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I feel like it's time for Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 3

Belthazar90

Belthazar90

Banned
Jun 3, 2019
4,316
With the speed of current SSDs (and with them being the standard on home consoles) I feel like they could really go above and beyond with the the game's main gimmick, which was shifting between the material and spectral worlds:

Soul%2BReaver%2B4.gif


If this was possible on a PS1 imagine what they could do on current machines? They could go crazy with how much the stages would change and the puzzles that those changes would allow.

Square is really wasting the opportunity to have something only possible on current-gen by not having a sequel ready.

Anyone that never played the Soul Reaver sub-series: the first 2 games are available on PC and look amazing with texture mods.
 
Ouroboros

Ouroboros

Member
Oct 27, 2017
13,180
United States
I've been thinking that for years and it just hasn't happened. Though I doubt we would get SR3 if we are picking up after defiance. I think the best route would be a reboot of the series.

I for one and bracing for yet another e3 with nothing.
 
PlanetSmasher

PlanetSmasher

The Abominable Showman
Member
Oct 25, 2017
116,802
I was just screaming in a Discord like an hour ago about how much it sucks that we'll never get a payoff to the Defiance cliffhanger ending.

Yes, we need another Legacy of Kain game.
 
dlauv

dlauv

Prophet of Truth - One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 27, 2017
11,515
When isn't it a time for a sequel to all good games that haven't got one in a while?
 
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Belthazar90

Belthazar90

Banned
Jun 3, 2019
4,316
Ouroboros said:
I've been thinking that for years and it just hasn't happened. Though I doubt we would get SR3 if we are picking up after defiance. I think the best route would be a reboot of the series.

I for one and bracing for yet another e3 with nothing.
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I went for Soul Reaver due to the gimmick being perfect for showcasing the SSDs, but I would go for anything in the LoK franchise tbh.
 
Fadewise

Fadewise

Member
Nov 5, 2017
3,210
Raziel's story was tied up just fine in Defiance. A new Legacy of Kain game, absolutely. But it wouldn't be Soul Reaver 3, as that is intrinsicly about Raziel and his relationship with the Soul Reaver.
 
shadowman16

shadowman16

Member
Oct 25, 2017
32,293
Well, I suppose the first thing to do would be to get Amy Henig back to write the story, especially the part where she'd need to (Defiance spoilers
you know, resurrect Raziel after the ending of the last game ;)

While I adore the LoK series, not sure how I'd feel seeing a continuation unless the old team are still together... we've lost a couple of voice actors already for iconic characters and while the plot was never explicitly finished, I'm one of the few that kinda like the bittersweet end to Defiance (Kain's last words still linger in my mind to this day).
I'd want a sequel to be something special indeed especially from a plot standpoint if it'd ever happen. I do miss Kain though...
 
Katmeister

Katmeister

Banned
May 1, 2021
2,434
The series has been dead for so long it would need to either be rebooted or have the old games remade. But Square Enix Europe is unlikely to give this IP another shot when they could instead make another Tomb Raider or Marvel game from CD.
 
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Belthazar90

Belthazar90

Banned
Jun 3, 2019
4,316
And btw, Square promised an Eidos world premiere on E3. I hate being this delusional but... I'm hoping for the best.
 
The Unsent

The Unsent

Member
Oct 25, 2017
19,476
I rather see a reboot, or a distant sequel. Some of the classic voice actors like Tony Jay for the Elder God, the main antagonist, and Rene Auberjonis, as Janos Audrun, have unfortunately passed away some time ago. I personally feel Defiance had a fine bittersweet ending, where Kain has the purer soul reaver, and can defy the wheel of fate, even if the elder god is ambiguously still alive and lingering.
 
astro

astro

Member
Oct 25, 2017
57,228
This is one of the main series I would like a remake for.

Soul Reaver had a lot of content cut. It would be wonderful to get a remake with all the content they originally wanted to include.
 
Ouroboros

Ouroboros

Member
Oct 27, 2017
13,180
United States
Belthazar90 said:
And btw, Square promised an Eidos world premiere on E3. I hate being this delusional but... I'm hoping for the best.
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It's either tomb raider or hit man. It's always either tomb raider or hit man. If SE announces anything related to LoK, everyone who posts in this thread can figure out what avatar I will have for the rest of the year.
That's how confident I am they don't give two shits about Kain or Raziel.
 
IzzyRX

IzzyRX

Powered by Friendship™
Avenger
Oct 28, 2017
5,819
I can see they doing a reboot like the 2013 Tomb Raider, but sequel? Nah.
 
Jimnymebob

Jimnymebob

Member
Oct 26, 2017
19,715
Eh, I love the series, but I think the time has passed now. I feel like having definitive versions of the existing games, not necessarily remakes, available on all main platforms, is the best thing for the series.
Blood Omen isn't available to buy nowadays outside of a PS3 PS Classic, Soul Reaver has pros and cons on each release with no clear best version, Soul Reaver 2 has issues on modern PCs, and Defiance is kinda fine, but only on PC outside its original console release from 3 gens ago.
 
