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'''''Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain''''' is a top-down [[action-adventure game|action/adventure]] [[video game]], the first game in the successful ''[[Legacy of Kain]]'' series and the only one developed by [[Silicon Knights]] and published by [[Crystal Dynamics]]. The game was first released in [[1996]] for the [[PlayStation]], and later ported to [[Microsoft Windows]]. A [[Sega Saturn|Saturn]] version was announced during production but later cancelled before release. ''Blood Omen'' was followed by four sequels developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by [[Eidos Interactive]], including a direct sequel, [[Blood Omen 2: Legacy of Kain]].
'''''Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain''''' is a top-down [[action-adventure game|action/adventure]] [[video game]] developed by [[Silicon Knights]] and published by [[Crystal Dynamics]]. The game was first released in [[1996]] for the [[PlayStation]], and later [[ported]] to [[Microsoft Windows]].


The game is focused on [[protagonist]] [[Kain (video game)]], and forms part of a [[saga]] - the ''[[Legacy of Kain]]'' series - with redemption as a central theme.
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In the game, the player takes the role of [[Kain (Legacy of Kain)|Kain]], a [[nobility|nobleman]] who is murdered and given the chance for revenge by becoming a [[vampire]]. Subject to manipulation from several forces, he travels the land of [[Legacy of Kain#Overview|Nosgoth]] in the hopes of discovering a cure to his unlife, but gradually begins to look upon his transformation as a blessing over the course of the story. The game was praised for its high-quality [[voice acting]], moody atmosphere, and compelling storyline.<ref name="Gamespot">{{cite web|url= http://www.gamespot.com/ps/adventure/bloodomenlegacyofkain/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gsupdates&tag=updates;title;4 | title = Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain Review | publisher = [[Gamespot]] | accessdate = 2008-11-26}}</ref><ref name="IGN">{{cite web|url= http://psx.ign.com/articles/152/152024p1.html | title = Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain Review | publisher = [[IGN]] | accessdate = 2008-11-26}}</ref>

⚫
''Blood Omen'' was praised for its high-quality [[voice acting]], moody atmosphere, and compelling storyline.<ref name="Gamespot">{{cite web|url= http://www.gamespot.com/ps/adventure/bloodomenlegacyofkain/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gsupdates&tag=updates;title;4 | title = Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain Review | publisher = [[Gamespot]] | accessdate = 2008-11-26}}</ref><ref name="IGN">{{cite web|url= http://psx.ign.com/articles/152/152024p1.html | title = Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain Review | publisher = [[IGN]] | accessdate = 2008-11-26}}</ref>


==Gameplay==
==Gameplay==

Revision as of 05:20, 23 July 2010

Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain
Developer(s)Silicon Knights
Publisher(s)Crystal Dynamics
SeriesLegacy of Kain series
Platform(s)PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Network
ReleaseNovember 15, 1996 (PS1)

August 31, 1997 (WIN)

September 10, 2009 (PSN)
Genre(s)Action-adventure game
Mode(s)Single-player

Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain is a top-down action/adventure video game developed by Silicon Knights and published by Crystal Dynamics. The game was first released in 1996 for the PlayStation, and later ported to Microsoft Windows.

The game is focused on protagonist Kain (video game), and forms part of a saga - the Legacy of Kain series - with redemption as a central theme.

Blood Omen was praised for its high-quality voice acting, moody atmosphere, and compelling storyline.[1][2]

Gameplay

Blood Omen is a two-dimensional action-adventure game.

Plot

The game features a story of deception, betrayal and manipulation of the main character. Kain, a nobleman in the world of Nosgoth, is murdered by assassins and offered new life as a Vampire by the necromancer Mortanius to take vengeance. Kain kills his murderers, but Mortanius convinces Kain that they were mere pawns and that the real perpetrators can be found at the Pillars of Nosgoth, which protect Nosgoth from destruction. There, the ghost of Ariel, the former Guardian of the Pillar of Balance, tells him that the humans guarding the Pillars from decay have gone insane, and that they must be killed for the Pillars to be saved.

Kain embarks on a quest to kill the guardians and visits their fortresses, gaining numerous powers in the process, and often encountering strange and deranged characters, like the Oracle, which tells him of the Nemesis and tells him to seek the aid of Vorador -- a powerful vampire. After eliminating several more guardians, Kain learns that an army commanded by the Nemesis -- a corrupted king once named William the Just -- is on the brink of conquering Nosgoth. Kain tries to neutralize this threat using a Time streaming device—which he found in a cathedral in the city of Avernus—to go fifty years back into the past, and kill the young King William. He succeeds, but in the altered history, the murder of William at his hands sets off a genocidal crusade against all vampires, rendering him the last of his kind. Kain discovers that he has been manipulated into changing history by the Guardian of Time, Moebius, posing as the Oracle, whom he finally manages to kill.

