It was very subtle. But at the same time, looking at the three murals. The scion of balance in the middle has a flaming and metal Reaver Blade. The “two” champion murals show each being impaled by the other sword.
Actually the three murals and especially the middle one literally is the explanation( although I admit they didn't state it upfront so can be considered subtle) that Raziel was both the Vampire Champion and the Hylden Champion. Because take a closer look on the Entity in the middle mural its actually both the Vampire and Hylden Champions merged into one indicating that Raziel was both of them at the same time. I mean the entity looked vampire, had blue skin, had the reaver at the same time it was flaming like the wraith blade that Raziel possesses, plus the Spirit Reaver symbol above. I think that was the indication that Raziel was both the champions, but still I too think I truly understood by days and days of reading the LoKWiki. And mind you the entity in the middle mural is not the Scion of Balance. The scion of balance was supposed to be a fortold balance guardian that was prophesied to restore the pillars and balance in nosgoth and I don't exactly remember if it was prophesied that he would be a vampire or not. Remember Kain was a balance guardian first at birth and then a vampire and only then I suppose it all conceided and everyone realized that he was the Scion of Balance. The Vampire Champion, the Hylden Champion and the Scion of Balance are supposed to be three different entities.
Raziel was the coin personified. He was the only one with free will. And so he became the coin Kain had mentioned. But instead of choosing either/or, he chose both, thus the coin landing on its edge..... I freaking love this!!!
I never really thought about the coin quote in this way but Raziel seems like he IS the coin. "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."
That's a great way to look at it. Kain thinks of Raziel as his shot at redeeming Nosgoth who he gambles everything on. And then at the end of series, Raziel willing embraces the idea that he is Kain's right hand, his sword (both figuratively and literally).
My take on it is that Amy Hennig is a storytelling genius. People often say there is nothing new in stories since Homer and I tend to concur in general. But every once awhile you come across a twist like this. Never seen before, never expected. And all you can do is sit with a smile and be grateful.
I wish Amy would return to directing video games similair to this. Not necessarily LOK but a new game with more excellent Shakespearean dialogue would be nice :)
@@strictlyfantasy watching your video this was the exact impression in my mind as well: "how Shakesperean these dialogues are and how much they are a miss". Games and entertainment in general tend to make up for this with sheer profanity. Just throw in a bunch of "strong language" to grab the attention of the audience. What a cheap way of compensating for a lack of vocabulary and general education.
God, Amy is a MONSTER in writing...when you play this game it feels like you're reading a fucking awesome novel... Again I have thank Strictly Fantasy's top content on this series...Every LOK fan thinks they're the best one but I have to admit you, Raina, Baziel & few others are truly the best ones for keeping the series alive
You're absolutely right. These games do feel like reading an awesome well written novel, especially Soul Reaver 2. Almost every single cutscene in that game is great and memorable.
I loved Defiance's ending. Bit of a cliffhanger but I like to think it let's the player devise what adventures Kain would go on to defeat the Hylden Lord and forge a empire of vampires with the purified Soul Reaver
@@artemisarrow179 even more heartbreaking after knowing that there was gonna be a sequel continuing on from that and it got shelved for a soft reboot that then itself got cancelled
@@themightylyon3324 Maybe is for the best, companies nowadays are profit focused, so the story would be treated in a poor way with many schemes to make money like DLC, NFT, microtransactions and such. Square Enix is getting a bad name for that.
@@artemisarrow179 I still dream of a sequel... God I love Amy and hate her at the same time. LoK was so influential for me that some friends and family still call me Raziel, even though I'm an old fart now
Actually, defiance ends it full circle once more. Time is fucked with in this entire series. Remember also that you defeat the hylden lord in BO2. So ill let ur brain work its way from here i guess... xD
Defiance is such an underated gem. It expanded the lore so much and explained so many things. If only we could've gotten Dark Prophecy to wrap up the story. Just one more game is what LoK needed and it would've been perfect(maybe a Vorador prequel would be nice too). Now, it's almost perfect, close enough I suppose.
@@iHawke There is one company I would trust with this: From Software, the creators of Dark Souls. The kind of storytelling that made LoK great seems right up their alley.
@@tarvoc746 I am not so sure From Software would actually be a good fit to tell such an involved story. They are certainly capable of nailing both the atmosphere and world building, but I am skeptical regarding their ability to graft a “more straightforward”narrative on top of it. Making things more explicit doesn’t seem to be their forte. But it could work out through an hypothetical collaboration with the surviving developing team members. Fat chance of that happening, though.
"The coin is still turning" THIS WAS THE COIN LANDING ON ITS EDGE! Considering this, and the way time travel works in the story, Raziel willingly sacrificing himself would give Kain the freedom to change the next big event. Of restoring Nosgoth and staying alive to rule it simultaneously!
And it was at this point that I knew. It was not revealed in Dialog but the murals combined with this phrase did make it quite clear. I think it was intended that the player would realize it at the same time as Raziel did.
I legit get hyped every time you post. You’ve got a natural storytellers voice, you can read the back of a cereal box and make it interesting. You’re hopefully going to blow up. You deserve way more views. You introduced me to LOK MediEval, and the Kingkiller Chronicles, you find so many cool licenses and stories I love the different topics you pick.
The dude's got a natural talent for conveying and understanding that much is clear! :) Considering what he said about his younger self in this video. He reminds me very much of myself in a way and what I did, how I worked to adapt myself to become better (not perfect, such perfection is an illusion) as an individual as I became older just like he did at some point in his life, sure, we all, do it. Some do it for their entire lives like I am on the path of doing. But some do it more than others and others just don't bother at all and remain the same throughout their life(lives), repeating mistakes, not changing anything, etc, in life you'll find 2D & 3D people. Funny thing is, the way LOK is setup, everyone is very much 3D in personality, if not half way to 4D! We're not talking about Ralof here from Skyrim man whose practically a 1D intro filler. These sorts of games MUST come back, I literally traded all my time modding Skyrim AE to play the LOK series again and the nostalgia, the sensation of unification with my old self and new is quite heart-warming and most of all, it is gratifying. Judging the recent polls sent out. It's looking like we may be getting more LOK content soon! :D Anyways, it'd be cool to do an intellect/personality dimension talk on characters in fantasy sometime, I know a lot of these things base down to opinion however I would imagine between say a 1 - 10 the vast majority of characters from LOK would score a very close 10 given all we've learnt in-game and on Strictly Fantasy's channel. Interesting concept it'd be. :)
100 percent agree. Natural story tellers are rate imo, especially in this format. Take Mr ballen for example. Dude is a natural and has the subs to back that up. I think you are just as good. Sadly, this series is so underrated that it doesnt have that many eyes on it and likely never will. You should branch into other source material so long as you keep doing these. 😂👍
I always thought that the prophecy was that both champions would kill each other and the result would be Kain wielding the empowered Reaver, never crossed my mind that Raziel was both.
Real reason why I consider this franchise to be one of the best is that I always miss something or don't understand part of the game/story and thus I'm forced to come back and to watch some video or read the wiki. Also, it has excellent vocabulary... as a non native english speaker, it kept me mesmerised all the time. Thanks for the video and dedication!
This series always impressed me greatly through the use of language. Highly intelligent scripts, read by top-notch voice actors. More than anything else, I love that about this series. It's also why I still play the games as movies on TH-cam. I can listen and enjoy them just as much as playing them.
Even as a native english speaker the vocabulary used in this series is spectacular. Often using words I've never heard but given the context they're used I still understand whats being said.
