I feel like a full remake of the first blood omen game would be a good relaunching point for the series. updated graphics and an over the shoulder camera is what I’m seeing in my head
@@Synful_SolesI agree, blood omen needs the most remaster, such a glorious game and story, that most gamers don't know about because it's antiquated. however its story is better than pretty much every game out
Well to be fair, thats not saying much. Michael Bell delivered every line perfectly. lol Of course that can also be said of literally every voice actor in this series. But I get your point. lol
'To know, that the fate of the world hangs dependent on the advisedness of my every deed, can you even begin to conceive what action you would take in my position? I would choose integrity Kain.' And in the end Raziel did make such a choice.
Raziel did indeed choose the sacrifice in the end as he once boasted he would, but not before first learning the true weight and burden that come with such a choice are not so easy to bare, just as Kain said.
I'd argue that Free Will and Fate in Legacy of Kain *coexist* with each other and the reason why an argument could be made for both being true is because, as with a good chunk of the series' story, its like an Ouroboros. A snake eating its own tail, *a paradox* with no clear beginning or end.
Reminds me of the predestination paradox. With the ability to time travel, any attempts to change fate ends up causing it to begin with. If you haven't, seek out the SyFy show 12 Monkeys. An excellent series exploring that idea.
Similar to fate and destiny, right? Fate governs the path, destiny is the destination. Your destiny might not be changeable, but your fate can at least be shifted in slight ways.
As existentialist beings we are bound to be free, we will ultimately be that which we are meant to be, whatever that may end up to be. Such as history abhors a paradox, so do we abhor this cursed tautology, and our fate assimilates our ultimate destiny - again, looking in retrospect, we make sense of everything as a series of causalities, judging by the ending: that thing came out to be this way, so it was meant to be like that, the whole world conspired to bring it into its fate. The fiction is born when we imagine seeing our own future, so that glimpse of imagination ends up being the motor of both our fate and our destiny, the 1st defined by our (self?) imposed path, and the 2nd by the causality of our actions, the latter is ultimately driven by the former, as we act in ways we believe will lead us to our desires: we fight to make the "should-be" a reality. Humanity was borne again (maybe together with that very fiction) when we discovered that we could bargain with the future: the fight with the angel until it blesses us... It's no surprise that God keeps promising the patriarchs in the Old Testament - like "do it, it will work out, I assure you, go on". As it's no surprise that mythology initially described deities as gods of places, then gods of action: man fish, because primordial Man fished before. Mythology is the circumference of reality, that is, the possible instantiations are all mapped out in the myths, as Einstein says 20:58 "imagination circles the world". The struggle of free will is that we want to conciliate the being with the should-be, we want deities presiding promises and contracts, that's why we like strict logical systems that rule a (pre)set game, so that we know the outcomes of our actions, thus informed decisions can be made and free will be exercised. Without fate, free will seems like an illusion, a childish tantrum, merely ego driven. Raziel sure seems like that sometimes, because he's outright rejecting fate and its influence over him, but as he discovers in the end, embracing (not merely resignated acception) his fate is an act of free will, and he becomes both champions, heaven and hell meet and the opposites touch one another, the Ouroboros eats itself. This cycle somehow seems different from the Wheel of Fate, presiding over life and death (or maybe it's just wishful thinking from my part).
Kinda like the knife question in Lost. John is injured and needs help. A man comes out of nowhere, patches him up and gives him a knife. Later on John goes back in time, runs into the guy, gives him the knife, and says "listen, I'm about to run into that clearing with a serious wound on my leg, patch me up then give me this knife." So... Where did the knife come from? Nobody made it, it just travels in that endless loop.
I’m sure Moebius has one more trick up his sleeve. He was consumed by the Elder God but who knows the twists Sammy Hoenig can throw our way for the next Legacy of Kain
While I hear the fans dump on BO2, getting THAT properly ported would be nice. It is on GoG & Steam, but it does not like modern hardware. So yes, ports please.
