Reaver 2 - he wanted all the Janos Juice to himself!
@@we-must-live 'Hey ! Phrasing' - World's greatest spy, Sterling Archer 😹😹
As far as I remember, it was never necessary, as you could just use a combination of feeding on enemies and casting magic spells. And don't forget the Energy Bank Artefact, and the Chaos Armour or the Wraith Armour. It's all about using the most efficient strategy, at the most appropriate time. Nice analogy, though.
However, It must be noticed that Kain did not 'lose' his humanity : He discarded it, when realising how corrupt and horrible humans truly are. When he saw how humans would hide their fanaticism behind the mask of morality (especially Vampire hunters during the last Vampire purge - the one that ended with Vorador's death), he decided he no longer wanted to risk his own (un)life for humans and that led to his choice not to sacrifice himself to restore the pillar of balance. And that was the good ending (despite what one would think), since, even though he did not yet know it, his death would have allowed the Hylden to doom Nosgoth even easier and even sooner.
Another thing worth mentioning is that, some time later, after using Moebius's time manipulating devices, he decided to risk everything to restore Nosgoth (even being happy to see Raziel destroy his Reaver in SR1 or offering Raziel the choice to kill him in SR2 or refusing to kill Raziel in their last duel in Defiance and choosing to warn Raziel that the Reaver was trying to absorb him, instead of taking that opportunity to win the fight - even if it meant certain death for himself). Also, no matter the situation, Kain is always the only one trying, as best as he can, to uphold the notion of loyalty.
But, to come back to this blood drinking necessity, it is seemingly 'necessary' in Blood Omen 2, for two reasons : One, Kain's health automatically and continuously decreases, no matter what and, two, only by 'overdrinking' blood can he increase his blood metre - allowing him to require less constant feeding, afterwards.
There is something about these unique, early, and nearly forgotten fantasy console games that feels so iconic to this day. Games like Vexx and Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy, You can even kind of notice how fantasy games like Legacy of Kain have had an impact on the storytelling of similar fantasy games over the years like Darksiders and the God of War series.
You are probably the first other person to ever acknowledge Sphinx. That game was so incredible for its time and I almost don’t want to go back and have my mental image of it destroyed, but it had some amazing puzzles and the twists of the story kept me so hooked as a child. Unfortunately it is a rather long game and I don’t think I ever had the chance to finish it
@@KommissarBanxnow is the time to finally finish it
@@KommissarBanx+1
I loved playing Sphinx and the cursed mummy, took me a few restarts because I got stuck a few times (And as a young kid I didn't know that pressing in the sticks counted as another input - which was a huge roadblock for me until I figured it out on accident in a different game)
Absolutely fantastic game, interesting story, great world building and lots of extra side objectives.
Vexx was so awesome as a kid.. Idk if I played Sphinx. I don't remember that game
I've seen a few videos mentioning Sphinx (mostly Nitro Rad, I think?) but I completely forgot Vexx even existed.
If you want some forgotten timeless fantasy though, I'm quite fond of Koudelka. It's even more shakespearian, and the cast was all stage play actors.
My all time favorite game ever. I would give anything for a remake. I'm glad you made this man, good job. I'm 41 years old, this took me back to the good ol days of gaming, simpler times.
What a game! I'm 41 also, and still say "Vae Victus," and "What trickery is this!" all the time... The Voice acting was outstanding. A top 10 game of all time for me personally...
are the voice actors still alive? pretty sure elder god VA.... has passed. kain and raziel would be around 70 already. are there VA of the same caliber today? havent heard of anyone matching raziel and kain deep rich voices
@DoujinWarrior Bersek cgi turned me into an atheist. the glory of god is nowhere near that travesty
Be careful what you wish for. With the way "remakes" are done nowadays, it may be better if the series stays untouched and awesome instead of some greedy company bastardazing it for a quick buck.
@@kajacx You do have a point. I may never be able to embrace the old days lol I see what your saying for real.
This series would benefit for a remake on par with some other games like Demon’s Souls or FF7R. The story of Legacy of Kain is really good and deserves to continue.
Definitely, among the best stories out there. Remake is a definite too. It'll be hard to carry on the same voice actors I know the voice actors for Kain (Simon Templeton 67) and Raziel (Michael Bell 84) are still alive. But a few have passed away.
Yeah remakes galore, yet no one dusts off a game with crazy lore. It's just sitting there ready.
The voice acting was truly a master piece.
You want them to utterly destroy the story like FF7R did?
I wouldn’t want it in the current state of things. The writer that truly MADE LoK what it was is owned by EA and I don’t want.
2:15:50
Just a small correction, but Magnus explains that he wasn't a traitor. Instead, he had been arrogant and believed he could defeat the Sarafan lord on his own, and so left Kain's camp at night to do so, only to be defeated and imprisoned. Kain forgives him and grants him the release of death, thanking him as his great champion.
I was obsessed with this series when I was younger and I didn't know anyone else who played. Very cool to see that it has such a big and dedicated fanbase.
