Game C1 : Blood Omen - Rise to Power

Kain journal entry 3 : Following once more the advice from Ariel the ghost, I gained access to Malek's bastion. The Serafan proved himself to be a dreadful enemy. Rendered invincible by the powers of the Nine, the fiend finally had the upper hand, having me flee for the first time since the beginning of my quest. I knew the only way I had to get to the end of my quest, which was the destruction of the Nine, went through the obliteration of this sorry excuse for a Paladin. I then sought once again the advice from Ariel, which in her turn, oriented me to ask my questions to the Oracle. I kept on eastward after Malek's Bastion, and explored the labyrinth of caves where the Oracle was hiding. After more fierce battles, I gained the information I was looking for. The only vampire ever to have vanquished the Serafan in battle, Vorador, was resting in a mansion hidden in the middle of the Termagent Forest. Strange place for a vampire, the Termagent Forest and its swamp-like ground was a deadly trap for our kind. I had no choice however, and I left the Oracle in order to continue my quest...

If the entries are becoming more and more confusing, I'm sorry but I'm trying my best. I found a Game Script online because I really felt I was missing a lot of things from my difficulties to understand all the informations told to me. And right I was! There is definitely much more story to discover : The love story between Ariel the ghost and Nupraptor, Ariel's passing and Nupraptor descend into madness, which would lead to the corruption of the Nine, and so forth...

Ok now, you have it. I'm still having a lot of troubles with the gameplay, but I definitely want to see this story unfold to the end... It's frustrating to see what this game is and what it could have been... I think the Legacy of Kain series would be much more in the light nowadays if the games had been just a bit more thoroughly tested and tried before release, but then again, it's the case of a lot of IPs...

Drinking blood from a distance is still funny-looking though...

Now my major concern is the difficulty curve. You can cross a long cakewalk where every enemy falls easily and where there is a lot of blood to drink (your main health source), then explore a cavern or a dungeon where you get your ass kicked a lot of times before being able to progress. The graphics complexity is still an issue too, with a few times where I turned around a lot before being able to find where to go next.

I've gained access to a lot of new funny items, including one that make my enemies rot in a few seconds, or another one that stops time, allowing me to feast on them while they're powerless. Every new item is introduced in a sadistic way by the voice over, and a few of the descriptions are really fun to hear (always in a dark way of course). I have gained the Mist form too, which is great because it makes you impossible to hit with physical attacks, while consuming a great deal of magic.

I have secured a new weapon too, which is a pair of axes. It's a great weapon as it allows you to slash your way through the enemies ranks. However, it forbids you to use magic while using them. With the choices of weapons comes another problem. You have to switch from the axes to the mace really often (the mace is useless in battles, except against humans, but it allows you to break walls and pillars where you can find useful items). And when you switch, you have to go to the inventory menu (4 seconds loading), switch weapons (1 second when you know where it is) and go back to the game (another 4 seconds). 9 seconds don't seem like a lot, but when you have to switch weapons 12 times on the same screen to be efficient in battle (and if you're not efficient, your health meter drops fast), it can be REALLY bothersome...

I've learned to hate this word with my whole soul.

On the plus side, I have to correct one of the fears I had when starting the game. It is not a corridor. You have sufficient opportunities to get back on your tracks in order to find new areas as soon as you have access to a new power. The game opens up quite fast and it's fun to backtrack and see what I've missed. I can find more life and more magic this way, which makes the continuation of the main quests easier. It's really a good thing and makes the whole experience feel more like a RPG than in the beginning of the game where it felt more like a (poorly executed) action game. Some places are really dark and pleasant to explore, too.

Malek, I simply loooove what you did with your interior, you should come to redecorate my place!

So I'll keep going. My rise to power is more and more exhilarating, and the (soon-to-be) great vampire Kain is getting more powerful by the minute. With more than 700 kills and 200 mutilations, the game still calls me a "Whelp", though, so it's beginning to be a little insulting. Masses will fear me I tell you! If I can get pass the loading screens, that is...