Latest classic PS1 remaster is a perfect example of how not to update a game

PEOPLE often say they wish there were stories and experiences, whether that’s books, films, or games, that they wish they could forget.

Not because they were bad, but because they were so good they wish they could experience it again for the first time.

The problem with this is that when you revisit these stories, they often aren’t what you remember them to be.

Nostalgia often papers over the cracks, and issues are forgotten while the things you love are amplified.

Aside from your memory playing tricks on you, some experiences are better had when they were originally released.

That’s because tastes change over the years, and things we thought were acceptable then, aren’t acceptable now.

I’m not talking about cultural attitudes, but the features that modern gamers have come to expect over the years.

Things like auto save or save anywhere, mini maps or pointers to the next objective, accessibility options, and fast travel.

When we were kids, we had what felt like infinite time, and in a land before the internet or even TV channels in the double digits.

With fewer entertainment options you wanted what you had to last as long as possible, which meant the backtracking, grinding, and butting your head against the wall were all part of the process.

We now live in a world of hustle culture, where people are constantly pushed to be productive, and when you’re not progressing you’re told you’re wasting your precious life.

This is why games have adapted, and it’s why there is such a huge emphasis on console remakes and remasters, bringing older games to a modern audience.

Originally released in 1999, the Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver games are widely considered to be some of the best from the PS1 era.

They are 3D metroidvanias, with an open world that you can explore further as you discover more power-ups.

It also has a very unique system where the protagonist Raziel shifts between two planes of existence, and can do different actions in each one.

Legacy of Kain deserves its passionate fan base, and I also have fond memories of playing it, even though I didn’t remember too much about it.

That’s why I was so excited to play the remaster collection. I don’t need shiny new graphics to enjoy an old game, but I was excited for quality-of-life updates.

You can save anywhere in Soul Reaver, but when you restart you end up at the very start of the game and need to take teleporters in order to get back where you left off.

These teleporters aren’t on the critical path and you have to search every corner to open them all up.

It seemed an obvious fix for the remaster to drop you off where you last saved, but this isn’t the case.

Outside of the graphics, it feels like there have been no quality-of-life upgrades.

There is a map screen, which feels necessary in such a sprawling world that you backtrack through, but it’s completely useless.

Over the years fans have made beautiful maps that clearly show how the world connects, but the map in the remaster functions more as a list of area names.

Then there are changes which I don’t remember being in the original, though as I said before, I don’t remember much.

I had to look up a guide when I was stuck only to find that the reason I couldn’t complete the puzzle was because the blocks I needed just weren’t there.

Resetting spawned the blocks in, but as previously mentioned, this sent me back to the start.

There were also plenty of visual glitches, where paths look blocked off when they’re not,  and parts where I phased through the walls.

For full transparency, I didn’t finish the Soul Reaver remaster as I felt a deep sense of dread whenever I thought about picking up my Steam Deck.

Knowing I would be sent back to the start, wondering if I’ll encounter a game-breaking bug and have to reset, and considering just how much aimless running around I’d have to do.

Remasters aren’t about smothering games in a shiny new coat of paint, it’s about adding in features for the modern gamer, and respecting the time in the ever-crushing hustle culture.

If you want to read more game reviews, check out our Stray review.