Yeah dude I was the exact same! Always found people with common interests but barely anyone had heard about Legacy of Kain - let alone played any of the games.
But the last few years I’ve found TH-camrs discussing it and then I’ve introduced the series to people I reckon will like it and they fall in love with the legend. And seeing the response to this video and others…you know what they say about legends: they grow. I feel there is potential for a remake series akin to the Final Fantasy VII remake…and a start towards that would be a HD re-release of Soul Reaver I & II and Defiance…which could do well and then prompt said sequel/reboot. If any series can do the crazy time alternate universe as a simultaneous sequel/ reboot story then it’s the series that basically did it before lol
I wish there was a modern animated version of the cutscenes compiled with the original music and dialogue so we could fully experience it without having to deal with the outdated game itself. It is the best game of all time, next to baldurs gate 1 & 2, planescape torment, etc
I played multiple times and ended it need a remake so bad
@@learn2finesse504 i played it but never finished i would usually get stuck
This series, to this day, has the best voice acting I have ever heard. I hate that this series is effectively dead.
As is the Elder God and, my personal favorite supporting character, Janos Audrin.
Not for long 🤞🏻
I quote the opening from defiance almost daily lmfao. For no reason other than I love the way it sounds. Simon Templeman is one of my favorite voice actors & I even love him playing the angel of death in the old charmed series.
I'm almost 40 years old, and I remember when the first Blood Omen released when I was barely in middle school. I instantly fell in love, the story, dialog, characters, game play and open world gripped me from the start. To this day whenever talkin bout the best vampire ever with my friends, I sing Kain's praises. Edward who? Dracula who? Blade....well naw Blade is ah bad a$$ too lolz.
Fun fact, I once managed to position human Kain in a certain place and killed all the attackers. Unfortunately once they are all dead there is nothing else to do and the game cannot progress, so I had to reset the game.
Another fun fact with Soul Reaver, as it constantly streamed areas from the disk before reaching them, it is possible to open the disk lid on ps1 and keep playing. I would then reach a non loaded blank space. Throw enemies into this and they fall into nothingness. Close the lid and the level loads but the enemy is gone. This can also be manipulated to reach areas that shouldn’t be reached normally such as the elder god starting area but in the material realm. Slightly less green.
I assumed they respawned endlessly. How many do you guess you killed?
Dude! I did the same thing. "Welp, guess I have to restart the game now...."
Yeah that happened to me. You get stuck and need to restart
I managed the same thing, but there's a caveat. If you walk into a building and walk out again, all the bandits respawn. So resetting wasn't technically necessary.
@@sirwill4223 I did not know that. Cool. It's only the intro so even if you don't do this you only lose about 10mins of time regardless. Waiting for those full moon doors was way more tedious
it's so sad that this series has generally been forgotten. I can't think of another work of fiction that has affected me as much. Not only did it get me into video games, but it's what made me want to start writing.
People that want more vampire games think of it along with Bloodrayne and vampire the masquerade. There's simply not enough games where you play as vampires. :(
@@bradleymoore2797 Yeah, and in ESO it doesn't look too exciting to be a vampire as I don't find the combat in general to be very good (even as a regular character.)
i don't know why there hasn't been a reboot of this series yet. it's quite literally one of the best game series ever lore-wise, and now that the times and tech have caught up, i couldn't think of a series that deserves a reboot more.
It probably has to be that most companies that are willing to remake this game want to exploit it for profits. It's like Baldur's Gate 3 that took 20 years before a company that was worthy of doing a sequel of BG2 appeared.
@@fraidei2094They ruined Baldur's Gate with gratuitous sex and breaking the Lore. Illithids have never been created by some Parasite. It would be Blasphemy for the Lore Illithids. They viewed other races as lesser beings to be exterminated or enslaved. Not Host Bodies. If you actually liked Forgotten Realms and knew the Lore, that game was a slap in the face.
It wasn't commercially successful enough, most people love the lore and story but not really the gameplay, it's old enough for a lot of people to have moved on or straight up died (RIP Elder god Tony Jay), it's a game for nerds who read Shakespeare, you need a good writer for a reboot and most video games have mid writing at best, having to do two environments at once is a pita, etc. The only studio that could make a Legacy of Kain game that sells well is From Software, but I don't know if I want Miyazaki to sprinkle the games with his fetishes.
Simon Templeman's voice as Kain is so iconic. I absolutely love the narration and dialogue in this game, it's unlike no other. I'm afraid if they ever did do a remake/reboot it just wouldn't do it justice unless they literally ripped the voice acting from the original games and enhanced them somehow and put them in a remake.
my friend was a big big LoK fan (sadly no longer with us), but I got Simon Templeman to do a cameo video for him, and he remarked how he's a little relieved the dialogue in games is a lot more condensed now, but he has fond memories for the series.