I forgot about this channel honestly, and I appreciate that for once the TH-cam algorythem had thrown me your way. The might be the best video to start 2022 with since I had needed a series to go back to. Now maybe I will play Soul Reaver 1 again as I had 2 portals I never was able to find and activate.
Also a cool little thing is how in the prophecy you can see how one of the champions always impales the other with a sword, which is how raziel finally enters the sword and fulfills his destiny
I missed it too and i played the LoK Series many times as a kid/teenager and still love it today. Until i read about Amy Hennings post i never thought about that Raziel could be both champions, but in retro it just fits perfectly
The thing about the prophecy is that every character understanding of it informs their characterization. >Kain KNOWS he's the Scion of Balance, he knows it's his birthright. Although he seemed reluctant of delving into Raziel's role further, perhaps he trusted Raziel in finding his own answers. He never seems too convinced of the attempts Moebius makes to manipulate him into believing Raziel was the Hylden hero. >Moebius understands quite easily all the pieces in the prophecy, but he's a pawn of the elder god. He believes the whole prophecy to be a sham, because his god is the only god and it's the one telling him that Vampires and Hylden are abominations. >Janos actually had the most information about the prophecy out of everyone bar Moebius and the Elder God. He doesn't understand the meaning of words however, perhaps his enthusiasm and unwavering faith led him to delude himself into claiming Raziel is the Vampire champion that he brushed aside any resemblance to the Hylden champion, plus he never saw the wraith blade which was very clever on the creator's part. >Mortanius knows the old prophecies and knows of the Scion of Balance, but for most of his life he thought it was just fairytales the Vampires tried to pass onto him to justify his kidnapping. He misunderstands various aspects, like thinking Kain is both the Vampire champion and the Scion of Balance. >Ariel had the same understanding as mortanius because he relayed his plan to her. But after the spirit forge, she was "much more than she once was" and she understood Raziel's true endeavor of being the Reaver and the weapon of the Scion of Balance >Vorador knows of the old prophecies, but his cynicism and jadedness had left him wary of them, when Raziel first showed up he didn't share the enthusiasm of Janos and didn't know what to make of Raziel ever since Soul Reaver 2. >Elder God, he knew just how dangerous the Scion of Balance was. But he's also a clever manipulator and lying is second nature to him, never showing any type of weakness. When Raziel tells him he didn't foresee Kain's return he changed the subject. The Elder God knows that the Scion of Balance is destined to kill him and that the powers that help Kain are stronger than his grip on the Wheel of Fate. Only after Kain finally sees the Elder God for the first time, the Elder God admits it was always Kain's Soul Reaver and never his.
I have like classic Norse Mythology knowledge of Prophecy influences it’s fulfillment. In those myths stories history was immovable even if it was for seen by the victims and actions taken to avoid their end would always lead to their end. In the same way this was the story of Raziel from the beginning, he heard of a prophecy the knowledge of it influenced his actions towards subconsciously. It was only at the end where he realized his deadly mistake that he managed to derail the plans laid out for him. He found the edge of the coin.
for me the whole atmosphere of LOK series always gives me this vibe that a hidden truth was placed in the game to dig and it takes me on an adventure which is very mysterious, with the combination of great music theme, voice acting and beautiful architecture, its a Gem.
I had always assumed that Kain was one and Raziel the other, and that the dual images of them being defeated represented Kain's death in the Catherdral while Raziel's sacrifice was the other. However this does explain perfectly why the image of the Scion does not really match either of the champtions, while Raziel shares mainy traits of both champions.
My God! The Legacy of Kain will ALWAYS be considered one of the greatest video game franchises EVER! It was amazing on so many different fronts. Amy Henning was just coming into her creative prime and she killed it with this series. I wish we could get a remake(similar to Shadow of Colossus and Demon Souls) or at least an HD collection. Returning to the entire saga one more time would be a dream come true for me.
Raziel being both makes SO MUCH SENSE to me now. After all he's the one running around with twin souls, meaning he's always been a paradox and could be both champions at the same time! Wow, I really appreciate that bit putting it together. This series has the best writing, I swear.
When I first played Defiance, the mystery of it all had me flip flopping every time a new mural appeared. Seeing the fusion of both possible destinies was extremely clever and blew my mind once I understood the deeper implications.
I always took it to mean that the champions were originally prophesized to merge, or combine forces, and the prophecy was mistaken to mean conflict over time and retelling. Both the Hylden and the Vampires had biases that would've colored their views.
lol, I actually as a teen at the very end realized that he was both of them, remembering how many called him both Redeemer and Destroyer it came up finally, and with Kain having it's own entire destiny, it was clear he can't be either of the champions, and Raziel filled the boots of both
I have to admit it was pretty amazing to see this unfold! However, i alway imagined that the pillars went through the planet and on the otherside was a land where the Hylden reside and their champion was something we hadn't seen yet, and Hashageek was their balance guardian. Sigh always fun to imagine😅
By having raziel being both sides of the same coin, the prophecy is guranteed completion and united by the same power. It's truly amazing how they pulled it off.
I was 32 years old when I discovered this plot point. Can’t say this enough. Legacy of kain is still one of the greatest games I have ever played. Keep up this amazing channel!
So something that kinda overlooked is that if you take in account about the events of Blood Omen 2 where Kain meets the Witch of the Woods, that being was a Human and Hylden hybrid in which Kain sucks the blood. Perhaps a very minor factor of Kain's evolution look factor of what he looks like now may have only a small amount to attribute why he has such a look that sorta resembles the Hylden in some capacity. Granted it could be mere coincidence, but regardless it make some sense to why Kain does kinda look like the Hylden in that capacity granted it would be a very very minor one. I'm blown away by the fact that Raziel would be both the champions at once, but it makes so much sense. He would forgive Kain in kindness, Kain then truly fulfilling the role as Scion if Balance as well as having the coin analogy of his come true for it landed on it's edge! My goodness I love LoK so much.
I like it. Except for: Kain has always grown the bone crown, even in earlier timelines where he never met the Seer witch in the woods. So her blood can't be responsible for any hylden-ized look he had in SoulReaver1, etc. But (!), Mortaneus DID have contact with the hylden under Avernus, and some of their blood may have been in the Heart of Darkness when it was jammed into Kain (!), perhaps influencing his look toward the hylden race. AND, going forward in this new timeline where he does ingest hylden blood...... maybe he enters the State of Change cocoon and emerges with even more obvious hylden features to blend in with hylden society during his upcoming visit to hell?
10 out of 10. I'm really glad to see L.O.K. fans still exist out there. And I'm especially glad to see videos being produced by someone as talented as you.
I have to say I am so happy for you making these videos. More people need to know about this fantastic game series, and the way you frame your storytelling is very smooth.
The legacy of kain has been an enormous inspiration for me, and your amazing videos crystallize its story into an easily consumable manner. If it wasn't for your high quality videos, I wouldn't have rekindled my love for soul reaver. As a lead writer for a video game, I can only hope my work is half as good as the legacy of kain's.
Huh. I actually never realized Raziel was both campions but yeah when you put all the clues together it makes sense. I never gave it much thought honestly. I was much too worried about the massive plot hole that was Vorador in Blood Omen 2 but having just watched that video its less massive now. That said this is why I watch these videos. I get to learn new things I missed or over looked.
I rererewatched the "Legacy of Kain movie" and rerewatching your episode. It's really helping understanding more indeepth the lore and kinda reliving the games. Your videos are extrelemy effective.
I had first played this when I was 14, and then again a year later having played them all in order, understanding the second time around once there wasn't a large gap of time in between story telling. I very much appreciated the way they went about it, and although not knowing for sure the first time, I did know Raziel made the right decision in the end and had been manipulated until then.
