There hasn't been a new Legacy of Kain game in two decades, but 2024 was a great year for the series. Not only are we getting a brand-new remastered collection of the first two Soul Reaver games, but Evercade also released their own compilation that included both Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver. That's cool news, but are any of these games worth playing? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, Computer & Video Games, Next Generation and more classic magazines to see what the critics said about the entire franchise back when the games first came out. Get ready to push some crates, because this is a blood-sucking episode of Legacy of Kain Review Crew!


While most horror games in the 1990s had you playing a human trying to escape a nightmare filled with monsters, Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain went in the opposite direction. Developed by Silicon Knights and published by Crystal Dynamics, this overhead adventure game tells the story of Kain, a man who is killed at the start and given the opportunity to return to life in order to get his sweet revenge. The rub, of course, is that he returns as a blood-sucking vampire, forcing our hero to kill countless innocent people in order to stay alive long enough to complete his quest. Although it looked a bit dated compared to the flashier horror games on the PlayStation, the fans immediately fell in love with the darker story and the impactful violence. That tug-of-war between your morals and the objective weighed heavily, and the game was willing to go places that other horror games refused. Couple that with excellent voice acting and surprisingly strong writing, and it's easy to see why this game was able to find a dedicated fanbase that has stuck with the series through thick and thin.

When it came to the reviews, the scores were surprisingly consistent, with pretty much every magazine giving the game their version of 80%. In fact, it was Electronic Gaming Monthly who gave Blood Omen the highest score, going with an 8.6 out of 10. Dan called it “Dark, gloomy and violent. A typical work day at EGM? Nope, it's the new RPG, Legacy of Kain. Call me old fashioned, but I still prefer party RPGs with turn-based combat. But for having a single guy running around fighting in real-time, Legacy of Kain is not bad at all. Why? Because it's different from everything you've seen before. The narrator tends to talk too much, though. His stories do add to the game, but I really don't listen to him half the time. A very good, unique game. I hope to see more.” Sushi-X liked the game even more, saying that Legacy of Kain creates that little fuzzy feeling inside. “This wild adventure has the best plot of any PlayStation game to date. Not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach, Kain has a permanent home in my game library. The graphics set the mood perfectly, and the ominous music is purely genius. Even the background noises are amazing.”

Let's go ahead and jump from the highest score all the way down to the lowest. That comes to us from none other than Edge, who gave Blood Omen a score of 6 out of 10. “How do you repackage old games for a new audience? Legacy of Kain's twist is to make its protagonist an anti-hero, a rapacious vampire who needs to sustain himself on the blood of innocents. Such desperately controversial elements have already won it an enthusiastic Stateside audience – where it benefits from a dearth of competition. Kain marries old-fashioned 2D overhead hack ‘n slay mechanics with sub-Zelda puzzles, each of its trap-laden dungeons rewards the player with a new weapon, a death spell or a traditional vampiric form. [Legacy of Kain] never surpasses what it imitates, however: take away the full-motion video and you could be playing any Super NES action-RPG circa 1994, a lack of flair detracting from an otherwise amusing romp.”

Like I said at the start, every other critic outside of EGM and Edge gave the game the equivalent of an 80%. Computer & Video Games gave it a 4 out of 5. GamePro gave it a 4 out of 5. Next Generation gave it a, you guessed it, 4 out of 5. Even when we go all the way over to Australia, Hyper gave the game an 80%. They took issue with the dull combat and some of the life and death mechanics, but ended up liking Blood Omen. “Legacy of Kain is certainly long enough to keep your average RPG fan going for a while, and some parts of the game are quite nasty. There are multiple boss opponents, etc. etc. It may not appeal to those RPG gamers who love their stats and stuff, as you've really just got two meters and an item screen, but it's all the same in essence. A good game that some lucky distributor will no doubt snap up.”

I think that sums it up fairly. While it looks a little dated, it's fun to go back and see the game that started it all. Blood Omen is definitely worth checking out.

