Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain: Difference between revisions
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==Plot== |
==Plot== |
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The story begins with a [[prologue]], depicting the slaughter of several members of the Circle of Nine (eventually revealed to be the Guardians of the Pillars of Nosgoth) by the [[vampire]] [[List of Legacy of Kain characters#Vorador|Vorador]]. The Sarafan (an order devoted to the extinction of vampires) warrior-priest [[Malek]] fails to prevent the killings, and is punished by surviving Circle member [[List of Legacy of Kain characters#Mortanius the Necromancer|Mortanius]] by having his body destroyed and soul bound to a suit of armour forever. |
The story begins with a [[prologue]], depicting the slaughter of several members of the Circle of Nine (eventually revealed to be the Guardians of the Pillars of Nosgoth) by the [[vampire]] [[List of Legacy of Kain characters#Vorador|Vorador]]. The Sarafan (an order devoted to the extinction of vampires) warrior-priest [[List of Legacy of Kain characters#Malek|Malek]] fails to prevent the killings, and is punished by surviving Circle member [[List of Legacy of Kain characters#Mortanius the Necromancer|Mortanius]] by having his body destroyed and soul bound to a suit of armour forever. |
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Kain is introduced as a nobleman in the world of [[Nosgoth]]. Murdered by [[assassination|assassins]], and Kain is offered new life and an opportunity for revenge as a [[vampire]] by the [[necromancy|necromancer]] Mortanius. Although Kain quickly kills the assassins, Mortanius convinces Kain that they were mere pawns and that the real perpetrators can be found at the nine Pillars of Nosgoth, which protect Nosgoth from destruction. At the Pillars Kain finds the ghost of [[List of Legacy of Kain characters#Ariel|Ariel]], the former Guardian of the Pillar of Balance. Ariel states the human guardians of the Pillars have become corrupted, which in turn corrupts the Pillars. Ariel claims the only way to undo the decay is to kill the Guardians and end the Circle of Nine. |
Kain is introduced as a nobleman in the world of [[Nosgoth]]. Murdered by [[assassination|assassins]], and Kain is offered new life and an opportunity for revenge as a [[vampire]] by the [[necromancy|necromancer]] Mortanius. Although Kain quickly kills the assassins, Mortanius convinces Kain that they were mere pawns and that the real perpetrators can be found at the nine Pillars of Nosgoth, which protect Nosgoth from destruction. At the Pillars Kain finds the ghost of [[List of Legacy of Kain characters#Ariel|Ariel]], the former Guardian of the Pillar of Balance. Ariel states the human guardians of the Pillars have become corrupted, which in turn corrupts the Pillars. Ariel claims the only way to undo the decay is to kill the Guardians and end the Circle of Nine. |
Revision as of 06:03, 24 July 2010
Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain | |
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![]() Cover art for Microsoft Windows version of Blood Omen. | |
Developer(s) | Silicon Knights |
Publisher(s) | Crystal Dynamics |
Series | Legacy of Kain series |
Platform(s) | PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation Network |
Release | November 15, 1996 (PS1) August 31, 1997 (WIN) |
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 November 1996 for the PlayStation, and eventually ported to Microsoft Windows in August 1997.
The game is focused on the brutal but charismatic protagonist Kain, 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 story begins with a prologue, depicting the slaughter of several members of the Circle of Nine (eventually revealed to be the Guardians of the Pillars of Nosgoth) by the vampire Vorador. The Sarafan (an order devoted to the extinction of vampires) warrior-priest Malek fails to prevent the killings, and is punished by surviving Circle member Mortanius by having his body destroyed and soul bound to a suit of armour forever.
Kain is introduced as a nobleman in the world of Nosgoth. Murdered by assassins, and Kain is offered new life and an opportunity for revenge as a vampire by the necromancer Mortanius. Although Kain quickly kills the assassins, Mortanius convinces Kain that they were mere pawns and that the real perpetrators can be found at the nine Pillars of Nosgoth, which protect Nosgoth from destruction. At the Pillars Kain finds the ghost of Ariel, the former Guardian of the Pillar of Balance. Ariel states the human guardians of the Pillars have become corrupted, which in turn corrupts the Pillars. Ariel claims the only way to undo the decay is to kill the Guardians and end the Circle of Nine.
Kain embarks on his quest, encountering and killing a number of foes -including monsters- that now wander Nosgoth. Kain also acquires several new weapons and magics. After killing several members of the Circle and escaping a disastrous encounter with Malek, Kain is directed by a mysterious [[oracle] to find the powerful but reclusive vampire Vorador.
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."
Major characters
- Kain (voiced by Simon Templeman throughout series)
- Mortanius the Necromancer (voiced by Tony Jay in Blood Omen)
- Ariel of the Balance (voiced by Anna Gunn)
- Oracle of Nosgoth (Moebius the Timestreamer)
- Vorador (voiced by Paul Lukather throughout series)
- Nemesis (voiced by Tony Jay)
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
- ^ "Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain Review". Gamespot. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
- ^ "Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain Review". IGN. Retrieved 2008-11-26.
- ^ a b c d "SK: The Complete Guide To Legacy of Kain - Behind The Scenes". Silicon Knights. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
- ^ a b c Alistair Wallis. "Playing Catch-Up: GEX's Lyle Hall". Gamasutra. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
- ^ "Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain". Silicon Knights. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
- ^ "SK: The Complete Guide To Legacy of Kain - Q & A". Silicon Knights. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
- ^ a b Dyack, Denis (May 3, 2007). "Why Baldur? Blog #27". IGN. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
- ^ a b c "Denis Dyack: Creator of Kain". PSXnation.com. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
- ^ Kollar, Phillip (March 17, 2003). "Denis Dyack on Story and Content in Games, Part 2". 1UP.com. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
- ^ Ben Lincoln. "Early Character Names". Legacy of Kain: The Lost Worlds. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
{{cite web}}
: External link in
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- ^ McCulloch, Ken (November 15, 2007). "Names? We don't need no steenking names!". IGN. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
- ^ "SK: The Complete Guide To Legacy of Kain - Cinematic Themes". Silicon Knights. Retrieved 2010-01-10.
- ^ "Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain Credits". Allgame. Retrieved 2010-01-10.