"I am, as before, your right hand. Your sword." This, as the cumlination of the amazing LoK story, is the single best line ever written. 20 years after first hearing it it still makes me tear up because it's so good and so satisfying.
Because they gave Amy Hennig and her team creative freedom. No corporate mandate to nickel and dime via macrotransactions, no pandering to the "modern audience", no road maps or cosmetics. Just a complete, immersive, highly focused game with fathomless depths to explore. This is the result of a team of craftsmen painstakingly making a masterpiece, whereas modern AAA games are mass produced in an assembly line.
The very best stories are the ones that change the way we think, like a part of our very being. LoK is that for me, as well as many others too. What are memories, if not the bones of the soul?
Perhaps the Armored Core series? About self aware robot(s) fighting for the chance to be rebuilt/reborn as artificial human(s). ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BukEiJ1AQAY.html
The Metal Gear Franchise should be given respected Credit with the similarity of the the whole Fate vs Free Will issue as well and how it embodies the same concepts like the Legacy of Kain Series did.
Interesting to ponder that by Raziel being the only character in the series with true free will. That left his actions with none. Since he was fated to be everything to everyone.
I think that is only what he and Kain thought. Or worse, what way were intended to think. In the end, even a flipped coin which lands on its edge is not a miracle, it is a determined outcome decided by the physical circumstances. Or in the case of Legacy of Kain, decided by fate.
I have a idea. Ok, Raziel only had free will once he got the wraith blade. Think about it, the wraith Raziel is technically an incarnation of the blade, and the wraith blade is obviously an incarnation of the blade. And what does Kain explain later? "Two incarnations of the blade meet in time and space. A paradox is created, a temporal distortion powerful enough to derail history." Raziel bound to the wraith blade is literally a walking temporal distortion because he and his symbiotic weapon are both incarnations of the soul reaver that are meeting in time and space. And for the big events regarding Raziel, there's usually 4 incarnations of the blade meeting. There's Raziel himself, his wraith blade, the physical blade, and the wraith blade trapped inside the physical blade. Could that be how he has free will? They say it's because of his remaking, but Raziel isn't the only vampire that became a wraith. Do the other vampire wraiths also gain free will once entering the physical world again? It seems unlikely. I think Raziel became a wraith exactly the same way the other dead vampires became wraiths. But because they were all weak underlings, they had to go back into their bodies. And Raziel being the second oldest and second most powerful Vampire in the world at the time was strong enough to manifest himself in other ways. That and we don't exactly know what his dark gift was. So that could be why Dumah also had to go back into his own body. I don't think the Elder raised Raziel, I think he just provided him easier access to the physical world. He was just there waiting for Raziel and took credit for a power Raziel didn't understand or know he had. But that's just my speculation. I don't get to talk about or debate ideas regarding Legacy Of Kain with anyone else. So everyone please feel free to reply with your thoughts. This is my all time favorite Game series next to Silent Hill. And my absolute favorite time travel story.
I always felt like Raziel didn’t have complete free will but more of the ability at key moments to choose freely, in a sense he’s the coin being flipped at these key moments throughout time but eventually the coin landed on its edge at all the right moments…. It’s a crazy game to think about I used to talk with my brother about this games lore so much
@@thanevakarian9762 That could be a real possibility that he only had free will at specific moments in time. But even if he always had free will, he also was too entangled with Kain Moebius, Janos, and the Elder God to not be drawn down a fated path. But he did so willingly, intentionally or out of ignorance. For example if he always had free will, he technically could have just opted to return to one of Moebius' time streaming devices, hit random buttons, and repeated that process until he was back in the SR1 era. He could have just lived in that time ignoring everything Kain and the others were up to. He could have always had that choice, he just chose not to, because that's not something he would do. But it is fun to think about.