I thought that Thunder Force IV and V delivered some amazing level of storytelling, specifically when you have to destroy the very ship that you used to pilot, but then I play Soul Reaver and was blown away. This is truly some genius level of storytelling! I completely missed the fact that Raziel was both!
The vagueness of the story is what makes it so good. It needs to be analyzed in every nuance and aspect which is the thing that makes you come back to the story and makes you wonder "why?".
Legacy of Kain is the best story never completed, and if finished, I believe that it would have stood up there, deservingly, with the works of Tolkien.
I didn't get that twist on my first playthrough, but after playing through the game about 4 more times (I love the series that much lol) I started wondering about bits and pieces, and it got to where I started having save files at certain intervals to hear the dialogue and piece it together. That being said I never had concrete evidence for my claim. My brothers thought I was just overthinking it lol. Nice to be vindicated.
Thank you sooo much!! I definitely look forward to your videos! It brings back my childhood and I'm glad everyone else was obsessed with this game as I was
a plot twist so subtle it leaves some mysteries 10 years later to be uncover, that's a payoff i really enjoy, thank you for this and yes i think this is masterpiece writing
My gosh your the best..I'm 45yrs and loved this series in my 20s ..n this twist. flew over my head aswell..to learn this now! after all these years..great vid..you blew my mind..
Damn, every time you post a new Legacy of Kain video I get excited. Your videos discussing the series renews my love for it and it makes me wanna go back and watch each prior episode. I thank you for making these videos.
I also finished the game/series when I was quite young, so Raziel being both heroes, also flew over my head. What I realized was just the inevitability of one's fate as Raziel did have to sacrifice himself and allow himself to be captured by the reaver, if he wanted to aid the vampires for whom he was striving to fight all along. The end of the game left me with the message of "taking responsibility for something you do not want to necessarily do, but is the best thing for the greater good of the world." Thank you so much for this video, I wish you and everyone a good year with lots of health!
I can’t express how much I LOVED the moment Mobius was forced by Raziel to see the Ancient for what it really was. In all, the serie had powerful storytelling.
I always thought that kayn was the vampire champion too, this is truely mind blowing I never thought that razial was both champions, man I wish there was a remake or a movie for this game
BUHAHAHAHA i saw the movie games 2 times and i never even guessed it ! Never made the connexion between them ! i just tought " oh, he's the vampire savior right ? i guess ? " . Well done mate ! I agree with you, it was too subtle
I had always believed that the prophecies were false, ideas planted by the Elder God to strengthen the Vampires conviction against the Hylden. That Raziel and Kain were neither of them the champions.
I think that's also true in a certain sense. It's definitely why Moebius and the Elder God set Kain and Raziel on the path of discovering the murals in the first place.
What's great about the Vampire and Hylden champion prophecy is that it didn't really matter in the end. Both Kain and Raziel needed one another in order to redeem Nosgoth. Kain needed Raziel to be absorbed into the Reaver in order to face the Elder God and heal him of his corruption. They technically both won. Lol
I know im 7 months too late but this series is my absolute favorite game series of all time. I love this series so very much these videos are epic. In the spectral realm in defiance hearing the screams and cries of humans in death was just prefect ambiance
I’ve watched every video on the legacy of kain playlist and Medievil playlist as well. I’m hooked man. Can’t wait for your next video on either one of those franchises.
I’m so happy that you posted another one and I always look forward to these videos so much to try to understand the intricate storyline of this game series. I eventually figured it out with the redeemer and destroyer part at the end of the game… sort of, it went over my head and I had to play it so many times to try to understand. If Raziel did not become imprisoned in SR2 Because of the alterations that happened in defiance by Kain then he is Both blade and wraith at the same time, Redeemer and destroyer Pawn and Messiah it does make sense… kind of, If you consider time flowing in this way and being altered in such a fashion it does make a lot of sense as just a different way of looking at time it’s rather brilliant really because most the time travel stories are rather linear where there is only one possible outcome and one character at a time, This attempts to explore that in a different way and show you two champions instead of one. But you have to always be cognizant of how time works here in terms of flowing around things like a stream, If you consider the possibility that Raziel and kain are like pebbles in the timestream it is possible that two iterations of at least one character can exist at once and that would not ultimately corrupt or destroy anything, ultimately we could even see kain in a weird way Almost fulfilling his role as scion of balance at the end of defiance it gives him a kind of hope that sacrificing in some form may not destroy him and multiple iterations can exist in a way that Raziel does it ultimately gives him that bitter taste of hope. For example If you take the kain that we have at the end of defiance and give him that same decision from blood omen one what do u think he would do?
When I was younger I didn't get it in the way you put it, rather I simply saw that no side was the "correct" side. Of course this is helped by the fact that the series is built on deception and manipulation so I naturally questioned all information given as I was playing but as always you put it in a way that really makes sense and now is clear as day. It just highlights that despite the title being near 20 years old it's writing is still head and shoulders above many modern titles.
I love seeing new Legacy of Kain content :) What I particularly love about the prophecy in LoK was how the ancient vampires made the prophecies with genuine belief but they themselves were unknowingly being masterminded from the top to bottom by the Elder to manipulate all of history to feed his hunger for souls and how the Hylden would later use the prophecies to manipulate Raziel to acquire a durable vessel for possession in Janos Audron (if you remember he technically escaped from Raziel in Defiance) Best part of all is how Mobius tells Raziel upon Vorador's mansion that it did not matter which role either thought they were fulfilling because in the end it was the same for Mobius
You should do a podcast on this series so I can listen to your breakdown of the lore and game while I drive. I love your narration and your depth of knowledge on this fantastic series. Hopefully, with recent surveys, we will see this unforgettable series come back.
The first time I played these games I totally missed it, but eventually I came to realize that, though I was doubtful since the game doesn't explicitly hand it to you like you say in this video, but that just makes it more appealing, having to figure out stuff like that by your own. But I guess it was supposed to be that way since the game ended in a cliffhanger for a sequel to clarify everything.
By 11:38, I wanted to stand up and clap!.... Bravo my friend... I played the games back then when they came out, and you cleared something I was asking my self, every time I recaled those escenes. Completely loved the video.