Coming three years after the success of Blood Omen, Soul Reaver takes the series in a bunch of new directions. For one thing, Silicon Knights was out (and not exactly happy about it), replaced with Amy Hennig and a bunch of Crystal Dynamics programmers. We also got a new hero, Raziel, as well as a brand-new 3D camera perspective that made it look a lot more like the action/adventure that were popular at the time. This could have been a big risk for the franchise, but the fans were on board, thanks in large part to the fantastic world building and a well-told story. It also turned out that Raziel was an incredibly memorable character, helping to show this world from a completely different perspective. Was this a good move on Crystal Dynamic's part? Let's find out.

There's no question that the critics preferred this follow-up, as the score are up across the board. In fact, I would argue that lowest score – 78% -- isn't all that low. That score belongs to Game Fan, who thought the game was okay, if not a bit disappointing. ECM explained that “What promised to be Game of the Year material so long ago has finally proven to be nothing more than a very rushed, decent effort by the fellows up at Crystal D. While the engine is still quite strong, the parallel world gameplay is sorely lacking, simply leading to one more step in some very monotonous puzzles.” Dangohead liked it the most, but still agreed with his colleagues: “After waiting nearly two years for Soul Reaver, the question must be asked – was it worth the wait? While the overall visuals are a bit dated, the level designs are great, the puzzles are quite challenging, and the gameplay isn't bad. So, if you're looking for a good 3D adventure game, Soul Reaver should do it for you. However, if you're like me, who was looking forward to a monumental sequel to Blood Omen, then you'll probably be disappointed.”

The good news is that Game Fan was one of the few magazines disappointed by this sequel. Next Generation gave the game a strong score of 4 out of 5, which is pretty much the same thing Edge did when they gave it an 8 out of 10. For their part, Electronic Gaming Monthly liked the game a bit more, giving it an 8.75 out of 10. Che liked it the least, giving it an 8 out of 10. “When it came down to it, I had a hard time believing I was actually playing Soul Reaver ... I've waited and waited, and then waited some more for this game. It lives up to expectations in terms of graphics and presentation, but I wasn't expecting all the puzzle-based gameplay in Kain. I felt like I was playing “Tomb Reaver,” having to push all those blocks around.” Dean liked the game a bit more, especially its size: “This monster was really worth the wait – and I do mean monster, it's huge. You'll be playing this until Christmas. The environments are really pretty, lots of rich color and shifting light effects. That and the suspenseful music make quite a freaky atmosphere. You'll never feel overwhelmed with enemies or hopeless situations. Soul Reaver is a very tastefully done game.”

Moving up the list, the Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine gave the game a 4.5 out of 5, bridging the divide between EGM and the perfect scores. Incite was one of the magazines to give Soul Reaver a perfect score, going with a 5 out of 5. That's the exact same score we saw over at GmePro. Computer & Video Games also went with a 5 out of 5, arguing that looks can be deceiving: “On the face of it, Soul Reaver looks amazingly atmospheric, but dull. The thing is, because it looks like it does, you tend to not notice if there are some barren stages. Some of the puzzles are very tough and will almost definitely have you tearing your hair out until you've worked out the incredibly simple solutions. This deserves credit for being a real sequel, rather than just an add-on to the previous game, Legacy of Kain. It's better looking than Tomb Raider and has much more going on than some of the Lara games. It's really creepy too and you panic when you see a creature and start slashing wildly to kill it as quick as possible. You almost get the shivers.”

While Game Fan may have been disappointed with Soul Reaver, the fans disagreed. Most people were excited to see the series go in a new direction, and while some of the elements are dated, it's still a lot of fun to go back and revisit.

Only two years after introducing the world to Raziel, the Legacy of Kain returns with Soul Reaver 2. This time on the PlayStation 2 (as well as PC), this third installment refines what worked in the previous game, all while offering a tighter adventure with more exploration and better puzzles. This is also a more exciting game, brimming with fast-paced action and exciting set pieces. Unfortunately, the short window of time between the first and second Soul Reaver games rushed the project, something that the developers have lamented in recent years. Was that enough to keep the critics from recommending this next-generation sequel? Let's find out.