Oh no, you invited people to respond. 😊 Lots of wraiths come back, but only raziel was bent into a circle. His path is like a personal eternity... a wheel of his own. That's how he was removed from The wheel, by getting his soul spun in a substitute wheel, the reaver time loop that has no cut off point. He got his own ride. And look what happened. Free of Elder's wheel ("beyond his influence") Raziel was able to reach enlightenment at the end. Elder prevents regular Wheel of Fate souls from doing that. But Raz had a rare opportunity to graduate like a buddha from this life. He killed Melchiah before joining with the wraith blade, though. So right from the start he was already free enough to change history in the main way he was brought back for. We don't notice his freedom early on because he never goes against the flow, just revenge all the time like he's told to do. And he's so confused and bounced around by events that he's never aware of times when he might have done better by taking a stand with his free will. So the freedom goes unused. Wasted. Elder would have been happy with the whole time loop going by like that, and in one timeline it did! .....4 blades! Only 3 Raziels though at most. The physical blade don't count as another raziel, that's just an object. Still, 3 is a lot. There have been discussions about what it meant to start time changes with 3 instead of just 2. Eh. The big william paradox had only 2, and that's not a shabby paradox. I'd be glad to see it if Raziel somehow passed his fate-resistant nature on to Kain somehow for the next chapter.
@@larrymcmacarroon9529 I tried to make sense of this once and went cross eyed. The current timeline's Reaver seems to be caught in an ever expanding cycle. The original Reaver was forged by Vorador, enchanted by the Circle, and entrusted to Janos Audron. He then kept the blade safe for millennia until it was stolen by the Sarafen. The third paradox then occurs when Raziel is saved from merging with the Reaver to become the Soul Reaver by Kain. The Reaver remains the Reaver up until Raziel merges with the blade at the end of the game. But when does the blade enter history from there? Who knows but maybe it doesn't matter because we know it will travel does the line of events, end up in Avernus, be destroyed by Kain in battle with Raziel, and become bound to him to repeat the cycle again. . . and again. About the only scenario that I could think would end the multiplication of Raziels would be if the wraith blade Raziel's soul is released into death when its younger self is merged with the blade. Other than that, there's a near infinite number of Raziels in that sword-shaped prison. There's also a lot of questions regarding events in timelines 1 (theoretically the unaltered timeline) , 2 (before the first Reaver Paradox where Kain kills William), and 3 (before the Reaver Paradox where Raziel spares Kain instead of killing him) since the current timeline is at least the 5th that we know of (the 4th being the one where Raziel merges with the blade in the Sarafan Stronghold). Its a good thing the games narrative is so good that it doesn't prompt one to dwell on these questions often as they are mind-boggling in their implications.
@@sypherthe297th2 oh don't worry about infinite raziels building up in the blade in 2023. That was an early mislead for us to be horrified and mystified by, but it was laid to rest in Defiance when the wraithblade went free. That was its reward for shoving Raziel in there, its motivation for turning against him. The nightmare did indeed end. One Raziel in, one out and free. Confirmed. Also, if he was on trip 888 around the loop he would have had nonstop deja vu. But everything was a fresh surprise to Raziel, strongly hinting in-game that he only lived out one trip around the loop. The loop did expand, but only the one time we witnessed. Which let Raziel take control of his personal eternity and make it his. He used it like an editing bay to drop a new album on the timeline. Thanks to his work as a timeline producer Vampires just debuted at #1 on the hot 100 fate chart.
Automatic sub. The fact that you know about Legacy of Kain is enough. The fact that you have created these perfectly executed videos summarizing how complex and amazing the storyline was is just gold. 💯💯💯
im not gonna lie, at my 15 years old seeing Raziel sacrificing himself in the end really pissed me off. was a poor ending for a character i loved so much. but now after years passed and all the pondering upon the complete story of the legacy of kain, i realize it is a fitting end and it dont leave bitter taste in my mouth anymore.