AI
@@AC-hj9tv yea ...I was thinking the same
In an interview, Amy Henning said that the BO2 team pretty much just acted on their own. She tried to work with them to form some continuity, but they just kind of did their own thing regardless. So they had to adjust Soul Reaver 2 to fit with Blood Omen2. Which is where the Hylden came from.
Well, they did a hell of a job making a very interesting story with the hylden race
In that case, what were the demons/ Hash A Gik in Blood Omen 1 originally?
@@followingtheroe1952
They were demons. Nothing too crazy. Mortanius was possessed by a creeping presence; the Hylden Lord was a giant, unneeded retcon to that, one caused by the Blood Omen 2 team.
@@ramtin-s8722They did a good job stitching it up, but I can't help but wonder what the direction would have been if the Elder God's significance is not shared and lessened by the Hylden storyline.
@@kalacs32 Ya you could have had Hash-a-Gik be one of the Elder Gods aspects, for example. And more about why the Elder God was trying to bring down the pillars, which was heavily hinted at in SR2.
As it is there is no reason for him to be doing it, as he would have hated the Hylden as much as the Vampires did. The reason for the war as stated is that the Hylren were Immortal and their souls were not going into the wheel. There is no reason why the Elder god would have been trying to turn them lose.
This is the curse of many well written games, literature and movies where the creators put their soul in their vision. There's simply no one else other than themselves who can have the same love for their creations and visions are extremely personal.
Two of my favorite stories since I was a kid have gone through this. First, Legacy of Kain and the second one, Berserk. I appreciate the work behind the team but without Miura, the story will never have an ending that adjusts with the feeling he provided through the story. At this point it is better to keep these stories close to our hearts and be thankful for the moments we were able to enjoy them.
I see LOK and i click simple as that. This franchise deserves a remaster/sequel to finish things off in the right way.
Some of the best story telling and voice acting in any game series I'd argue.
Agreed
I can’t believe I watched 3 hours worth of history and retrospective about I game I’ve only seen my Dad play when I was 3-5. This was a well put together video and the lore of this game is LEGENDARY. 💯
I just watched a 3 hour video about the history of a game I've only ever heard about in passing, 🤣
The opening music to Soul Reaver was EPIC.
It blew me away, watching Raziel get thrown by Kain off the cliff.
Information Society - Ozar Midrashim
Kurt Harland changed my outlook on video game music.
The whole "Don't be afraid" album is fantastic
god and the voice acting was just so phenomenal. I still firmly remember that opening chords followed by "Kain is deified." What happens when you get actual professionals instead of Joe from the marketing department.
I think the only time that has ever gone well was getting Joseph Kucan, who was phenomal as, uhhh...Cain. Maybe something about that?
It’s no coincidence that most of my favorite games (and I bet you guys too) have amazing soundtracks. If you skimp on music and sound you definitely do your game a disservice.
This was an impressive breakdown of a series that really deserves way more attention than it has today. I've been a fan ever since I first saw the intro to Soul Reaver back when I was 12, and spent way to much time on the Dark Chronicle and The Lost Worlds-websites, downloaded the soundtracks and of course played the games again and again. I've noticed an uptick in attention for the series, with Mandalore's review of Blood Omen, Strictly Fantasy's in-depth character-studies and retrospectives like yours. It's so much fun to see, and I hope updated re-releases of the old games could be coming. We finally got Blood Omen on GOG, so maybe there is hope. We'll probably never get a proper conclusion, but I will be happy if just more people get to experience these classics who's story and voiceacting still puts most modern games to shame!
So glad you liked the video dad! Hopefully this will spur more interest in the series, and in turn, a reboot, or animated series.
Great video. The 3 hours flew by listening to a retrospective of one of my favorite franchises of all time. Love that there are so many dedicated fans of a series that has been abandoned for almost 20 years.
This series is, by far, one of my favorites. And, echoing leagues of fans before me, most of it boiled down to the story. Not only the overarching, time- and world-bending stuff. But also just the dialogues between characters, particularly Kain and Raziel. Building on that, I think the other huge thing for me is definitely the voice cast they chose. It's hard to imagine anyone but Simon Templeman voicing Kain, and Michael Bell brough the perfect energy to Raziel.
I'm not sure if you tripped across it in all your research (I'm sure you did) but there were behind the scenes videos of some of the voice sessions, and those are a really, really fun watch if you haven't already.
This was an incredible video, full of a lot of really awesome information, and even an old-school fan like me learned a few things. Fantastic work and I can't wait to see what else you put out!
Thanks, I appreciate it!
Every time I see a LoK video i am reminded how privileged I was to be able to play one of the best game series of our generation. No other game until this point was able to topple this series from my mind, as one the best game series ever made.
I’m telling you right now……. The moment I heard that intro music I got goosebumps!!!! I am a 50 year old woman… and played the entire series when each game came out. Trust me when I say…. The game was the FIRST I had ever played where there was actually extremely well done voiceover actors. Up until this series.. voiceovers were rare in RPGs, and the ones that were out, the acting was beyond cheesy and cringy. I was so wrapped up in each games story line that I felt like I was a part of it. the game play, the music, and the acting… top notch!!! A SERIES THAT NEEDS TO BE REMADE!! PLEASE!