Zetta

Zetta

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
7,680
As much as I would like a continuation to Defiance I wouldn't want it unless the original team was on it. This is the same feeling I have for a continuation to Xenogears. I would be up for a remaster/remake of Blood Omen though and hell while there through in Blood Omen 2.
 
Mentalist

Mentalist

Member
Mar 14, 2019
18,203
MP! said:
I thought there was some sort of legal issue with this series?
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Only with Blood Omen on PC, :(

After Blood Omen, Silicon Knights and Crystal Dynamics had a lawsuit over ownership of the series. CD won (and went on to make Soul Reaver and everything that followed), but Silicon Knights retained rights over the original. Since it was published by Activision on PC, and CD was later bought by Eidos, and Silicon Knights went bankrupt following the Epic lawsuit over Too Human, the rights to the PC version of Blood Omen are in a legal purgatory.
 
Katmeister

Katmeister

Banned
May 1, 2021
2,434
Jimnymebob said:
Eh, I love the series, but I think the time has passed now. I feel like having definitive versions of the existing games, not necessarily remakes, available on all main platforms, is the best thing for the series.
Blood Omen isn't available to buy nowadays outside of a PS3 PS Classic, Soul Reaver has pros and cons on each release with no clear best version, Soul Reaver 2 has issues on modern PCs, and Defiance is kinda fine, but only on PC outside its original console release from 3 gens ago.
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Soul Reaver could do with a ground up remake and I think given the appropriate budget it could be the best way to test the viability of the series. Just got to get the original staff back on to work on it.
 

Deleted member 4869

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
7,753
Unless Amy Hennig is involved, no thanks.

They would also need to bring back Simon Templeman. And well, Tony Jay, the iconic voice of the Elder God is no longer with us, so...
 
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Belthazar90

Belthazar90

Banned
Jun 3, 2019
4,316
kurtmeister said:
Soul Reaver could do with a ground up remake and I think given the appropriate budget it could be the best way to test the viability of the series. Just got to get the original staff back on to work on it.
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A ground up remake that managed to make the 2 Soul Reaver games into one ~20 hours game would be one hell of a way to introduce a new generation to the franchise tbh.
 
Baccus

Baccus

Banned
Dec 4, 2018
5,307
Legacy of Kain Witcher+like RPG. Do it Square Enix.

This is your chance to capitalize on that market that is doing Ubi tons of bucks, plus you get s few hardcore prestige points with it.
 

apathetic

Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,834
Without Hennig I'm not interested. Same reason I didn't care about Dead Sun/that it got canceled.
 
MegaSackman

MegaSackman

Member
Oct 27, 2017
17,816
Argentina
I wouldn't trust Crystal Dynamics to do it justice, but yes, Soul Reaver should come back.

Either a reboot or soft reboot/sequel like God of War.
 

fireflame

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,275
The reason why the series died was that they tried to make it more fight/action centered because they wanted to get good sales. First game got very good sales, but following episodes didnt sell enough, and reducing puzzles to focus on fights wasn't the good decision. I feel fights in those games were dull and boring.Te game had great story but if the series comes back it deserves a gameplay upgrade.
 
Mentalist

Mentalist

Member
Mar 14, 2019
18,203
fireflame said:
The reason why the series died was that they tried to make it more fight/action centered because they wanted to get good sales. First game got very good sales, but following episodes didnt sell enough, and reducing puzzles to focus on fights wasn't the good decision. I feel fights in those games were dull and boring.Te game had great story but if the series comes back it deserves a gameplay upgrade.
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The series struggled to define its gameplay. That's why every game tried something different.

-Blood Omen was a top-down Zelda-like with light Metroid influences
-Soul Reaver was an open-world Tomb Raider-like with puzzle bosses and some Metroid elements. And block puzzles
-Soul Reaver 2 was a linear game where you went back and forth along the same linear route across 3 time epochs, solving batches of puzzles (in dedicated shrines) by alternating your Reaver charges; and it had combat which was... pretty dull. And 6 bosses back-to-back who were all humans with a lot of health
-Blood Omen 2 was a linear game that alternated (basic) combat and puzzles. It had bosses who were a mix of puzzles and combat, and some clever puzzles as you unlocked Mind Control and Telekenesis- the Steampunky design helped;
-Defiance was a linear game that hopped between 2 protagonists and focused more on pure combat, with an emphasis on flashy combos, aerieal attacks and trying to look like Devil May Cry; Loads of combat-only bosses; Kain's puzzling as confined to using telekenisis to collapse things sometimes, but mostly just using key items; Raziel had some more variety, due to additional elemental Reaver powers.

- The series was constantly struggling to find a good ratio of combat to puzzles; The story was consistently great-to-amazing (Blood Omen 2's weirdness notwithstanding, but the gameplay has never been more than "okay" So as much as I adore the series, it was always a miracle this got as much publisher backing as it did.

lazerface said:
I feel like it's time for a Blood Omen remake
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onadesertedisland said:
Re-do Blood Omen.
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I don't believe any 3D remake would keep the oddball extra stuff that made exploration in Blood Omen special.
The only thing I want for Blood Omen is an HD remaster.

Soul Reaver Remake with an actually bearable combat model and less emphasis on block puzzles might end up a game that could do well in the modern market, though.
 
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