Think how that would work no… take a look at, say, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. On the PS1, this was dealt with in a technically-impressive way, even on more rudimentary tech. The story spans epochs, and Raziel has the ‘gift’ of being able to shift between corporeal and physical forms. In fact, there’s probably never been a better time.įrom Soul Reaver onwards, the series was known for its central gimmick of letting Raziel shift between realms – it was a mechanic that took the story’s obsession with breadth and depth and realised it in gameplay. We’re ready, Embracer, to return to Nosgoth. The way we all, collectively, take fat gulps of gothic-tinged lore out of FromSoft’s brimming chalice proves that we’re hungry for action-adventure games with well-thought worlds, who’s identity is as important as any main character. The successes of Star Wars: Fallen Order, God of War, The Last of Us, and even the Arkane-flavoured immersive sims like Prey and Dishonored prove that there’s an appetite for dark, brooding games steeped in atmosphere and overwrought writing. But I choose to read Embracer’s acknowledgement of its forgotten goth son as a statement of intent – not just of ownership. Whether the series will emerge from the depths of development hell, disoriented and blinking, adjusting its vision to a world where NFTs and microtransactions are the norm, remains to be seen. Since then – aside from a cynical, unpopular multiplayer-only game kitbashed together from assets of Dead Sun – the series has lay dormant. Dead Sun was just never meant to be.īut Square Enix cast the nearly-completed project into the abyss, like Kain cast Raziel into the Lake of the Dead at the beginning of Soul Reaver. You’d think a game focusing on both a vampire and a human – wrapped in an endless quest for revenge – developed by the folks behind Silent Hill: Shattered Memories would have been perfect around 2010, no? A dark, edgy open world would have been the perfect chaser for all the grim-dark shooters that proliferated around then. Perhaps Square Enix was spooked, years ago, when the doomed by Legacy of Kain: Dead Sun – made by Climax Studios for Square Enix Europe – disappeared without a trace, with the company later begrudingly admitting that the title "just wasn't the right game, at the right time". There’s a lot of love for this series out there, even today… so why has it been left in the dust for so long? The most widely-acclaimed title of the series, Soul Reaver, sits at an impressive 91 on Metacritic – for context, that's a higher rating than PSOne stablemates Final Fantasy VIII, Resident Evil 2 and Wipeout 3. It’s funny, in the same kind-of way that Milton is funny steeped in irony and tinged with a slight bitterness. Suddenly, out of nowhere, it feels like some sleeping deity’s eyes have shot open and a booming voice from the depths calls out and says ‘Raziel… the wheel of fate is turning again.’įor a series that’s famously made us sit and think about fatalism and man’s struggle for free will, I do think it’s funny that Legacy of Kain’s original creators (Silicon Knights), most famous writer (Amy Hennig), and caretaker developer (Eidos) has absolutely no say over what happens to the game. ![]() The very fact that the company name-checked the esteemed of dark fantasy action-adventure series is a damn sight more than we’ve seen from Square Enix over the past two decades, at this point. “Embracer sees an opportunity to invest in these franchises, as well as the additional acquired IPs such as Legacy of Kain, Thief, and other original franchises.” “ been particularly impressed by the studios’ rich portfolio of original IP, housing brands with proven global potential such as Tomb Raider and Deus Ex, as well as demonstrating the ability to create AAA games with large and growing fan bases,” the company has said in a press release. At first look, you’d be forgiven for thinking the investment company would be satisfied simply pumping out a LoK-flavoured battle royal (hey, remember Nosgoth?) But, on closer inspection, it actually looks like there might yet be hope for all of us wanting to know what happens after 2003’s final chapter in the saga to date, Defiance. This week’s news that Square Enix has unceremoniously shat off all of its less-desirable IP (that’s my reading of it) means that Raziel and Kain have a new God now the faceless, uber-corporate suits at Embracer. Apt it is, then, that we could be looking at a resurrection of the brand.
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