I must say, the choice of fixed camera for Defiance in and of itself isn't the problem. Prince of Persia Sands of Time had it, and it worked just fine.
The problem is the abysmal angle choices for said fixed camera. The platforming and fight sections would had worked just fine if they had picked angles that serve visibility instead of scenic views.
Yooo
I was wondering if he was playing with a keyboard. I never had any issues with a controller since you can point it at the angle you need.
Same thing with devil may cry it fit perfectly but I 100% agree they should of taken their time with it
@@krtvstudios I didn't mention DMC because it doesn't have nearly as much platforming but DMC also suffered from poor camera angle choice (though nowhere near as bad as this)
It was a problem that plagued most games of that era. Something you never thought about when they were good, but when they were bad it made sections suck.
I'm the kind of person who read a bunch of wikis about games I never got the chance to play, so a video like this is right up my alley. It's really scratches that itch of learning about the lore of a game and the behind the scenes stuff.
Oh me too. Friends
Honestly, one of the most comprehensive retrospectives of the legacy of kain series I have ever seen.
It's hard to properly thank someone for three hours of such high quality content, but really, thank you.
I think the only thing I wish I could have seen, was a controller map input overlay at 2:31:31, cause I don't remember it being quite THAT bad, but certainly aggravating still to be sure.
I am in love with Legacy of Kain. Every time I see a fan project, I get giddy like a kid on Christmas. This was a really well made project. I hope the love for these games never die.
The intro cutscene to soul reaver is probably my favorite intro cutscene of all time. Another scene that sticks out to me was was raziel was examining the glass morals in soul reaver 2. I just remember how interesting the world was. I never finished the series but finding out that raziel dies at the end made me tear up. He was my favorite character
It's amazing how well the CG opening to Soul Reaver holds up, even today.
I see the "death scene" as joyful. Raziel completes the Circle. He does not die, he surrenders to the Reaver and frees his future self from Imprisonment. You can see the spirit in the Reaver dissipating as he vanishes. So it's actually both a Sad and Happy moment as you know Raziel is no longer suffering, and he has successfully changed history in a way that brings about... hope.
In the old "cruel, ill formed" story he was sucked into the Reaver and that was that, doomed by Mobios to repeat the hopeless circle. But he managed to change things enough that the Balance Guardian now had a chance.
I know, I know, Nerd blather, but hey it's a nice thought at least. :)
This is an amazing compilation that must have taken a lot of time. It really is hard to put all of this together and make it memorable. Thanks for this.
EXCELLENT WORK!!! 3hrs is a laughable runtime to sit through when it comes to LOK as most of its fans would gladly sit through 6hrs just to reminisce and bask in the old glory. I so wish there could be a proper closer or two to the series, made by the original teams and writers. A man can only dream.
2:55:30 This scene always makes me tear up.
Raziel realising that Fate he was so adamant to escape at all cost, was actually the only way to save Nosgoth.
The difference is that he Made the choice to follow it and became once More Kain's right hand and most trusted Blade.
Kain didn’t deserve Raziel’s loyalty.
That moment still gives me chills.
"Once again I will be your right hand."
I watched this 11 times the last 2 months , becuase theres always so much information ...and each time I watch is a pleasure and somthing new for me to absorb .the narration by you is superior , and I also love falling asleep listening to it time and time again ..., when my mind is full and just wants to absorb and relax this is my video lately ...
I have never understood why this series of games didnt keep going on to next generation consoles.it was a great series.
A lot of VAs have died or been retired, and the ownership of the IP is an issue.
The second and 3rd Soul Reaver games didn't sell well. I remember being super pumped for SR2 but disappointed with how bland the gameplay was and the jump puzzles really pissed me off. It was a good looking game with a great story but it was a chore/bore to actually play. Blood Omen 2 was fun to play with a pretty good story but it was graphically very ugly. I think all the cuts from SR2 from the rushed development killed the series.
The main story writer Amy Hennig left Crystal Dynamics and CD got rights to do Tomb Raider games so the Scraped LOK😡
@@lawrwncemitchell9955 CD is actually right now doing surveys about the LOK IP as far as I know
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver is my favorite game of all time. Nothing I played before it was like it and I haven't played anything like it since. Everything that makes a memorable game is here and fires on all cylinders. The story, the mechanics, the acting, the music, the atmosphere; all of it is tremendous. I place it on the shortlist of games that I submit as proof that the medium is a legitimate art form and I'll take it with me on a deserted island any day.
This is definitely the best summary of the series I've seen so far and I'm sure even someone who wasn't familiar with it before would've had no problem following you along the lines of this very complicated topic so it goes to show how much effort you put into it - well done! 👏
I played Soul Reaver as a kid on the ps1.
Then, years and years later, I stumbled onto Nosgoth by joining a viewer lobby of a streamer I followed that happened to be playing it.
