Legacy of Kain

[Mr_D]

I'm a big fan of this series, i just wanted to know if anyone else here was too, or even if anyone else ever heard of it.

[Magus]

I haven't heard of this one. Could you talk about it a little?

[Mr_D]

Well, where to start. I'll give a brief overview as the plot is too complicated to go over in detail.

The series is about a nobleman named Kain, who in typical gothic fantasy fashion is given the chance for revenge at the price of becoming a vampire. Over the course of the first game he discovers that his death and subsequent rebirth were all part of a plan to bring about the downfall of the world by a mysterious entity known as 'the unspoken'. At the end of the original game he is given a choice; save the world by sacrificing himself or rule over it as a wasteland.

The sequel Soul reaver assumes that you as a player took the second choice and reprises the story several thousand years later as Kain rules over a barren world, humanity now on the brink of extinction after centuries of vampiric rule. Vampires have now become highly evolved beings and he and his lieutenants are the greatest of all. One of his lieutenants has the 'audacity' to evolve wings, and so in an apparent fit of jealousy Kain tears them off and casts his 'son' into an abyss. The disgraced lieutenant Raziel languishes in this watery grave (Water burns vampire's skin like acid in LOK) for a millenia until he is awakened by the 'elder god', an ancient being who constantly cycles the souls of the dead into new life. The elder god implores Raziel to destroy his former brethren so that their souls may once again turn in the wheel of fate. Along the way Raziel slays the other lieutenants and gains Kain's sword, the soul reaver, manifesting itself as a spectral blade of energy.

The third game, Soul reaver 2 begins where the second left off, Kain and Raziel face off in a time chamber, but before Raziel can defeat Kain he escapes into the time stream. Raziel follows and finds himself finds himself in the past, roughly the same time as the original game. Raziel encounters many familiar faces and discovers that there is more to Kain's betrayal than he first thought. The end includes a fantastic twist that wouldn't make sense if I explained it now, since it requires knowledge of the twisting plot and history of the world Kain and Raziel inhabit.

The latest in the series is Defiance, Raziel and Kain continue their travels to discover the truth behind their destinies. It wraps up most of the loose ends of the plot while leaving a few tantalizingly free to follow up should they decide to continue the series, however I found the plot got out of hand, reaching a climax with Soul reaver 2 before devloving into a kind of generic gothic fantasy mess.

If you can find any of the games I'd seriously suggest trying them out, they are pretty fun but the main draw has to be the winding plot, the soul reaver and defiance games should'mnt be too hard to find since they were fairly recent but it's been about 10 years since the original 'blood omen' was released.

[Magus]

Is this a PC or console game? If it's the latter, what system?

[Mr_D]

Actually it's multi platform, they're all available for PC and PS1/2 and defiance and soul reaver 2 are available for the xbox. There was also Blood omen 2, set between Blood omen and soul reaver which appeared on GC, Xbox, PS2 and PC. But that's not as good as the rest of them, it's still good just not as good.

[Forever Zero]

I love the storyline of this series. Its the only thing I've ever seen that has made vampires actually enjoyable. All the other vampire stories I've read just rehash vamps like fuggin' elves. It makes me sick.

But The Legacy of Kain is different. I love stories that span long timeframes. Makes them so much better, and gives lots of room for backstory, which is what lots of stories need.

[Mr_D]

Yeah, it just has a real epic atmosphere like you're getting a glimpse into the history of the world.

ForeverZero, did you play Soul reaver 2? Wasn't the ending the most jaw-dropping plot twist in the history? (Yes I'm exagerating but allow me a brief moment of fanboyish glee )

[Forever Zero]

Yes, I've played all of the LoK games except for the original Blood Omen. I loved the ending of Soul Reaver 2, as well. Plot twists are awesome...

However, nothing beats the way they brought the story full-circle in Legacy of Kain: Defiance. That was... just unbelievable.

[Manji]

Personally, I couldn't sit through this game. It felt like it was written by a bunch of brooding High School goths bitching about being outcasts between bong rips.
I know it wasn't written for them. However, it was pandered to them; The High School clique that launched Anne Rice's career.

[Mr_D]

Funny you should say that, because I feel the exact opposite. I'm not a goth and I personally can't stand the way Rice has turned the vampires into bleeding heart, angsty achingly goth pin ups. However I feel that Legacy of Kain got vampires perfect, Kain doesn't angst about his death he gets revenge and then more or less starts enjoying his powers, although as I said I found Defiance descended into a generic goth-fantasy mess. I suppose my main beef with it was the use of bloody prophecies, THE most over used plot device in fantasy history. Oh how I hate prophecies in fantasy stories. That said the rest of the series has a fantastic storyline, I'd urge you to reconsider and give the series a second chance. Just don't try to start with soul reaver or alot of the plot intricacies will pass you by completely.

If at all possible try digging up a copy of the original blood omen from Ebay or Amazon. The Diablo style gameplay might not be suited to everyone though.

[Magus]

prophecies, THE most over used plot device in fantasy history. Oh how I hate prophecies in fantasy stories.

Yes! I find that I like very few stories with prophecies. There are some exceptions, and it all depends on how exactly it's presented, but as I general rule I dislike them. And, yes, they are by far the largest fantasy cliche to date... but that's for another topic methinks.

[Havoc]

Lovely Games!

Don't forget Blood Omen two though! It might have crappy game play, bad graphics and it may add nothing to the actual story-line it does clarify some discrepancies.