When it comes to Electronic Gaming Monthly, they felt like Soul Reaver 2 was a big step down from the last game. Chris gave it a 5.5 and summed the sequel up this way: “To paraphrase a comment from one of the voice actors in the outtakes section of Soul Reaver 2 – For a video game, this sure has a lot of talking. After a while, my eyes just glazed over every time a cinema began. Watching two characters stand there and talk for two minutes with no action over and over isn't my idea of a good time. So much attention was paid to the complex story that the repetitive puzzles feel like an afterthought. Decent, but Raziel's showing his age.” Milkman liked it a bit more, but was still disappointed. “I enjoyed the first Soul Reaver's gothic trappings and ambitious level design, but never really liked the vague level objectives and box-pushing puzzles. Two years have passed and aside from larger, more breathtaking architecture, I fail to see what all the fuss and constant delays were for. As an aesthetic showcase, Soul Reaver 2 triumphs, but the mediocre gameplay will only appeal to fans of the first game.” EGM gave Soul Reaver 2 an average score of 6 out of 10.

While Electronic Gaming Month gave the game the lowest score, they weren't alone. Edge also gave Soul Reaver 2 a 6 out of 10. GamePro didn't like it much better, giving it a 3.5 out of 5. That said, PSM went all the way up to an 8 out of 10. That's pretty much the same as the 4 out of 5 we saw from Next Generation. “Soul Reaver 2 expands upon the strengths of the original game in every way. The combat, in particular, has been beefed-up thanks to the addition of projectile weapons, and the puzzles are more thoughtful with less emphasis on manipulating blocks. The gameplay is utterly absorbing. Some of the architecture is brilliant, and we often paused just to look around and take it all in. The game cleverly shifts between the material and spectral realms, forcing you to look creatively at most situations, and the combat is both simple and fun. Yes, at times it can be frustrating with its meandering, endless exposition, but few titles can match its eerie atmosphere.”

If you're looking for a higher score, then let's take a trip over to Game Informer, who gave the game an average score of 8.6 out of 10. Now, it's worth noting that the lead critic on the review, Andy, liked it even more than that, giving it an 8.75 and explaining that “the story is really what Soul Reaver 2 is all about, and is the thing that really got me hooked. I was pretty confused for the first couple of hours, but once the plot starts to unravel, I couldn't put the controller down. Sure, some of the puzzle logic is insane, and the time travel story gets a little convoluted, but overall Soul Reaver fans will get everything they could ask for from this sequel.”

And that's what it comes down to, how much you like the story. If you can get caught up, like Game Informer, then the endless dialog won't be a problem. However, if you're not on board with the story, like EGM, then it's absolute torture. Give the game a try and see which side you land on.

It took six years and four entries for the Legacy of Kain series to get back to Kain. Developed concurrently with Soul Reaver 2, this Blood Omen follow-up came out only five months later, this time headed by Glen Schofield. As you might expect, this long-awaited sequel made the transition to 3D, though not everybody was thrilled with the way this was handled. Fans were also disappointed by the repetitive combat, incredibly easy bosses, lame box-pushing puzzles and, worst of all, the weak story. From a narrative perspective, this was a big step backwards from not only the original Blood Omen, but also Soul Reaver. Let's see how this affected the review scores.

When it came to the reviews, Electronic Gaming Monthly was the magazine that gave it the highest score ... as well as the lowest score. Let me explain. When they reviewed the Xbox version in issue 155, they gave it an 8.5 out of 10 and said that “Comparing Blood Omen 2 to its PS1 prequel is like comparing Coult Dracula to Count Chocula – they're similar in name only. Rather than another RPG, this is a straight action title with a little bit of puzzle solving. And since the game simply herds you from one event to the next, you're never at a loss for where to go. That's not the knock, though. When the action gets a tad monotonous here and there, the excellent story and gorgeous level designs kept me coming back for more. Blood Omen 2 is tastier than the blood of a pale young virgin on a full moon.”

However, when EGM reviewed the GameCube version in issue 163, they knocked two full points off of the score. “Kain's flight from the dark land of Nosgoth must've hit some killer delays on its way to the GameCube. Hell, the PS2 and Xbox versions came out [eleven months ago], so this belated port lands on shelves alongside the other consoles' discounted copies. Is Blood Omen 2 for GameCube worth picking up if you missed the previous incarnations? If you're really hungry for a solid action/adventure title, go for it; it's packed with sprawling urban landscapes, an intriguing story and several clever magical powers that add a lot to the otherwise rote gameplay. It's not all blood and roses, though. For an undead ruler, Kain sure has to flip a lot of switches and push around oodles of crates. These simple, dull puzzles detract from an otherwise well-paced adventure.” EGM gave Blood Omen 2 on the GameCube a score of 6.5 out of 10.

