The first three Legacy of Kain games were very much adventure games which focused much more on story, exploration, and puzzle solving than on the fighting. The combat, while enjoyable, was never the crux of the game for them. Blood Omen 2 is the exact opposite, where the combat takes priority over everything else. This makes it a disposable entry in the series, but at least I still got a kick out of it.
I guess it makes sense that this is the only Kain game to go to a Nintendo console since no previous knowledge of the series is required to know what's going on. A couple of centuries after Kain refused to martyr himself, he built an army to take over Nosgoth. However, the Sarafan, a cult of vampire-killers, and their powerful leader simply known as the Sarafan Lord strike Kain down and steal the Soul Reaver, Kain's demonic sword. Kain reawakens 200 years later in the city of Meridian by the few survivors of the Sarafan attacks. Kain goes on a mission to take out the Sarafan Lord and reclaim the Soul Reaver. Though the plot does bring up characters like Vorador and points like the Hylden, it's still easy to follow the plot without prior knowledge. Unfortunately, the plot is so threadbare that it feels largely disconnected from the larger narrative of the series. On the upside, the steampunk setting of Meridian is a refreshing change of scenery from the Medieval castles and desolate wastes of the previous games, and the vocal work is as strong as ever. It may be a weak plot, but it's still presented extremely well.
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If you're used to the heavy Zelda-like exploration and puzzle-solving of the first three games, be prepared for near total whiplash. Blood Omen 2 is extremely linear. Even though Crystal Dynamics went to great lengths to build Meridian, the most you'd find off the beaten path is the occasional power-up. Further, there's no going back to any areas once you've moved on to the next chapter. Navigation puzzles are limited to pushing blocks to reach a ledge or finding switches to open doors. The game is almost mindless.
I say "almost mindless" because most of the advanced thinking goes into the combat which received a HUGE upgrade over the previous games. Kain starts out powerful enough with just his claws and his long-distance bloodsucking (which is much easier to do now). He can also collect limited-use weapons that can get powered up and don't break fast enough to get annoying. He gets multiple powers that are fun to use like leaps for kill strikes and the mist form to perform stealth kills. The boss fights are a mix of brawling and puzzles which are fun, but they can be annoying when said bosses start spamming knock-back and unblockable attacks during the brawling phase. The visuals do a great job working with the action focus. The framerate stays locked at 60 fps, and the camera stays behind Kain almost perfectly. The only camera issues are when Kain gets backed into a corner.
Blood Omen 2 is a bloody mixed bag. On the one hand, the story and exploration are so limited that the whole game could get plucked out of the series without hurting anything. On the other, the minute-to-minute action is a blast, and I like the design of the world. While it may be the most disposable entry in the series, it's still a lot of fun. Check it out if you're more interested in chopping up holy knights than listening to undead existential debates.