These games had some of the best writing and voice acting back in a time when you couldn’t skip cutscenes I genuinely wish that the ip gets a revival soon I know a lot of the og voice cast isn’t with us anymore but I’m sure the right team could stick the landing with enough dedication to the lore and a good development cycle
These videos of yours are absolutely astounding. You never cease to amaze in how you explain and review this franchise. I think Kain did somewhat have free will after he became a vampire as he said that his destiny was forever changed. I have some video ideas for you 1)Vampires during Kain empires 2) Humans during Kain empire 3)vampires during the blood omen 1 and 2 era 4) the vampire generals of Kain during blood omen 2 5) the whole of ancient vampires and their society 6) the pillar gurdians all of them 7) the kingdoms and empires that existed in nosgoths history 8) famous eras in nossgoth 9) any of the lore that comes from multi-player game nosgoth 10) lore from the canceled games like Dark prophecy and black sun
Even all these years later I still tear up a bit at Raziels Sacrifice and Speech and Kains Reaction to it Raziel was a vampire with a heart and not heartless
When I first played Soul reaver I had enjoyed this game as if it was a movie. Little did I realize that a beautiful story was told in all five games. I kind of find it almost poetic that both Kain and Mobius talk about Raziel as this uncontrolable monster, yet in the end he manages to be the true messiah to both Vampire and Hylden for both prophecies thus transforming him into the true Soul Reaver for Kain to wield. And you explaining every detail about it helps it make me love even more, thanks for that. And I love the voice actor for Kain since he voiced Dr. Doom from the fantastic four tas back in then 90's.
I just want to say thank you for continuing to make video essays of one of my favorite video game series of all time. Your videos are always a delight and your narration top notch. I would be here and welcome any other video games you'd wish to explore. Keep up the great work!
18:50 :') The added music added more emphasis to this scene. When I first played this as a kid, all the way up to this point in the game, I was entirely shocked trying to understand what tf was going on.
I can't describe what it means to still see people talking about this series. It's got so many wonderful philosophical ideas that feel prime for discussion and in depth looks, but I've only seen a handful of channels cover it.
I always thought of free will like a greenhouse. You have only so much space, so many pots to plant in. There IS a limitation there, but within that limitation, there is possibility. You might want to plant an apple tree, and you can't because of space constraints, but you absolutely can plant any other plants that would fit. Limitations don't remove free will, just constrains it. Even then, a smaller infinity is still infinity.
@@usern4metak3ns Humans 'can practice mindfullness, patience, store knowledge in books, But people 'are limited by their circumstances, Whether they 'live in an environment that teaches mental discipline, Whether writing has been invented. 'Might be limit to the number of grafts an 'individual can have, Even in some far off future of technologies.
Thinking about it... 8 months later, I have the feeling that I'm alive just to lightly push others to pursue their own fates... I'm a school teacher you see, but at first, I studied journalism. Maybe my destiny was and still is, to teach someone I don't know a specific lesson I couldn't fathom or foresee, but I have the feeling that whatever the lesson is, I will be for the betterment of that person (or hopefully more that one)
Taking humans' natural defenses (not counting guns, armor, etc, just complete natural defenses) into account, we should be near the bottom of the food chain. Our ability to choose to be at the top, even over genuine apex predators like bears, is a great example of overcoming what nature would intend by sheer will
The Legacy of Kain series is among my favorite stories ever told and one that I so often think about. When people claim videogames aren't art, I point to this series as being on the same level as Shakespeare. Long after I've finished playing through the series and I still think about it and will gladly watch any videos talking about it.
Facts. Just like in the Metal Gear franchise, the same was said. In one Codec Conversation, they mentioned a Shakespearean line saying, *"All the World's a Stage and We're merely players....But players can influence the play."* And it's true, Fate does decide in the long run, but Fate can be influenced by the Players.
@@usamazahid3882 Metal Gear is a different beast altogether. Kojima's games tend to accommodate for all types of player behavior. There is always a ton of content some people may never see. And since he thinks outside the box, accessing that content can be wildly creative. He really utilizes the entire medium to create the most abstract player interactivity.