I know Nosgoth is a bit of a black sheep in the LoK fandom, but goddamn I loved playing that game.
The nostalgia I have for Soul Reaver though is completely unrivalled.
Having played Soul Reaver as a kid, I kinda just stumbled through the game and never really got into the lore.
Partly because of being a kid and not knowing better, partly because of English not being my native language and I barely spoke it back then.
This retrospective made me rediscover an interest and fascination for the LoK world I haven't felt in almost 20 years.
Thank you.
I think Elzevir's section was out of place with intention. I think it was supposed to take you out of the power trip for a bit and show you that there are other monsters in Nosgoth besides Kain. Some more deranged than a blood thirsty vampire, which as evil as it is, the vampire's actions are still dictated primarily by survival instincts, while Elzevir and his dark magic were nothing more than insanity and mallice.
I like this take on Elzevir
Elzevir is the most offbeat boss in the game. It must have been awkward for Kain to discuss with Raziel that he once faced up against a toymaker clown in his youth.
@@virgogaming6488 . Elzevir was possibly the Medieval Ancestor of a certain "Clown Prince of Crime". While Kain or any 1 of his Lieutenants is the Undead Ancestor of a certain Dark Knight of Gotham City.
lol I saw this vid pop up and was like hell yeah I could do with a reminding of how great LoK was. Only to start watching and realize this was one of the vids I watched after completing the series last year. This video is so in-depth that it’s gonna become my comfort video for LoK. Being able to see gameplay from each game while you talk about it really helps relive it all and makes this amazing
I liked Kain but there was always something about the Sarafan that made me love them. They where like the Knights Templar, but the world they existed in was literal hell. You always knew they would fail but still they fought. Yes I know they are the main antagonists but I still really related to them, making a stand even though it was certain defeat. Nosgoth was about as Dark Fantasy as dark fantasy could get. Hell when you go into the future in the second game, humanity has become close to extinct, to a world that is so full of evil and monsters, threat it is breaking apart.
I really love the saraphan's designs. They were a mix of legionnaires and knights. Truly an inspired look
I watched the whole video. This is a good crafted documentary and I cant imagine how many hours you spent to put it together.
The storyline is what makes this series special. I think it is in the top place with Planescape Torment in whole gaming medium.
Aside I dont think the series will come back. To give it the rights it deserves, the development will require an expensive AAA budget, and no studio will risk it. But imagine what it should be. Sometimes I imagine when I play God of War, this technology should be applied to a Soul Reaver game…
Thanks dad!
The writing to this franchise was sublime. I fell in love with this when I first saw that intro at a Funcoland in CA demonstrated on a Dreamcast. What a marvelous game.
Same woman that wrote this series wrote The Uncharted series as well.
I love this series and have often asked for a new game.
At the age of 58 I still go back to it
This was a wonderful LoK retrospective, so few videos talk about Kain's emotional state, shifting morality and wishes and his overall relationship with Raziel during his entire stay in the series. A delightful 3 hours of pure entertainment.
I have always loved this series.
And I know I'm in the minority, but I've always thoroughly loved Blood Omen 2.
At this point I'd love to see Dark Prophecy and possibly one other game made to completely wrap up the story.
I'd love to see it utilizing the assets, settings, and character models from the Nosgoth game as well.
Thank you for the time and effort to create this content. It is much appreciated, and these games and this franchise is so criminally underrated. People like you help it keep alive, and this is awesome. Only critique I can have (please consider this as a positive critique, I am not trying to belittle your work) is you forgot to give Simon Templeman and Michael Bell their proper acknowledgment about their voice work. Other than that, thank you, this has been a joy to look and listen to.
So glad you liked it! I definitely left some things out for sure. I am revamping the way that I do research and take notes so the next video I'm currently working on will be much more comprehensive. I really appreciate the feedback! Thanks Dad!
Anna Gunn as Ariel, as well.
I spent hundreds of hours on these games and studying, and making sense of the story. Underrated and beautiful series. The gameplay was sometimes plagued by issues from that era. Very nostalgic.
I listen to this frequently, and I’m writing this with a Soul Reaver 1&2 Remaster slated for release. My hope is that it sparks a new interest in the series to where we may just get a new game someday.
I've played Soul Reaver for the first time about 20 years ago. Since then, I've been trying to explore the lore through internet, and dipped my toes in other games of the series. But today... today is the day when I finished Defiance, thus concluding my playthrough marathon of the series. From Blood Omen, Through Souls Reavers and Blood Omen 2, to Defiance. I've experienced the whole thing. It was glorious, and I feel even more sad with the unanswered questions the series has left us with. I can only nurture, cradle in my heart this tiny glimmer of hope, hope that this isn't the end. Even if it is the case, it was all worth it, every single minute. Thank you, Son, for reminding me why I fell in love with this universe all those years back.
Such an in-depth look at a series I had no interest in 30 minutes ago, well done! It’s going to take me a few watches to finish this retrospective completely, but I loved what I’ve seen so far with your synopsis of the first game. I’m disappointed I never heard of this series before this video, it’s incredibly interesting
Thanks so much! I hope it can introduce a lot of people to these games!