Starting off: I absolutely LOVE your videos and being so engaging with Legacy of Kain. That said, my own confession is that I kind of figured that Raziel was basically both Hylden and Vampire champions after playing Soul Reaver 2 and Defiance so many times, albeit being mostly used and influenced by the Hylden, but your "confession" at the end blew me away because I didn't understand everything until later on life. Now, everything pretty much makes sense. 😁 They were many signs as well. I really love the fact that you said Raziel can be easily manipulated if you push him to become upset or aggravated. From Soul Reaver 1 and 2, Raziel is either coaxed or warned into being angry or directionless. For example, Kain and Ariel in Soul Reaver 1: -Kain said, "I had faith in you. In your ability to hate, in your self-righteous indignation." -Ariel said, "Be weary, Raziel. Those blind with rage are by destiny ensnared." In Soul Reaver 2: -The Elder God said, "Remember your rage, Raziel. Let it guide your hand." -Kain said, "We both know there's no altruism in this pursuit! Your reckless indignation led you here, I counted on it!" Also in Soul Reaver 2, Raziel said it himself when he picked up the Reaver Blade when cornered by Moebius: -Raziel said, "Using his staff, Moebius affectively disarmed me, leaving me with only one choice of weapon. And while I confess, it was not the lack of options, but blind rage that made me take up the Reaver. In my fury, it was as though my hand had acted on its own will." As far as being a champion, signs were there as well. Moebius was the first to call Raziel "Redeemer and Destroyer", as well as the infamous "Pawn and Messiah" (which I didn't understand at all at the time) in the first Soul Reaver. Then Janos did the same in Defiance, yet he seemed confused and looked away as he said "Redeemer and Destroyer" after Raziel showed him his Reaver/Wraithblade, and admitted that he may have "misread all the signs". So many signs, and yet not being totally clear made the series so intriguing. Even the little bits of the word "Destiny" being thrown around: -Ariel, "Those blind with rage are by destiny ensnared." -Moebius, "Welcome, time-spanned soul. Welcome, to your destiny!" -Kain, "Destiny is a game, is it not?" I was so confused, but very much wanted to see the outcome! 😄 I really love that in the end, Raziel made the choice on his own. At that point, he didn't care which champion he was, but he was going to make his own choice, because he was (as Kain called him) "a champion of free will, and conqueror of false histories." His sacrifice was a big shock, and I for one am SO very glad to have played this series. Thanks for the video. So sorry for the long comment. I just love this series. My favorite story-based game. 😊
When I played this game, back when I rented the LoK Defiance game from retail store some centuries ago :v and on my first playthrough, my theory was that kain was the Vampire Champion, and The Hylden Lord was the Hylden Champion, and as we know (spoilers!!!) In Lok Blood Omen 2 both, Kain and the Hylden Lord beared the Soul Reaver, so, when I saw the murals in Defiance I always thought that both predictions were true, because Kain lost in the first fight agains the Hylden Lord, but he defeated him on the rematch. and in both predictions, Raziel was there as the Soul Reaver, the key to make the prophecy come true.
@StrictlyFantasy, this was the coin landing on its edge, man!!! "The coin is still turning" was the hint! This is amazing! When Kain said Raziel gave him hope, he meant hope for his own coin to land on its edge! To restore Nosgoth and live to Rule it at the same time!
I stumbled onto your channel content for Legacy of Kain and Soul Reaver at the start of autumn, and I'd only ever played Blood Omen 2 on the Cube so I was very curious about the earlier titles. You detailed the greatest gaming story ever, and I had no idea it was so good. I was hungry for more of this story. I watched cut game-movies to see the whole thing from start to finish while avoiding the gameplay (I'd seen that getting the oldest titles to work on PC was a bit of a nightmare and decided to avoid that). I watched all of your character and story breakdowns. I just can't get enough. It's a shame the whole series is so short. I want them to continue this series, but also terrified it'll receive the modern day treatment with some cheesey bullshit. Maybe it's just better left as it is for now.... Leave it on a high note before it gets ruined by corporate greed.
Your analysis is pretty good but here is where the telling point is with Raziel's duel nature....When he saw Mobius' dead body...after devouring his soul. He knew that his unique resurrection was the only way to give Kain The Reaver...Kain's with white hair...the only Mural that mattered all along...his role was purify his sight and his heart. To start a new. To give them hope!
This is truly an amazing series, Strictly Fantasy. I have watched all of your videos and I learn something new about the lore of the show from every single one. Thank you for this new, appreciated insight into my favorite game series.
When I first played the series I thought Mobius using his power as the time streamer created the prophecy himself. He knew Razeil and Kain would be an issue for his master so made the prophecy vague enough that the arrogance of both would convince themselves to be the hero. Thus convincing them to fight and destroy themselves sweeping away both obstacles from the board.
Once again, another great video of yours, I'm really admirative of your search works to explain, to define and rearrange in the most coherent way the puzzles of the complexity of the characters and the events. And... once again, thanks again for using one of my works to illustrate!!! Bravo!!!
Im 35, and I missed that too until now Also, now that Embracer Group has acquired the rights for Legacy of Kain I have now tasted the bitterness of that illusion: Hope
What a timely subscription I made: two days ago once again finished the series, yesterday watched other your videos on the topic and subscribed for more, and here I get the more. Awesome 👍
It's interesting it shows Kains true destiny had yet to happen and he still played a much larger role in this to come. Raziel armed Kain with the means to finish this, it's a shame we will never see this.
I actually did figure it out during my first playthrough, and as such would not want to have it any other way. :) (To be fair, I was about 20 at that time, and had spend more hours theorizing about the lore of these games than I should probably admit...) Awesome video as always! I am always happy to see new content from you.
Fantastic video. When I first beat Defiance, I believe I was confused about who was who (in terms of who was which hero). The mural Raziel sees at the end, vaguely looked like (a blue-skinned) Kain, representing the vampire hero, taking the flaming sword from the Hylden hero… so, it made me think that they would have to join forces to bring balance to Nosgoth. So, I didn’t believe that Raziel was the Hylden champion, but I believed he was the soul of the Reaver blade once the Hylden champion had been vanquished. In a way, both races would be responsible for bringing back balance. What I didn’t realize was Kain’s realization of how to manipulate time (the existence of two Reaver blades introducing a time-tearing paradox… AKA, an opportunity for the coin to land on its edge). It was written since LOK1. Crazy!
I agree completely with your assessment of the ending narrative; it could have been communicated with a little more bluntness. Hell, even to this day, I'm still a little unsure of where this purified scion of balance prophecy that Kain came to be originated from. Only Ariel's ghost seemed to be in the know.
It was very subtle. But at the same time, looking at the three murals. The scion of balance in the middle has a flaming and metal Reaver Blade. The “two” champion murals show each being impaled by the other sword.
And then Raziel said he was always Kains right hand, his sword
@@JosSanJi I like that in the end, Raziel had a better understanding of all of this, than Kain himself.
i interpreted it as the creation loop of raziel, the separation of the physical and spectral blade, i was wrong
@@ildathet The ambiguity of the series' big concepts has always been one of it's strengths.
Actually the three murals and especially the middle one literally is the explanation( although I admit they didn't state it upfront so can be considered subtle) that Raziel was both the Vampire Champion and the Hylden Champion. Because take a closer look on the Entity in the middle mural its actually both the Vampire and Hylden Champions merged into one indicating that Raziel was both of them at the same time. I mean the entity looked vampire, had blue skin, had the reaver at the same time it was flaming like the wraith blade that Raziel possesses, plus the Spirit Reaver symbol above. I think that was the indication that Raziel was both the champions, but still I too think I truly understood by days and days of reading the LoKWiki.
And mind you the entity in the middle mural is not the Scion of Balance. The scion of balance was supposed to be a fortold balance guardian that was prophesied to restore the pillars and balance in nosgoth and I don't exactly remember if it was prophesied that he would be a vampire or not. Remember Kain was a balance guardian first at birth and then a vampire and only then I suppose it all conceided and everyone realized that he was the Scion of Balance. The Vampire Champion, the Hylden Champion and the Scion of Balance are supposed to be three different entities.
Raziel was the coin personified. He was the only one with free will. And so he became the coin Kain had mentioned. But instead of choosing either/or, he chose both, thus the coin landing on its edge..... I freaking love this!!!
I never really thought about the coin quote in this way but Raziel seems like he IS the coin.
"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."
That's a great way to look at it. Kain thinks of Raziel as his shot at redeeming Nosgoth who he gambles everything on. And then at the end of series, Raziel willing embraces the idea that he is Kain's right hand, his sword (both figuratively and literally).
Throwing Raziel like a coin in the wish fountain or the "wish abyss"..
@@RodrigoMurilloDesigner And the "Coin" landing on its edge, by Raziel being pushed to the absolute edge.