@@Lockn3s5 True, but it did share some similarities with LOK, with different Characters embodying themselves. I mean think about this, Solid Snake (Metal Gear) and Raziel (LOK) embodying the integrity, when they were different. Raziel was a cold, cruel and ruthless as a human, and when he became a Vampire and a Wraith, he saw things differently and learned from his own experiences with integrity. Same goes with Solid Snake, once as a cold and emotionless soldier, before he saw things in a different light with Integrity in his own right and regaining his humanity. You then have others like the manipulators in Moebius (LOK) and Ocelot (Metal Gear), Atoners like Mortanius (LOK) and Otacon (Metal Gear), and then you have the Masterminds like the Elder God (LOK) and The Patriots (Metal Gear) etc. I could go on.
@@usamazahid3882 I have never juxtaposed these two games before but you do make some points. I just don't think there is much that can compare to Legacy of Kain. But if you were looking at character archetypes they do share similarities.
Another outstanding video my dude. 20 years old and these games still resonate so strongly, and your video essays bring that to life and keep the torch burning. Thank you.
By the gods I've let this video sit on for far too long, I have to thank you for making excellent studies like this. I often pondered about all these ideas long ago, ever since playing the first game as it came out. So very few pieces of media were able to have such a deep story, and leave you with questions not just about the game but about the life we live and decisions we make. I'm so glad Amy's vision will not be forgotten and that a lot of people still share such passion and love for this franchise.
If you think about time theory. If you go back in time you shouldn't touch or in some cases even look or meet at yourself. Raziel is not only doing all that but having his physical, material reaver his prison and spiritual reaver what he'll eventually be from various timeliness meet.
It's testament to have good the game is that as soon as a conversation starts ...I instantly remember all the dialogue...it was masterful writing and voice acting
Thankyou for spending the time and energy that went into creating this wonderful video. Thankyou for stoking the flames and fuelling the fire that is our love for this series alive.
I'm so glad that there's still people out there appreciating this series. And then they make amazing videos so I can appreciate them appreciating the series! A win for all involved.
I love all your LoK lore essays and the dedication you put into them, but I think this is your best video so far. You truly got what this series is about and I love the work you're doing... hopefully, it can make more people to discover this amazing videogame.
I always thought of it as... a "divide by zero" kind of thing. Raziel has a spectral sword attached to his arm, right? And that sword is actually him from thousands of years in the future, after traveling to the past some time before him, and was near him for most of his life after Kain resurrected him. That spectral sword also had a spectral sword before he was eaten by the Reaver, and that spectral sword also had a spectral sword, and that one also had another one, and so on. So events in the far distant future are directly interacting with events in the distant past this way, in a long causality loop. There has to have been a series of events that started the first loop, and it's likely that there are thousands of loops, until the audience plays through the series. So... perhaps the series we know is just the last loop of a horrible future that was never supposed to happen. Each loop changing little things until they got what they wanted. Soul Reaver "Prime" could've just been one of the early loops, if you look at it that way.
Can't believe it has been 20 years since Legacy of Kain Defiance. Still got my action figures, steel sword, and games. Actually want to make a novel series that will be inspired by LOK. I am VERY upset there has not been a remaster collection. I mean, Spyro, Metal Gear Solid, Crash, Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Dead Island, and so many other game series got HD collections. I have the games on GOG, but I'd rather play on PS5.
Raziel's final act was to give his Free Will to Kain. His soul is still in two places at once. Inside the Reaver, and the Wraithblade inside him. So so long as Kain has the reaver, he's a walking paradox.
@@kennethflores-hv7uf one fanfic movie I saw had him return to his "present" and recover Raziel's physical body from the bottom of the Lake of the Dead and restore the wraithblade soul to it.
Man the awesome voice acting never ceases to amaze me. I wish the same people that did the Netflix Castlevania anime would buy the rights to Legacy of Kain and have all the yet available voice actors reprise their roles. What a glorious series that would be
I love these analysis videos very thought provoking which is also why I love the Legacy of Kain. Come on whoever owns the IP please remake and remaster these games and release them for current consoles, we need this franchise back.