@@YourFavoriteSon1 Doing the work.
Eg
This was one of my favorite game series. It's not perfect, and going back the gameplay can be tedious. However this was one of my favorite constructed worlds in videogames. This story was a blast and was compelling enough for me to play through them multiple times. The first blood omen is incredibly hard to go back and play currently lol.
Just try and ignore some of the plot holes from blood omen 2. That was the series low point not only did it have some wonky parts that didnt work in the series timeline but the entire boils down to bad guy uses trick to defeat kain then kain uses the exact same trick to defeat bad guy and it's really just a low for the story.
This series was one of those games where the lore was a lot more interesting than the gameplay. It came out in a period of gaming where games with rich lore were a rarity outside of JRPG's anyway. And like the video said, there weren't many anti-heroes in this period of gaming. For those reasons, it has a loyal fanbase, and, we're all hoping Square Enix, who bought up the rights to crystal dynamics, will revive this franchise someday.
Thank you for existing and for making this video, MyFavoriteSon.
I only played Soul Reaver when I was 12. I never got to the part where I can start shifting into the material world for how scared I was.
My feelings about it never changed. This is what makes it a fantastic game.
My man, you had me at "industrial, ethereal, egyptian influenced fusion... it works incredibly well for developing this post-apocalyptic vampire corrupted world..."
Holy shit I know how I'm spending my Saturday afternoon!. Also going through defiance right this moment as I revisit it every other year, I'm almost scared they bring this series back as I don't know how can they posible live up to the lore, the world, the characters, and the fans.
"This will make a fine addition in my collection"
- General Grievous
The way that you read your scripts (annunciation, cadence, etc) basically makes anything you say intended to be vaguely humorous become WAY funnier as a result. I love it. This video is also incredibly thorough and interesting. It rips. But it's got 3.1 million views and people on the comments already saying how much it rips, so you know that, king.
Man, you thanked them for their amazing work. I thank you for such an amazingly detailed work. It took me about a week to finish it in my lunch breaks, but I definitely loved it. Thanks.
I love this series so much. The dialogue propels the characters into legendary status. The world of Nosgoth is honestly ripe with possibility to explore. If only we could get the games made in a non-cash grab way.
This masterpiece has so much potential for an amazing TV series, potential that is...
i freakin love Blood Omen 2, the art style, the environment, the character designs are amazing, Umah and Kain especially. And the steampunk world with its technological advancements combined with magic is amazing to me. I find it that this game shows more of the normal life of people than any other game in the series, and that is always fascinating to me. Its great world building.
Highly underrated imo, feels like people have the same feelings for it as for Dark Souls 2, as in the black sheep in the series, and i highly disagree, in both cases.
Also, i hate that Kain kills Umah.
I also love the character designs in Defiance, characters looks so good, for its time it has remarkably competent facial animations.
There is just something about blood-omen 2 which just captures me. I think it’s the ascetic and music
I hated that scene too. If Umah had to die, i'd have preferred it if someone else killed her. I blame the scriptwriters here. Regarding Kain, i'd suggest he may have been suffering from PTSD which addled his judgement on who was loyal & who wasn't.
Agree, I really like BO2. I think I would even place it at 2nd after the first SR.
Honestly, I expected Umah's death. And, considering that I am not a fan of devs turning Kain into unlikely hero because they needed the plot for SR2 and Defiance moving and I'd prefer if Kain's story ended in SR as it was intended I definitely see Kain killing Umah
You killed it, Son. Got a sub from me. I was lucky enough to play these games as they released on the systems they were built for, and still cherish the experience to this day. Also, hats off to not only making this vid, but getting the games to run on current machines. I know that's no simple task. I still have a copy of the original Soul Reaver I naively bought off steam that I've never gotten to work the way I want, so know what a Herculean effort that is.
I will never forget this game in all my life. I remember in the summer of 2006 when I came to visit my mother in the US from Africa, and she surprised me with the PS2 and LOK:Defiance. I was instantly hooked. The storytelling, the characters, the lore and the universe. I was fully immersed and I am saddened by it's current stagnation. Perhaps it's for the best, seeing as the "Wheel" does not continue to turn under a corporation's gaze
The fact that the seminal Simon Templeman did the voiceover for Kain is the reason why he's one of my favorite actors.
I started watching this as a long time fan of the series. I think that Soul Reaver might be one of my first experiences with narrative heavy games, which influenced my career path as a game writer.
While watching the video my girlfriend started listening, interested by the lore. When the video was around Soul Reaver 2 I stopped the video, asked her if she found the story interesting. She said yes, so I said, I have bad news for you, because the story never ended, the franchise died.
Taking some artistic liberty in honor of the topic at hand.