The rest of the magazines were somewhere in the middle. Computer & Video Games went with a 7 out of 10, while Game Informer went all the way up to a 7.5 out of 10. GamePro went a bit higher, giving the game a score of 4 out of 5. “You'll probably wish there was more behind Blood Omen 2's bloody amusing façade than just another 3D action/adventure ... but there's not. A solid story and high frequency of wholly immoral acts of horrifically violent fun are what ultimately lift Kain above his crate-pushing heritage. Just suck it up and move on with your unlife.”

When it comes to the reviews, the scores are a bit higher than Soul Reaver 2, but much lower than the previous Blood Omen game. The one to get is the one on the Xbox, while most magazines agreed that you should probably skip the GameCube port. Just know the type of game you're getting yourself into.

Now that both Kain and Raziel have starred in two games each, there was only one thing left to do – merge the two series to create Legacy of Kain: Defiance. This final installment also brings back Amy Hennig, who was able to craft a far more interesting story that actually gave both characters something to do. The big change came in the camera perspective and gameplay. Released in 2003, Defiance was clearly inspired by Capcom's Devil May Cry. It gave us a lot of fixed camera angles and made the combat faster-paced and more visually exhilarating. Of course, the trade-off was that exploration and platforming was a real pain, leaving long-time fans to wonder why Crystal Dynamics didn't just work on refining the gameplay found in the last three installments. Let's see if these changes impacted the reviews back in 2003.

This time around, Electronic Gaming Monthly finds itself smack dab in the middle of the list. Giving the game a score of 7.5 out of 10, EGM was a little mixed on Defiance. Joe sums it up this way: “Check and mate. Legacy of Kain: Defiance successfully blends the disparate Soul Reaver and Blood Omen franchises into one grisly, beautiful package. The game's environments are full of jaw-dropping, ornately detailed gothic cathedrals, craggy, cavernous catacombs and spooky netherworlds. Likewise, the series' much improved combat system is a true black-hearted pleasure, allowing you to juggle opponents in the air and use telekinesis to toss them into hazards such as fireplaces and spikes. But Defiance has a dark side ... an unintentional one. The series' near-perfect follow-camera has been sacrificed in order to give you a better view of the fights, and it's tougher to perform platform jumps now because of that. That all said, Defiance still has a compelling enough story – and strong enough gameplay – to make you see it through to the bloody end.” Jon also liked the game: “The Kain games exist, first and foremost, to tell a story. And like its processors, Defiance flows plot points together with considerable grace. But for the first time, I'm actually excited about the combat between the cinemas. Still, despite these fixes to the series traditionally bland gameplay, Defiance feels rushed. All too often, glitchy A.I. issues and inexcusably bad camera show that a little more polish was needed.”

As we go down the list, we see that GMR basically agreed with EGM, giving Defiance a 7 out of 10. The Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine went with a similar 3.5 out of 5. However, the lowest score I could find came in Edge issue 132. Giving it a surprisingly low 4 out of 10, they said that “credit must go to Crystal Dynamics for producing the best-looking Kain game to date. The architecture is majestic and the detail throughout is another sign that we're truly established within the second generation of PS2 titles. Combat is less impressive. Enemies feel like they've been added at the last minute, show no intelligence and slide around the scenery like inept ice skaters. The turgid battling lets an average game down. The puzzles employ the now familiar plane-shifting mechanic and are well constructed and designed, while switching between Raziel and Kain adds impetus to the adventuring.”

Further up the scale, we see Game Informer give Defiance a score of 8 out of 10. That's the same score you saw over at the Official Xbox Magazine, as well as the Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine. GamePro, on the other hand, gave the game the highest marks, with a solid 4.5 out of 5: “Make no mistake: Defiance is a first-rate game with some serious improvements over the previous entries in the series. The flaws, which sound bad on paper, are but tiny specks on the shining glory of Kain's resurrection.”

Flawed, but still worth playing is a good way to sum up this final entry in the Legacy of Kain franchise. It's a shame that production troubles and indecision haunted not only this game, but the entire series as a whole. Both Kain and Raziel deserved better.