When I first got into LoK, I was a Christian and just took fate as a foregone conclusion. This game series was what really made me think, both about my faith and fate. In a real way, I think this series helped to deprogram my mind from that indoctrination. I am still not sure about whether we have free will or not, but at least now I can consider it without a lifetime of programming getting in the way. I genuinely don't think I would ever have gotten to that point without Kain's monologue, portrayed so beautifully at the beginning of this video in SR2
I'm took the René Discartes approch of I think so there I'm. If we can't not know the future so we can't answear that question and so it is pointless because it can be both. If fate is a thing we can't change it in the first place and if free will exist we choose a option in that moment and can never go back from. So either way we have the same outcome anyway. Regardless of faith or free will.
@@davidcoughlin5897 The closest name I can give you is evangelical Baptist. In my case, that meant KJV only, believing the world was literally created in 6 days, thinking the Earth is about 6,000 years old. A lot of science denial baked in, in other words.
Dialogue like auditory chocolate, legendary voice-acting, some of the best soundtracks I've heard in any series, breathtaking intrigue and manipulation, _and_ opened my eyes to existential questions. _LoK_ left a profound, indelible mark on my high school/early college years, and I am glad it did.
I still remember this game and it was my favorite it’s voice actors, it’s open world environment. And especially it’s thought provoking message.❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
i always love at 12:12 Kain s like "I might of overestimated Raziel" and braces himself to die. Its much like Palpatine in Episode 3 when he is doing the whole "im too weak, oh, please, dont kill me." At the last moment, his face is like "oh shit, im dead!" before Anakin saved him.
How do you do it mate? Every time I think there's nothing else left to milk out of this series you come out with another banger! And milking might be too strong of a word as you continue to release high quality content focusing on yet another aspect of this fantastic series. Thank you very much for that.
Goddammit, I am so glad your channel exists. This has been a question I have been struggling with for some time. Also in writing my own story I am trying to believe for a second that some decisions can matter even if they are fated. But the new perspective on our thoughts and expressing free will through our imaginations does give me some solace. Those ideas permeate the world and this universe we live in and can continue forever with the people we affect and what we choose to do with those imaginations! Thank you for pushing against those thoughts and asking us to think on it :) this is a bigger contribution to our society and what needs to be expressed more. Wonderful video!
Choices are either: 1. made for reasons, in which case they are determined. 2. made for no reasons, in which case they are random. I see no way in which free will is possible. Great video.
How accurate of you to have extrapolated the moral of the LoK story onto our everyday lives. I loved the constatation how every day leads us to virtually the same end - sleep, dreaming and eventually death. Very thought-provoking. Also, it's been such an unfalsifiable experience listening to your essays and rediscovering the epic I used to play as a rather unthoughtful brat. Feels home, really. A time paradox of its own.
Suppose you throw a coin enough times. Suppose one day it lands on its edge. Idk why but that line stuck with me from the day I heard it all those years ago. Like I'm not allowed to forget it ^^
A wonderful video, reminding all who watch to question their choices. I thought of this while listening to the video, considering Mobius and Raziel, Kain and Vorador, and came to this thought on what free will is. I look at the choices that we as people often exercise, and find that what makes free will stand out are the choices we make that pull us from our everyday lives. A trip into another part of the city, a day off from work for a personal day or project, or even the decision to stay still and watch. The exercise of free will, is out willingness to break from routine. To embrace a change in the destiny of our day to day lives and willingness to push against chance and causality to explore a new option. It is the decision to act in spite of the final outcome and see if there can be a different result. The definition of Insanity is to repeat an action and expecting a different result from the determined outcome. Free Will is the chance to view insanity made reality, if only for a moment. Whrn we break from routine, we exercise free will over the fate we have prescribed for ourselves.