@@xMaGuSx888hahahahaha
My take on it is that Amy Hennig is a storytelling genius. People often say there is nothing new in stories since Homer and I tend to concur in general. But every once awhile you come across a twist like this. Never seen before, never expected. And all you can do is sit with a smile and be grateful.
I wish Amy would return to directing video games similair to this. Not necessarily LOK but a new game with more excellent Shakespearean dialogue would be nice :)
@@strictlyfantasy watching your video this was the exact impression in my mind as well: "how Shakesperean these dialogues are and how much they are a miss". Games and entertainment in general tend to make up for this with sheer profanity. Just throw in a bunch of "strong language" to grab the attention of the audience. What a cheap way of compensating for a lack of vocabulary and general education.
God, Amy is a MONSTER in writing...when you play this game it feels like you're reading a fucking awesome novel...
Again I have thank Strictly Fantasy's top content on this series...Every LOK fan thinks they're the best one but I have to admit you, Raina, Baziel & few others are truly the best ones for keeping the series alive
You're absolutely right. These games do feel like reading an awesome well written novel, especially Soul Reaver 2. Almost every single cutscene in that game is great and memorable.
one of the ever best made games and stories I've ever experienced! ❤️🎮🙌 Much love from Germany 🇩🇪 and Russia 🇷🇺 🙋🏻♂️
The ending in Defiance was great. I would not change it. Sequal would have explained it eventually.
I loved Defiance's ending. Bit of a cliffhanger but I like to think it let's the player devise what adventures Kain would go on to defeat the Hylden Lord and forge a empire of vampires with the purified Soul Reaver
@@artemisarrow179 even more heartbreaking after knowing that there was gonna be a sequel continuing on from that and it got shelved for a soft reboot that then itself got cancelled
@@themightylyon3324 Maybe is for the best, companies nowadays are profit focused, so the story would be treated in a poor way with many schemes to make money like DLC, NFT, microtransactions and such.
Square Enix is getting a bad name for that.
@@artemisarrow179 I still dream of a sequel... God I love Amy and hate her at the same time. LoK was so influential for me that some friends and family still call me Raziel, even though I'm an old fart now
Actually, defiance ends it full circle once more. Time is fucked with in this entire series. Remember also that you defeat the hylden lord in BO2. So ill let ur brain work its way from here i guess... xD
Defiance is such an underated gem. It expanded the lore so much and explained so many things. If only we could've gotten Dark Prophecy to wrap up the story. Just one more game is what LoK needed and it would've been perfect(maybe a Vorador prequel would be nice too). Now, it's almost perfect, close enough I suppose.
100% agree
I wouldn't trust current game devs to make an ending, an open ended ending is better than a bad ending
@@iHawke True.
@@iHawke There is one company I would trust with this: From Software, the creators of Dark Souls. The kind of storytelling that made LoK great seems right up their alley.
@@tarvoc746 I am not so sure From Software would actually be a good fit to tell such an involved story. They are certainly capable of nailing both the atmosphere and world building, but I am skeptical regarding their ability to graft a “more straightforward”narrative on top of it. Making things more explicit doesn’t seem to be their forte. But it could work out through an hypothetical collaboration with the surviving developing team members. Fat chance of that happening, though.
"The coin is still turning" THIS WAS THE COIN LANDING ON ITS EDGE!
Considering this, and the way time travel works in the story, Raziel willingly sacrificing himself would give Kain the freedom to change the next big event. Of restoring Nosgoth and staying alive to rule it simultaneously!
And it was at this point that I knew. It was not revealed in Dialog but the murals combined with this phrase did make it quite clear.
I think it was intended that the player would realize it at the same time as Raziel did.
I legit get hyped every time you post. You’ve got a natural storytellers voice, you can read the back of a cereal box and make it interesting. You’re hopefully going to blow up. You deserve way more views. You introduced me to LOK MediEval, and the Kingkiller Chronicles, you find so many cool licenses and stories I love the different topics you pick.
The dude's got a natural talent for conveying and understanding that much is clear! :) Considering what he said about his younger self in this video. He reminds me very much of myself in a way and what I did, how I worked to adapt myself to become better (not perfect, such perfection is an illusion) as an individual as I became older just like he did at some point in his life, sure, we all, do it. Some do it for their entire lives like I am on the path of doing. But some do it more than others and others just don't bother at all and remain the same throughout their life(lives), repeating mistakes, not changing anything, etc, in life you'll find 2D & 3D people. Funny thing is, the way LOK is setup, everyone is very much 3D in personality, if not half way to 4D! We're not talking about Ralof here from Skyrim man whose practically a 1D intro filler. These sorts of games MUST come back, I literally traded all my time modding Skyrim AE to play the LOK series again and the nostalgia, the sensation of unification with my old self and new is quite heart-warming and most of all, it is gratifying.
Judging the recent polls sent out. It's looking like we may be getting more LOK content soon! :D
Anyways, it'd be cool to do an intellect/personality dimension talk on characters in fantasy sometime, I know a lot of these things base down to opinion however I would imagine between say a 1 - 10 the vast majority of characters from LOK would score a very close 10 given all we've learnt in-game and on Strictly Fantasy's channel.
Interesting concept it'd be. :)
@@LoneWolfLazarus hoowee, who’s calling me 2D - is it lonewolflazarus and their stone cold…
damn. what rhymes with lazarus?
Why don't you just make out with him
100 percent agree. Natural story tellers are rate imo, especially in this format. Take Mr ballen for example. Dude is a natural and has the subs to back that up. I think you are just as good. Sadly, this series is so underrated that it doesnt have that many eyes on it and likely never will. You should branch into other source material so long as you keep doing these. 😂👍
This. I hope he goes big. He made my all time fave game series that much more better!!
I always thought that the prophecy was that both champions would kill each other and the result would be Kain wielding the empowered Reaver, never crossed my mind that Raziel was both.
True, but you were also right since both champions do kill each other.
same!
"Redeemer and destroyer, pawn and messiah"
I'm not that smart, but the hints were always there...
The writing and lore in this game series is truly something else and amazing.
Real reason why I consider this franchise to be one of the best is that I always miss something or don't understand part of the game/story and thus I'm forced to come back and to watch some video or read the wiki. Also, it has excellent vocabulary... as a non native english speaker, it kept me mesmerised all the time.
Thanks for the video and dedication!
Growing up, I learned so many new words from this franchise, even as a native English speaker. Great place to discover how rich the langauge can be :)
"Cadaverous Laceration"
This series always impressed me greatly through the use of language. Highly intelligent scripts, read by top-notch voice actors. More than anything else, I love that about this series.
It's also why I still play the games as movies on TH-cam. I can listen and enjoy them just as much as playing them.
Even as a native english speaker the vocabulary used in this series is spectacular. Often using words I've never heard but given the context they're used I still understand whats being said.
I forgot about this channel honestly, and I appreciate that for once the TH-cam algorythem had thrown me your way.
The might be the best video to start 2022 with since I had needed a series to go back to. Now maybe I will play Soul Reaver 1 again as I had 2 portals I never was able to find and activate.
Also a cool little thing is how in the prophecy you can see how one of the champions always impales the other with a sword, which is how raziel finally enters the sword and fulfills his destiny
I missed it too and i played the LoK Series many times as a kid/teenager and still love it today. Until i read about Amy Hennings post i never thought about that Raziel could be both champions, but in retro it just fits perfectly
Yeah, it made me appreciate the writing in Defiance a lot more.
So glad to see more legacy of kain content
The thing about the prophecy is that every character understanding of it informs their characterization.