Her blood-curdling scream of primal rage echoed within the confines of the chamber, like the long lost howl of a cursed wraith, trapped between the boundaries of life and death.
omg im so glad im not the only one who loved this game. it was a childhood favorite. i named almost all future game characters in any game i played Raziel. SOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOD
This is my favorite saga, soul reaver 1 is actually my favorite ps1 game of all time for the simple fact of its premise, while others play cute games like crash or spyro or over the top stuff like twisted metal... soul reaver didn't gave me just a serious story, it gave me one of the best protagonist I ever met, (you can even check my user picture here).
The shekspirian acting in this games are some of the best and just adds to the lore, the fate of this game with such a cliffhanger is as bad as half life in my opinion. Even if it was a PS5 exclusive this would bring new fame to the saga, this HAS TO RETURN somehow... and if a company wont do it? well, lets US the fans do it, lets create a fangame that will at the very least CLOSE the original story left in DEFIANCE.
Because we all deserve that feeling.... HOPE.
I don't know what's worse; the fact that I'm watching a 3-hour video on a franchise that hasn't seen a real follow-up in 20 years or the fact I've watched said video multiple times.
Ok, since I just found myself watching this for the 4th time and noticed I never commented, I have to say, thank you so much for the time and effort you put in!!
I'm 34 now and grew up with the series. Somehow always wondered, why God Of War exploded like it did, when the Legacy had
such a better story and way more interesting gameplay, if you ask me.
Makes me really happy younger people not only love the game, but also appreciate the shakespearean dialogue and deeper themes.
Oh boy do I sound old!
Cheers, keep up the good work!!
@@mysoultotake87 More times than you're proud to admit HAHA same here!
Yeah a remake would be awesome! Maybe someday .. 🤓
What a fantastic documentary man. Congratulations. Kept me entertained the whole time and helped me revisit the good old PS days. It’s sad to know that we’ve lost some of the voice cast, but I still hope we get a remake of this wonderful story, either in novels, movies, games or however. Once again, thanks man.
The Pirate Ship isn't removed, it's just a bitch to access. You have to activate 4 hidden switches in the game, which either Opens a Teleport spot, or teleports you directly (I forget which exactly)
I miss this series. I'd love to have the chance to see how Kain's story would have concluded.
yes we need an ending to his story to see balance restored maybe make peace between the hylden and the vampires.
Probably kain udon go time travel to stop himself sacrificing himself to stop the damned future from coming
@@Marcustheseer . Also, the humans should get to know the truth behind the vampire's curse. All 3 species joining together to destroy the parasitic Elder God.
@@douglasgw1992 That would make no sense as it would break all the timeline
@@NanashiSaru break OR cancel out all paradoxes? The loop closed and the world saved. It would be easier if Rafael could do it. Then could move away from time travel shinanagains and into dimension shinanagains
This is one of my all time favorite videos on TH-cam. BO2 was the first M rated game I played (back when that even meant anything 😂) and it was so incredible to experience such adult situations like the betrayal when you’re like 10. Man what an incredible series. Remake PLEASE.
AND BTW, THANK YOU SON.
I just want to say son, your videos have helped me get through a mundane point in my life bringing me helpful information and amazing writing, I’m proud of you my fave son, you have made dad proud. Haha but all seriousness keep up your good work your videos are highly detailed, and I love observing every hour you provide, your knowledge in game development and the way you critic games is so real, your not biased, you say the bad and the good no matter how much you like the game, you have became my fave critic channel over the past few months and I know you probably will never read this but I just want you to know you have inspired me into the future off my channel as I’m beginning to write scripts on analysis of my favourite games and to be honest you are my key inspiration and I want to thank you for the motivation you have brought to my bleak life, you have inspired me to do better for myself and my family and focus on something in life finally, thank you son, never give up on this because you have a extreme talent in the way you criticise and analyse games, simping over hahaha if you ever read this, I hope your life is as blessed as you make so many others❤
The Legacy of Kain series cannot be called particularly successful or important for the industry, but its fate is, without any doubt, tragic. During the period from 1996-2003, five games were released in this line, which were worked on by completely different people and teams. Seven years afloat, total sales of three and a half million copies, and then the series was swallowed up by gloomy darkness. After 2003, the developers tried to do something, experimented with formats, but all their new attempts were in vain. The fans scattered who where, and the name of the vampire Cain was forgotten. A great series, still goosebumps from the main musical theme from the first SOUL RIVER.
I remember playing this back in the day. The countless loading screens were grueling.
I think I know almost everything about these series but I 'm glad to see more people analyze it and make videos like this for people who doesn't know it yet. Thanks for all your work.
Just came across this video and it reminded me of soul reaver, I totally forgot it existed. I played it when I was younger and remember thinking it was so cool, I had no idea it's a series. Now I want to go back and play it, you hit me the nostalgia 🤯
Wonderful job on this video, my guy. You really put your heart into it and we old time fans of LoK appreciate any update of any sort, even fan ones! I know you were focusing on the main factor of the series itself but I'm surprised you didn't mention the failure that was adding the Kain and Raziel skins and horribly botched reused voice clips they put into that co-op Tomb Raider game.
