![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.greenmangaming.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/BlogContentSR3.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nA World Of Opulent Devastation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
There is perhaps no better avenue to become fully immersed in the blood-soaked plight of Raziel than to take in the environments which surround him. Soul Reaver invites the player to explore the depths of Nosgoth, a thoroughly destroyed world where the opulence of its past has been summarily replaced by a dark gothic nightmarish labyrinth of sprawling ruins, twisted metal and endless chasms. Exploring this gothic hellscape is also pleasingly much more interesting than just traipsing about in the traditional sense, as Raziel isn\u2019t just capable of all the usual running and jumping one would usually expect, he can also use his massive wings to glide around the environment in ways that can only be described as being tremendously satisfying.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As such, a fully remastered Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver would prove to be an arresting prospect, to say the least, as Raziel\u2019s world would find itself wonderfully embellished by higher resolution, improved framerates and a greater attention to detail than was possible when the game released all the way back in 1999.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Raziel finding himself newly reborn as a wraith, he also gets the added \u2018bonus\u2019 of being able to hop from the physical realm into a more incorporeal, spectral realm on command. It\u2019s here where Soul Reaver\u2019s commitment to environmental storytelling comes into play as the world twists and turns itself into an alternate vision of the physical realm, though here Raziel\u2019s ability to physically interact with the environment is greatly limited. Much more than just a fancy gimmick, the dual-realm system is arguably the centrepiece of Soul Reaver\u2019s action adventure design and game director Amy Hennig, who would later go on to work on the Uncharted games and next year\u2019s Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra absolutely made the most of it too.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Imagine the scenario – you\u2019ve reached the end of a long path which concludes into a massive room where all manner of destroyed walls and rubble block the way to your destination and Raziel seemingly has no other route to take. By switching to the spectral realm, our ghostly protagonist may continue his tortured journey just by simply walking through it. When shifting into the spectral realm, though Raziel cannot interact with any physical objects such as the array of blocks and switches which form the basis of Soul Reaver\u2019s puzzle-solving foundations, he can walk through water and other such elements of the environment that would otherwise prove to be impassible in the physical realm and it\u2019s the use of this dual realm mechanic which give rise to some truly fiendish puzzles that have absolutely stood the test of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The kicker to all of Raziel\u2019s funky, realm-shifting powers is that he needs to earn them by defeating each of Kain\u2019s vampire lieutenants before having a showdown with the big bad himself, adding a truly satisfying feeling of progression to the whole affair. Bringing Soul Reaver\u2019s combat system into sharp focus and starting off with just his trusty claws, Raziel can inflict a reasonable amount of damage on the various vampiric foes and spine-chilling horrors that he encounters during his otherworldly odyssey, though he can also make use of various weapons laying about in the physical realm too such as spears, staves, torches and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.greenmangaming.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/BlogContentSR4.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nTwo Realms For The Price Of One<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.greenmangaming.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/BlogContentSR1.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nPerfectly Judged Progression And Combat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.greenmangaming.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/BlogContentSR5.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n