After playing this game many times, I was brought to tears watching Raziel's sacrifice at the end of the video. That heartfelt background music didn't help either (thanks a lot 😊). My second time playing the game is when I shed tears as Kain was standing strong with his glowing Soul Reaver sword. My thoughts: we ALL have Free Will. We live, we grow, we learn, we choose. Yes, we will always be in situations that seem uncontrollable and uncomfortable, but we can choose to stay in that situation, or rise above it. Same goes for the people in our lives. Fate, can be scary and seem unavoidable, but it doesn't have to be that way. We can control our fate, our very existence. To me, Raziel was showing his Free Will since the moment he was introduced. He chose to show his master Kain his newfound wings, regardless of the consequences. He told the Elder God upon the first meeting that he "would choose oblivion" over his new existence. He chose to pick up the Soul Reaver in its spectral form after his first battle with Kain. He chose to kill his brethren brothers, despite his vengeance. He didn't have to. He chose to go through the portal at the end of Soul Reaver 1 when the Elder God warned him that "once you cross this threshold, you are beyond my influence." He pursued Kain anyway. He chose to disobey both Moebius and the Elder God in Soul Reaver 2, even after hearing them out about killing Kain. And lastly, he chose to sacrifice himself, because I feel like that even though he knew that he could "never escape" his terrible destiny, he could use the time he had to find more answers and maybe, just maybe, create some form of change. And he did. Little as it was, he gave Kain not only his "right hand" and "sword" back, but also some "bitter taste of that terrible illusion, hope." That things can be better, if you "have the heart for the truth, and will to see it." Change happens when we fight for it. I think both Raziel and Kain both fought for change, in their own way. To show, that "one can only match, move by move, the machinations of Fate. And thus defy, the tyrannous stars." Thats what matters. Fate be damned. Be in control. Amazing video. One of your best. Thank you, again and again for keeping this series going. Much appreciated. ❤🙂
I'm so glad I subscribed. I love your Legacy of Kain analysis and they always reignite my love for this stunning series. One could pry at the narrative for ages and continue to uncover ever greater depth of meaning and truly artistic moves at play in every step of the narrative.
Thanks bro, you really mske my month, i played soul reaver when i was a lil kid and i fall in love with the series... i admire ppl like you who continue to dig and analize the lore and meaning of this amazing game, thanks.
I didn't even watch the first minute of the video, I have already liked it, because to this day there hasn't been such compelling story in video games like Legacy of Kain. And to watch the video :D I wish this game comes back to life.
Magnificent video! Your videos in regards of Soul Reaver are mindblowing ♡ Did you ever see the fan made end of the series via gmod? It was very satisfying and showed how Kain got to defeat the Older God and saved Raziel by restoration of his body by returning his soul. Similar how enemies that got impaled and got returned by having the impaled body given a chance to heal itself.
Awesome videos. I'm super thankful. Theres another RU-vidr called Lady of Lore who's been releasing recent Legacy of Kain videos too. And someone on RU-vid is making a Mod called Raziel and the Puzzle of Time. I highllly recommend searching that up! Company Omid. I hope this channel one day covers the OG Xbox game, Azurik Rise of Perathia. It's so cool.
I am studying Anglistics/Philosophy and your videos are super in-depth, I wish some of my lessons were as interesting and well put together as your videos.
Raziel has free will as he is the only one who's soul will never return to the wheel of fate to be reborn again. He is a wraith and will always return to the spectral realm as he does at the end of SR2. He can choose when and if he will enter the reaver and what he does along the way. If the elder god ever decided to return his soul to the wheel of fate, the soul reaver would have never existed and the repercussions would be catastrophic. He is untouchable.
I love the allegory of Raziel's sacrifice as he realizing that he was always meant to be Kain's "right hand". Though his fate is inescapable, he understands that his free will allows him to choose how it happens, thus giving Kain "hope" to believe that, even though everything is predestined to happen, yet there's still a possibility for the future to be a better version than before.