Thanks, I appreciate it! Haha I almost did put that in, but it felt like beating the series while it was down. I figured I'd end on a high note 😂
this series is so sick and a huge part of my childhood. Thank you so much for the thorough, comprehensive and respectful overiew
Denis formed Apocalypse Studios & is working on a massive spiritual successor to this series.
A stand alone player driven game called Deadhaus Sonata 👍
I specifically remember playing SR2 on PS2, when the reaver started healing you, and my exact thought was "I'm not supposed to be doing this, but it feels good..."
Have I watched this before? Yes.
Am I watching it again? Yes.
This is by far my favorite game series!
i watched this with my friends, because we have a sudden nostalgic flashback regarding this game at our nearby cafe and decide to use your video as a reference. thank you so much. Masterfully done!!
I look forward to your growth, and extremely well crafted retrospectives. I can see so much you are more than just a fan of LoK but videogames in general. So you know what I'll say it too. I am proud of you son. Subscribed.
Thanks dad!
I made it to the end!! Thank you, thank you for this amazing documentary! I was 12 years old when I first attempted Blood Omen. It was so damn difficult. I followed the game up until Defiance. You couldn't beat storytelling and mechanics of the first two games in the late 90s.
weird, this is the only channel of narration that isn't hosted by a british guy. I mean AVGN is obvious, but really its amazing this is going on instead of "oh come see my let's play of something dumb" or "also check my prank videos and how to's". Bravo sir.
Ever since I was a little kid who only had a bunch of PS1 Demo Discs, I played the demo of Soul Reaver over and over again and I watched the intro cutscene so many times that the Demo Disc is not permanently glitched for that part. I loved the first and second Soul Reaver games and only when I grew up I got my hands on the rest of the games. I was surprised how long Blood Omen was and how different Blood Omen 2 was compared to the rest of the games. I will never stop loving this series and hoping for a Remaster/Remake of atleast Blood Omen 1 and Soul Reaver 1 the same way we had the Remake of the first MediEvil. This video is really awesome and even tho I (and many others) have watched pretty much every retrospective of this series I have to say that this particular video has been the best so far. Great work!!!
This was well documented and put together, I was captivated the whole way through so the length didn´t bother me. Great video
Ah, but you missed the most crucial trick of the entire play. The Hylden Lord was behind it all along. Up to the endgame of Defiance, we are left with nothing but shards of the full drawing. A Dark Entity possessing Mortanius in BO1, the Sarafan/Hylden Lord somehow having used Janos Audron in events prior to BO2. Here we realise the full extend: In the waning centuries the banished Hylden realise that the binding of the Pillars weakened more and more and in order to sped-up the weakening, their strongest Champion, the Hylden Lord, managed to slip through into the material world with a devillipsh plan. He possessed Mortanius in order to kill Ariel, causing her lover to go mad and infest the Circle, then years later to orchestrate the death of Kain so he could cast him as a Vampire with the Heart of Darkness, ripped from Janos Audron centuries earlier, forcing him to kill the maddened circle. Meanwhile, the future Kain would appear at that moment and be "killed" by Raziel, who uses the future Heart of Darkness to revive Janos Audron, while Mortanius battled the present Kain and the Hylden Lord/Dark Entity reveals himself. Upon being cast away by Kain, the Hylden Lord possesses the still weakened Janos Audron, who is still leagues stronger than Raziel and uses Janos Body to form the Beast that would power the Mass. This is why Audron is so belligerent towards the Hylden Lord. Not due to their racial war, out of personal rage against his abuser. And this was the ultimate trap of the Hylden that Kain realised at the end in SR2.
This plot twist has been three (four, though the whole schebang has not been yet mentioned in SR1) games in the making, dropping minute hints and leaving scraps of information that were confusing and conflicting, but only made sense if you see the timestreams of future-selves taking place at the same time as past-selves having different aims and plans. Arguably, many of it is a retconning of events to make them fit into a singular narrative, like the eponymous Dark Entity of BO1 actually being the Hylden Lord (we only realise that connection by a throwaway-line from Raziel who describes that which possess Mortanius in the Below-Caverns of Avernus as "some kind of Dark Entity"), but dang that wrap-up was impressively executed.
Actually, no. It's the Elder God that allows and helps every and any plan that ends up in wars. Hyldens are not invisible to EG's omniscience. This "master" plan was only allowed by EG because it allows him to feed further, which is why Moebius allows everything planned by the Hylden to happen. They know they will be defeated regardless and demons, even though freed, will be defeated by Kain anyway.
I'm amazed that the whole Defiance ending and twist is totally ignored by some, maybe because Winged Beautiful Vampires are too cute to be considered religious fundamentalists psychos and Hylden are still considered as "the main antagonists". No, they're not. That's the point of the whole saga: revealing the puppeteer.
Its so exciting finding a new channel with crazy potential, I know this must take a ton of effort and it shows. Keep it up son!
Thanks so much dad! More coming soon!