At this point, Kain encounters the two remaining guardians, Mortanius, and Anacrothe the Alchemist, fighting. Anarcrothe is killed by Mortanius and Kain challenges him, believing he is the last guardian. After defeating him, Mortanius turns into a monster, who is revealed as the author of the murder of Ariel and Kain as part of a plot to destroy the pillars.

After defeating the monster, Kain learns that he is the last guardian, the guardian of the Pillar of Balance. He is given two choices: sacrifice himself, restore the land, and free Ariel while condemning vampires to extinction, or refuse the sacrifice and let the pillars fall. In the series canon, Kain chooses the latter path, concluding with the epiphany that vampirism is in fact a blessing, and vampires are dark gods who serve to "thin the herd."

Characters

Development

The concept of Blood Omen was conceived by Silicon Knights president Denis Dyack, and was first considered for production in 1993 under the working title The Pillars of Nosgoth, towards the end of development work on Dark Legions.[3][4] Silicon Knights set out to create a strongly cerebral action RPG which adults would want to play, "where you had to use your head as well as your reflexes" and with no ultimate weapon or armor.[3] High emphasis was devoted to developing a cinematic and immersive storyline, narrative and atmosphere in an attempt to evolve the genre.[4] Actual technical production was delayed in the absence of a suitable console; for approximately eight months, Silicon Knights worked on Blood Omen's game design without a particular hardware platform in mind.[5] In 1993, fellow game development studio Crystal Dynamics agreed to publish the game, with an extended development period requiring Silicon Knights to double its staff level; Crystal Dynamics contributed some of its own employees to aid the process.[3] The game was released for the PlayStation in late 1996 "after herculean efforts", and ported to personal computers in 1997.[4] Work on a Sega Saturn version was also commenced after the initial release, but was terminated.[6]

In developing the character of Kain, Silicon Knights deliberately veered away from following the monomyth despite being advised that a deep anti-hero would not appeal to gamers of the period.[7] Instead, they adopted the vision of a character whom everyone believes is evil, partially inspired by William Munny, the protagonist of Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven,[3][8] rather than introducing a stereotypical "totally kick-ass" protagonist.[7] In crafting the world of Nosgoth, the developers used a combination of high fantasy and vampire mythology as a template.[9] Influenced by the Necroscope and The Wheel of Time series, they attempted to ensure no character fell into a simple "good" or "evil" typecast. Cover art for The Pillars of the Earth served as the origin of the idea for the Pillars of Nosgoth themselves.[8] Many of the game's major characters underwent name changes throughout development;[10] content director Ken McCulloch, who co-wrote the storyline and the majority of in-game texts, was urged by marketers toward using more accessible and less flavorful names late in the design process. The monikers of antagonists Mortanius and Hash'ak'gik were considered "Names from Hell" and were difficult to get past the "marketing censor".[11]

The game's musical score was composed by Steve Henifin; initially, original compositions were to be created for each animated cinematic, but only one such piece made it into the game's intro.[12] Simon Templeman provided the voice of Kain, with Tony Jay voicing Mortanius and William the Just. Paul Lukather vocalized Vorador and Bane, while Anna Gunn was cast as Ariel, Azimuth and Dejoule. Richard Doyle voiced antagonists Moebius, Nupraptor and Anacrothe, and Neil Ross voiced Malek, King Ottmar and Elzevir the Dollmaker.[13] Various cast members also voiced incidential characters including peasants and NPCs. Prior to recording, Dyack expressed concern that the actors would be unable to convey McCulloch's complex dialog. However, their performances "blew him away" — he later commented that "after five minutes with Simon Templeman [...] we knew that there was no problem."[8]

References

  1. ^ "Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain Review". Gamespot. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  2. ^ "Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain Review". IGN. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
  3. ^ a b c d "SK: The Complete Guide To Legacy of Kain - Behind The Scenes". Silicon Knights. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
  4. ^ a b c Alistair Wallis. "Playing Catch-Up: GEX's Lyle Hall". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
  5. ^ "Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain". Silicon Knights. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
  6. ^ "SK: The Complete Guide To Legacy of Kain - Q & A". Silicon Knights. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
  7. ^ a b Dyack, Denis (May 3, 2007). "Why Baldur? Blog #27". IGN. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
  8. ^ a b c "Denis Dyack: Creator of Kain". PSXnation.com. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
  9. ^ Kollar, Phillip (March 17, 2003). "Denis Dyack on Story and Content in Games, Part 2". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
  10. ^ Ben Lincoln. "Early Character Names". Legacy of Kain: The Lost Worlds. Retrieved 2010-01-10. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ McCulloch, Ken (November 15, 2007). "Names? We don't need no steenking names!". IGN. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
  12. ^ "SK: The Complete Guide To Legacy of Kain - Cinematic Themes". Silicon Knights. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
  13. ^ "Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain Credits". Allgame. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
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