>Kain KNOWS he's the Scion of Balance, he knows it's his birthright. Although he seemed reluctant of delving into Raziel's role further, perhaps he trusted Raziel in finding his own answers. He never seems too convinced of the attempts Moebius makes to manipulate him into believing Raziel was the Hylden hero.
>Moebius understands quite easily all the pieces in the prophecy, but he's a pawn of the elder god. He believes the whole prophecy to be a sham, because his god is the only god and it's the one telling him that Vampires and Hylden are abominations.
>Janos actually had the most information about the prophecy out of everyone bar Moebius and the Elder God. He doesn't understand the meaning of words however, perhaps his enthusiasm and unwavering faith led him to delude himself into claiming Raziel is the Vampire champion that he brushed aside any resemblance to the Hylden champion, plus he never saw the wraith blade which was very clever on the creator's part.
>Mortanius knows the old prophecies and knows of the Scion of Balance, but for most of his life he thought it was just fairytales the Vampires tried to pass onto him to justify his kidnapping. He misunderstands various aspects, like thinking Kain is both the Vampire champion and the Scion of Balance.
>Ariel had the same understanding as mortanius because he relayed his plan to her. But after the spirit forge, she was "much more than she once was" and she understood Raziel's true endeavor of being the Reaver and the weapon of the Scion of Balance
>Vorador knows of the old prophecies, but his cynicism and jadedness had left him wary of them, when Raziel first showed up he didn't share the enthusiasm of Janos and didn't know what to make of Raziel ever since Soul Reaver 2.
>Elder God, he knew just how dangerous the Scion of Balance was. But he's also a clever manipulator and lying is second nature to him, never showing any type of weakness. When Raziel tells him he didn't foresee Kain's return he changed the subject. The Elder God knows that the Scion of Balance is destined to kill him and that the powers that help Kain are stronger than his grip on the Wheel of Fate. Only after Kain finally sees the Elder God for the first time, the Elder God admits it was always Kain's Soul Reaver and never his.
I have like classic Norse Mythology knowledge of Prophecy influences it’s fulfillment. In those myths stories history was immovable even if it was for seen by the victims and actions taken to avoid their end would always lead to their end. In the same way this was the story of Raziel from the beginning, he heard of a prophecy the knowledge of it influenced his actions towards subconsciously. It was only at the end where he realized his deadly mistake that he managed to derail the plans laid out for him. He found the edge of the coin.
@@Broomer52 janos did see the wraith blade though when was resurrected
Great summary, thanks for the the writeup
Its 4:30am and i'm ready for bed, but I can't miss this!
for me the whole atmosphere of LOK series always gives me this vibe that a hidden truth was placed in the game to dig and it takes me on an adventure which is very mysterious, with the combination of great music theme, voice acting and beautiful architecture, its a Gem.
I had always assumed that Kain was one and Raziel the other, and that the dual images of them being defeated represented Kain's death in the Catherdral while Raziel's sacrifice was the other. However this does explain perfectly why the image of the Scion does not really match either of the champtions, while Raziel shares mainy traits of both champions.
My God! The Legacy of Kain will ALWAYS be considered one of the greatest video game franchises EVER! It was amazing on so many different fronts. Amy Henning was just coming into her creative prime and she killed it with this series. I wish we could get a remake(similar to Shadow of Colossus and Demon Souls) or at least an HD collection. Returning to the entire saga one more time would be a dream come true for me.
Raziel being both makes SO MUCH SENSE to me now. After all he's the one running around with twin souls, meaning he's always been a paradox and could be both champions at the same time!
Wow, I really appreciate that bit putting it together. This series has the best writing, I swear.
When I first played Defiance, the mystery of it all had me flip flopping every time a new mural appeared. Seeing the fusion of both possible destinies was extremely clever and blew my mind once I understood the deeper implications.
Imagine flipping a coin a thousand times but one time it lands on its edge- Kain
Epic line.
I always took it to mean that the champions were originally prophesized to merge, or combine forces, and the prophecy was mistaken to mean conflict over time and retelling. Both the Hylden and the Vampires had biases that would've colored their views.
lol, I actually as a teen at the very end realized that he was both of them, remembering how many called him both Redeemer and Destroyer it came up finally, and with Kain having it's own entire destiny, it was clear he can't be either of the champions, and Raziel filled the boots of both
"...suppose you throw a coin enough times... suppose one day, it lands on its edge."
Raziel is the coin.
I have to admit it was pretty amazing to see this unfold! However, i alway imagined that the pillars went through the planet and on the otherside was a land where the Hylden reside and their champion was something we hadn't seen yet, and Hashageek was their balance guardian. Sigh always fun to imagine😅
By having raziel being both sides of the same coin, the prophecy is guranteed completion and united by the same power. It's truly amazing how they pulled it off.
Everytime I see your upload my week just gets a bit better. Thank you.
My pleasure. Thanks for donating your time to watch my content.
The lok series has one of the best stories in gaming and great voice acting.
Sadly it's forgotten or too old
This story gets me shedding a tear every time. It's just too good.
I was 32 years old when I discovered this plot point. Can’t say this enough. Legacy of kain is still one of the greatest games I have ever played. Keep up this amazing channel!
So something that kinda overlooked is that if you take in account about the events of Blood Omen 2 where Kain meets the Witch of the Woods, that being was a Human and Hylden hybrid in which Kain sucks the blood. Perhaps a very minor factor of Kain's evolution look factor of what he looks like now may have only a small amount to attribute why he has such a look that sorta resembles the Hylden in some capacity. Granted it could be mere coincidence, but regardless it make some sense to why Kain does kinda look like the Hylden in that capacity granted it would be a very very minor one. I'm blown away by the fact that Raziel would be both the champions at once, but it makes so much sense. He would forgive Kain in kindness, Kain then truly fulfilling the role as Scion if Balance as well as having the coin analogy of his come true for it landed on it's edge! My goodness I love LoK so much.
I like it. Except for: Kain has always grown the bone crown, even in earlier timelines where he never met the Seer witch in the woods. So her blood can't be responsible for any hylden-ized look he had in SoulReaver1, etc. But (!), Mortaneus DID have contact with the hylden under Avernus, and some of their blood may have been in the Heart of Darkness when it was jammed into Kain (!), perhaps influencing his look toward the hylden race. AND, going forward in this new timeline where he does ingest hylden blood...... maybe he enters the State of Change cocoon and emerges with even more obvious hylden features to blend in with hylden society during his upcoming visit to hell?
Happy New Year!
Great to wake up to a new video on LOK
10 out of 10. I'm really glad to see L.O.K. fans still exist out there. And I'm especially glad to see videos being produced by someone as talented as you.
I love the LOK content! Great job as always
I have to say I am so happy for you making these videos. More people need to know about this fantastic game series, and the way you frame your storytelling is very smooth.
The legacy of kain has been an enormous inspiration for me, and your amazing videos crystallize its story into an easily consumable manner.
If it wasn't for your high quality videos, I wouldn't have rekindled my love for soul reaver. As a lead writer for a video game, I can only hope my work is half as good as the legacy of kain's.
Huh. I actually never realized Raziel was both campions but yeah when you put all the clues together it makes sense. I never gave it much thought honestly. I was much too worried about the massive plot hole that was Vorador in Blood Omen 2 but having just watched that video its less massive now. That said this is why I watch these videos. I get to learn new things I missed or over looked.
I've been a fan for years... Yet, the truth about raziel's role had totally escaped me. Awesome vid, you totally blew my mind.
