Soul Reaver Remasters Get First Update: New Features and Fixes

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Summary

  • Aspyr released a new update for Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered.
  • Players now have a Day/Night cycle toggle in Patch 1 and an auto-pause on controller disconnects.

Asymptote, the studio responsible for remastering the classic action-adventure games “Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2“, has recently rolled out an update, accompanied by a brief rundown of changes. These updated versions hit the shelves on December 10th, and after a long wait spanning almost 25 years, fans of the series were mostly pleased with their purchase. The majority of reviews lauded the enhancements in quality-of-life provided by “Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered“, while commending its faithful adherence to the original games.

Stepping into the world of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered, I felt the same dedication to preservation Aspyr showed in their work on Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered. This isn’t just a simple upgrade; it’s a loving restoration that starts from the original source code and engine. The graphics have been given a stunning overhaul, and fans will find plenty of exciting extras to savor. For instance, the “Lost Levels” section in the Bonus Materials menu allows us to explore areas that were trimmed from the initial versions, offering a tantalizing glimpse into what might have been.

Over the past two months since the release of Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered, the developer has been diligently addressing player feedback and has already rolled out a patch on January 30th. For Soul Reaver 1, players can now toggle the day/night cycle at their convenience. Additionally, both games have seen several graphical issues addressed, such as the missing lighthouse beam and squished aspect ratios on Steam and Steam Deck. Furthermore, the games will now automatically open the pause menu when a controller is disconnected, and Aspyr has promised to include the names of Kickstarter backers in the game with the Day 60 update, which is expected to drop sometime in March.

As a diehard fan of the original Soul Reaver series, I’d highly recommend grabbing the remastered version of Soul Reaver 1 & 2. The reason? It’s packed with amazing bonus content that was largely developed in collaboration with the dedicated Legacy of Kain community. You’ll find a treasure trove of concept art, galleries, detailed maps rich in lore, demo videos, and, of course, achievements/trophies exclusive to Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered. For those who want to delve deeper, there are even text-based versions of the scripts available. To top it all off, this remaster comes with a built-in music player and extended soundtracks for both games!

Initially specializing in adapting PC video games for Mac and later Linux systems, Aspyr has gained recognition for its remastered versions that pay homage to the original games and the dedicated fan bases they’ve amassed. For instance, the re-release of the Tomb Raider 1-3 series was positively received by many in the community, much like their Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection, launched in March 2024.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered Patch 1 Notes

  • [SR1] The lighthouse’s beam is no longer missing (after being activated to obtain the Glyph).
  • [SR1] An additional prompt has been added to the Underworld tutorial in SR1 for accessing the Glyph menu.
  • [SR1] A toggle has been added to enable/disable the Day/Night cycle.
  • [SR1] The Bell in the Silenced Cathedral is no longer cut off after being hit.
  • [SR1] Fixed an occasional crash issue triggered when Raziel was killed by a flamethrower hunter.
  • [SR1] Fixed an issue that caused the environment to de-spawn.
  • [SR1] Fixed the Great Old One Achievement in SR1.
  • [SR1] Fixed the backward hand in SR1 for the vampire hunter.
  • [SR2] Fixed an issue where Raziel could occasionally become stuck in a room with a T-pose Moebius after skipping a cutscene.
  • [SR2] Black cubes are no longer present on the Air Forge mummies.
  • [SR2] When playing through the Oracle Caves, Cubes will no longer get stuck in each other.
  • [SR2] The display no longer squishes horizontally to fit the screen instead of cropping the sides when the aspect ratio is narrower than 16:9 on PC Steam and Steam Deck.
  • [All] After disconnecting the controller, the game will automatically open the pause menu in either title.
  • [All] A visual effect is now present when accessing and leaving the visions in the Chronoplast.
  • [All] The Split trophy / achievement no longer progresses when killing a Sorcerer Thrall.
  • [All] Directional inputs can now be bound to the arrow keys.
  • You can now press pause while watching the Bonus Materials movies.
  • Certain tutorial prompts no longer display the incorrect button prompt in non-English languages.

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2025-01-31 20:44