This is amazing. I had a suspicion about Raziel first time but it still shocked me when he was revealed to be both champions
I rererewatched the "Legacy of Kain movie" and rerewatching your episode. It's really helping understanding more indeepth the lore and kinda reliving the games.
Your videos are extrelemy effective.
I had first played this when I was 14, and then again a year later having played them all in order, understanding the second time around once there wasn't a large gap of time in between story telling.
I very much appreciated the way they went about it, and although not knowing for sure the first time, I did know Raziel made the right decision in the end and had been manipulated until then.
I thought that Thunder Force IV and V delivered some amazing level of storytelling, specifically when you have to destroy the very ship that you used to pilot, but then I play Soul Reaver and was blown away.
This is truly some genius level of storytelling! I completely missed the fact that Raziel was both!
The vagueness of the story is what makes it so good. It needs to be analyzed in every nuance and aspect which is the thing that makes you come back to the story and makes you wonder "why?".
Legacy of Kain is the best story never completed, and if finished, I believe that it would have stood up there, deservingly, with the works of Tolkien.
Love your Legacy of Kain videos. Hope we get something from Square Enix on the franchise in the future.
I didn't get that twist on my first playthrough, but after playing through the game about 4 more times (I love the series that much lol) I started wondering about bits and pieces, and it got to where I started having save files at certain intervals to hear the dialogue and piece it together. That being said I never had concrete evidence for my claim. My brothers thought I was just overthinking it lol. Nice to be vindicated.
I'd love to see a video on the stages of Nosgoth's overall decay, and your thoughts on where it might've lead after Soul Reaver 1
Thanks for the suggestion. I am planning to do a video regarding the world of Nosgoth, but that's an interesting way to tackle it.
HE POSTS ONCE MORE! These videos are what I listen to while I go to sleep and while I drive! Much love to you!!! I wish there was more LOK lore
Thank you sooo much!! I definitely look forward to your videos! It brings back my childhood and I'm glad everyone else was obsessed with this game as I was
a plot twist so subtle it leaves some mysteries 10 years later to be uncover, that's a payoff i really enjoy, thank you for this and yes i think this is masterpiece writing
My gosh your the best..I'm 45yrs and loved this series in my 20s ..n this twist. flew over my head aswell..to learn this now! after all these years..great vid..you blew my mind..
Damn, every time you post a new Legacy of Kain video I get excited. Your videos discussing the series renews my love for it and it makes me wanna go back and watch each prior episode. I thank you for making these videos.
I also finished the game/series when I was quite young, so Raziel being both heroes, also flew over my head. What I realized was just the inevitability of one's fate as Raziel did have to sacrifice himself and allow himself to be captured by the reaver, if he wanted to aid the vampires for whom he was striving to fight all along. The end of the game left me with the message of "taking responsibility for something you do not want to necessarily do, but is the best thing for the greater good of the world." Thank you so much for this video, I wish you and everyone a good year with lots of health!
God i miss these games. It makes me so happy when you post. This video makes me feel like the prophecy i made for my MC needs more work lmao.
I can’t express how much I LOVED the moment Mobius was forced by Raziel to see the Ancient for what it really was. In all, the serie had powerful storytelling.
I always thought that kayn was the vampire champion too, this is truely mind blowing I never thought that razial was both champions, man I wish there was a remake or a movie for this game
I love your lore videos because it reminds me of my childhood playing these games, so good for their time. Thank you!
I appreciate the subtly. It was underlined that Raziel had a duel role, especially as we uncover more at the Citadel.
One of the greatest stories, one of the greatest characters, one of the greatest soundtracks. Truly... MASTERPIECE
BUHAHAHAHA i saw the movie games 2 times and i never even guessed it ! Never made the connexion between them !
i just tought " oh, he's the vampire savior right ? i guess ? " . Well done mate ! I agree with you, it was too subtle
I'm 36 now & played these games growing up. You've explained this very well tyvm!!!
I had always believed that the prophecies were false, ideas planted by the Elder God to strengthen the Vampires conviction against the Hylden. That Raziel and Kain were neither of them the champions.
I think that's also true in a certain sense. It's definitely why Moebius and the Elder God set Kain and Raziel on the path of discovering the murals in the first place.
Amazing series, its so good to see the remaster helping people see how amazing the story is!
Fantastic work. Your ability to weave this information into an interesting story is great!
Amazing, the twist and details of this game are so ahead of its time. I thank you for this wonderful video 😊
What's great about the Vampire and Hylden champion prophecy is that it didn't really matter in the end. Both Kain and Raziel needed one another in order to redeem Nosgoth. Kain needed Raziel to be absorbed into the Reaver in order to face the Elder God and heal him of his corruption. They technically both won. Lol
I know im 7 months too late but this series is my absolute favorite game series of all time. I love this series so very much these videos are epic. In the spectral realm in defiance hearing the screams and cries of humans in death was just prefect ambiance
I’ve watched every video on the legacy of kain playlist and Medievil playlist as well. I’m hooked man. Can’t wait for your next video on either one of those franchises.
I’m so happy that you posted another one and I always look forward to these videos so much to try to understand the intricate storyline of this game series. I eventually figured it out with the redeemer and destroyer part at the end of the game… sort of, it went over my head and I had to play it so many times to try to understand. If Raziel did not become imprisoned in SR2 Because of the alterations that happened in defiance by Kain then he is Both blade and wraith at the same time, Redeemer and destroyer Pawn and Messiah it does make sense… kind of, If you consider time flowing in this way and being altered in such a fashion it does make a lot of sense as just a different way of looking at time it’s rather brilliant really because most the time travel stories are rather linear where there is only one possible outcome and one character at a time, This attempts to explore that in a different way and show you two champions instead of one. But you have to always be cognizant of how time works here in terms of flowing around things like a stream, If you consider the possibility that Raziel and kain are like pebbles in the timestream it is possible that two iterations of at least one character can exist at once and that would not ultimately corrupt or destroy anything, ultimately we could even see kain in a weird way Almost fulfilling his role as scion of balance at the end of defiance it gives him a kind of hope that sacrificing in some form may not destroy him and multiple iterations can exist in a way that Raziel does it ultimately gives him that bitter taste of hope. For example If you take the kain that we have at the end of defiance and give him that same decision from blood omen one what do u think he would do?
When I was younger I didn't get it in the way you put it, rather I simply saw that no side was the "correct" side. Of course this is helped by the fact that the series is built on deception and manipulation so I naturally questioned all information given as I was playing but as always you put it in a way that really makes sense and now is clear as day. It just highlights that despite the title being near 20 years old it's writing is still head and shoulders above many modern titles.
I love seeing new Legacy of Kain content :)
What I particularly love about the prophecy in LoK was how the ancient vampires made the prophecies with genuine belief but they themselves were unknowingly being masterminded from the top to bottom by the Elder to manipulate all of history to feed his hunger for souls and how the Hylden would later use the prophecies to manipulate Raziel to acquire a durable vessel for possession in Janos Audron (if you remember he technically escaped from Raziel in Defiance)
Best part of all is how Mobius tells Raziel upon Vorador's mansion that it did not matter which role either thought they were fulfilling because in the end it was the same for Mobius
You should do a podcast on this series so I can listen to your breakdown of the lore and game while I drive. I love your narration and your depth of knowledge on this fantastic series. Hopefully, with recent surveys, we will see this unforgettable series come back.
The first time I played these games I totally missed it, but eventually I came to realize that, though I was doubtful since the game doesn't explicitly hand it to you like you say in this video, but that just makes it more appealing, having to figure out stuff like that by your own.
But I guess it was supposed to be that way since the game ended in a cliffhanger for a sequel to clarify everything.
I don't want to sound greedy but will there be videos about Mortanius und Janos Audrin? I think both are worth analysing.
I'm joining train for more LOK characters content! :D
I commented about a Mortanius video too
Absolutely :) Those two characters are coming soon. This series has so much lore and memorable characters, there is plenty of content left to cover.
*Audron*
By 11:38, I wanted to stand up and clap!.... Bravo my friend... I played the games back then when they came out, and you cleared something I was asking my self, every time I recaled those escenes. Completely loved the video.
Starting off: I absolutely LOVE your videos and being so engaging with Legacy of Kain. That said, my own confession is that I kind of figured that Raziel was basically both Hylden and Vampire champions after playing Soul Reaver 2 and Defiance so many times, albeit being mostly used and influenced by the Hylden, but your "confession" at the end blew me away because I didn't understand everything until later on life. Now, everything pretty much makes sense. 😁
They were many signs as well. I really love the fact that you said Raziel can be easily manipulated if you push him to become upset or aggravated. From Soul Reaver 1 and 2, Raziel is either coaxed or warned into being angry or directionless. For example, Kain and Ariel in Soul Reaver 1:
-Kain said, "I had faith in you. In your ability to hate, in your self-righteous indignation."
-Ariel said, "Be weary, Raziel. Those blind with rage are by destiny ensnared."
In Soul Reaver 2:
-The Elder God said, "Remember your rage, Raziel. Let it guide your hand."
-Kain said, "We both know there's no altruism in this pursuit! Your reckless indignation led you here, I counted on it!"
Also in Soul Reaver 2, Raziel said it himself when he picked up the Reaver Blade when cornered by Moebius:
-Raziel said, "Using his staff, Moebius affectively disarmed me, leaving me with only one choice of weapon. And while I confess, it was not the lack of options, but blind rage that made me take up the Reaver. In my fury, it was as though my hand had acted on its own will."
As far as being a champion, signs were there as well. Moebius was the first to call Raziel "Redeemer and Destroyer", as well as the infamous "Pawn and Messiah" (which I didn't understand at all at the time) in the first Soul Reaver. Then Janos did the same in Defiance, yet he seemed confused and looked away as he said "Redeemer and Destroyer" after Raziel showed him his Reaver/Wraithblade, and admitted that he may have "misread all the signs". So many signs, and yet not being totally clear made the series so intriguing.
Even the little bits of the word "Destiny" being thrown around:
-Ariel, "Those blind with rage are by destiny ensnared."
-Moebius, "Welcome, time-spanned soul. Welcome, to your destiny!"
-Kain, "Destiny is a game, is it not?"
I was so confused, but very much wanted to see the outcome! 😄
I really love that in the end, Raziel made the choice on his own. At that point, he didn't care which champion he was, but he was going to make his own choice, because he was (as Kain called him) "a champion of free will, and conqueror of false histories." His sacrifice was a big shock, and I for one am SO very glad to have played this series. Thanks for the video. So sorry for the long comment. I just love this series. My favorite story-based game. 😊
When I played this game, back when I rented the LoK Defiance game from retail store some centuries ago :v and on my first playthrough, my theory was that kain was the Vampire Champion, and The Hylden Lord was the Hylden Champion, and as we know (spoilers!!!) In Lok Blood Omen 2 both, Kain and the Hylden Lord beared the Soul Reaver, so, when I saw the murals in Defiance I always thought that both predictions were true, because Kain lost in the first fight agains the Hylden Lord, but he defeated him on the rematch. and in both predictions, Raziel was there as the Soul Reaver, the key to make the prophecy come true.
@StrictlyFantasy, this was the coin landing on its edge, man!!!
"The coin is still turning" was the hint!
This is amazing!
When Kain said Raziel gave him hope, he meant hope for his own coin to land on its edge! To restore Nosgoth and live to Rule it at the same time!
I stumbled onto your channel content for Legacy of Kain and Soul Reaver at the start of autumn, and I'd only ever played Blood Omen 2 on the Cube so I was very curious about the earlier titles. You detailed the greatest gaming story ever, and I had no idea it was so good. I was hungry for more of this story. I watched cut game-movies to see the whole thing from start to finish while avoiding the gameplay (I'd seen that getting the oldest titles to work on PC was a bit of a nightmare and decided to avoid that). I watched all of your character and story breakdowns. I just can't get enough. It's a shame the whole series is so short. I want them to continue this series, but also terrified it'll receive the modern day treatment with some cheesey bullshit. Maybe it's just better left as it is for now.... Leave it on a high note before it gets ruined by corporate greed.
Your analysis is pretty good but here is where the telling point is with Raziel's duel nature....When he saw Mobius' dead body...after devouring his soul. He knew that his unique resurrection was the only way to give Kain The Reaver...Kain's with white hair...the only Mural that mattered all along...his role was purify his sight and his heart. To start a new. To give them hope!
I love when they flip out the prophety concept but also how they use the plot twist like a composition of epic irony !!
This is truly an amazing series, Strictly Fantasy. I have watched all of your videos and I learn something new about the lore of the show from every single one. Thank you for this new, appreciated insight into my favorite game series.
When I first played the series I thought Mobius using his power as the time streamer created the prophecy himself. He knew Razeil and Kain would be an issue for his master so made the prophecy vague enough that the arrogance of both would convince themselves to be the hero. Thus convincing them to fight and destroy themselves sweeping away both obstacles from the board.
Once again, another great video of yours, I'm really admirative of your search works to explain, to define and rearrange in the most coherent way the puzzles of the complexity of the characters and the events.
And... once again, thanks again for using one of my works to illustrate!!!
Bravo!!!
Im 35, and I missed that too until now
Also, now that Embracer Group has acquired the rights for Legacy of Kain I have now tasted the bitterness of that illusion: Hope
One of the few channels I get excited Everytime a I see there's a new video
Huzzah! Another vid, what greatness!!
I love that you're still coming out with great content for this Series!
What a timely subscription I made: two days ago once again finished the series, yesterday watched other your videos on the topic and subscribed for more, and here I get the more. Awesome 👍
It's interesting it shows Kains true destiny had yet to happen and he still played a much larger role in this to come. Raziel armed Kain with the means to finish this, it's a shame we will never see this.
Never say never
Holy, NOW I get it. Mind blown, oficially. Thanks for the video, love your content.
I actually did figure it out during my first playthrough, and as such would not want to have it any other way. :) (To be fair, I was about 20 at that time, and had spend more hours theorizing about the lore of these games than I should probably admit...)
Awesome video as always! I am always happy to see new content from you.
Fantastic video. When I first beat Defiance, I believe I was confused about who was who (in terms of who was which hero). The mural Raziel sees at the end, vaguely looked like (a blue-skinned) Kain, representing the vampire hero, taking the flaming sword from the Hylden hero… so, it made me think that they would have to join forces to bring balance to Nosgoth. So, I didn’t believe that Raziel was the Hylden champion, but I believed he was the soul of the Reaver blade once the Hylden champion had been vanquished. In a way, both races would be responsible for bringing back balance.
What I didn’t realize was Kain’s realization of how to manipulate time (the existence of two Reaver blades introducing a time-tearing paradox… AKA, an opportunity for the coin to land on its edge). It was written since LOK1. Crazy!
I agree completely with your assessment of the ending narrative; it could have been communicated with a little more bluntness. Hell, even to this day, I'm still a little unsure of where this purified scion of balance prophecy that Kain came to be originated from. Only Ariel's ghost seemed to be in the know.
Glad you’re still doing these.
These have been great! I totally missed that twist at the end.