Legacy of Kain: Revival Game Guide

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This is a friend's own game inspired from the original series, Legacy of Kain, and moreover this is the game's presentation and walkthrough,

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  • a fan game by Vincent Chevalier

    "Where a single one of us stands, we are legion."Kain, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver

    Official game guideversion 1.0

    copyright Vincent Chevalier 2009-2010

  • Contents1. Introduction............................................................................................................................................4

    1.1 Welcome..........................................................................................................................................41.2 Introducing myself..........................................................................................................................41.3 The project.......................................................................................................................................41.4 Goal of the project ..........................................................................................................................41.5 History of the project.......................................................................................................................41.6 Website............................................................................................................................................5

    2. Installation..............................................................................................................................................62.1 Requirements...................................................................................................................................62.2 Folder Contents...............................................................................................................................62.3 Launch the game.............................................................................................................................72.4 Manage saved games.......................................................................................................................7

    3. Configuration of the game.....................................................................................................................83.1 Volume.............................................................................................................................................83.2 Controls...........................................................................................................................................83.3 Size..................................................................................................................................................83.4 Difficulty.........................................................................................................................................8

    4. Play the game.........................................................................................................................................94.1 Story................................................................................................................................................9

    4.1.1 The story so far........................................................................................................................94.1.1.1 Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen..........................................................................................94.1.1.2 Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver.........................................................................................104.1.1.3 Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2......................................................................................104.1.1.4 Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2.....................................................................................114.1.1.5 Legacy of Kain: Defiance..............................................................................................11

    4.1.2 Story of Legacy of Kain: Revival..........................................................................................124.2 Moving..........................................................................................................................................12

    4.2.1 Move......................................................................................................................................124.2.2 Jump.......................................................................................................................................124.2.3 Float.......................................................................................................................................134.2.4 Double Jump..........................................................................................................................13

    4.3 Attacking.......................................................................................................................................134.3.1 Ground Attack........................................................................................................................134.3.2 Air Attack...............................................................................................................................134.3.3 Ground Launcher...................................................................................................................134.3.4 Air Launcher..........................................................................................................................134.3.5 Combo...................................................................................................................................14

    4.4 Special skills..................................................................................................................................144.4.1 Activate..................................................................................................................................144.4.2 Mist........................................................................................................................................144.4.3 Drain Blood...........................................................................................................................154.4.4 Telekinetic Bolt......................................................................................................................154.4.5 Lightning...............................................................................................................................154.4.6 Strength boost........................................................................................................................154.4.7 Speed boost............................................................................................................................164.4.8 Spirit vision............................................................................................................................164.4.9 Air shield................................................................................................................................164.4.10 Water shield.........................................................................................................................16

  • 4.5 Managing health and magic..........................................................................................................164.5.1 Health loss.............................................................................................................................174.5.2 Magic regeneration................................................................................................................174.5.3 Upgrades................................................................................................................................17

    4.6 Using the map................................................................................................................................174.6.1 Map elements.........................................................................................................................17

    4.6.1.1 Grey area........................................................................................................................174.6.1.2 Red dots.........................................................................................................................174.6.1.3 Save pillars.....................................................................................................................174.6.1.4 Teleport devices.............................................................................................................184.6.1.5 Kain's location................................................................................................................184.6.1.6 Other areas.....................................................................................................................184.6.1.7 Objectives......................................................................................................................184.6.1.8 Map example..................................................................................................................18

    4.6.2 Small map..............................................................................................................................194.6.3 Large map..............................................................................................................................19

    4.7 Using the menu..............................................................................................................................194.7.1 Start a new game....................................................................................................................194.7.2 Save and load.........................................................................................................................194.7.3 Encyclopedia.........................................................................................................................194.7.4 Skill Selector..........................................................................................................................204.7.5 Inventory................................................................................................................................204.7.6 Game statistics.......................................................................................................................20

    4.8 Completing objectives...................................................................................................................204.8.1 Effect of objective completion...............................................................................................20

    4.9 Endings..........................................................................................................................................214.10 Rankings......................................................................................................................................21

    5. Sharing the fun.....................................................................................................................................225.1 Website - Http://lokrevival.webs.com...........................................................................................225.2 Walkthrough..................................................................................................................................225.3 Speed runs.....................................................................................................................................22

    6. Closing word........................................................................................................................................236.1 Special thanks................................................................................................................................23

  • 1. Introduction

    1.1 Welcome

    Hello and welcome, fellow Legacy of Kain or metroidvania fan. It is with great enthusiasm that I release the fan-game Legacy of Kain: Revival. I hope you will have as much fun playing the game as I had creating it.

    1.2 Introducing myself

    I don't want to bore anyone with this, so I'll be brief. My name is Vincent Chevalier and I work as a programmer.

    In January 2009, I decided that I wanted to learn C#, a new programming language, and decided to start a little game project to have fun while learning. At the same time, I wanted to create an end to the great Legacy of Kain series that was abandoned a few years before. I am a great fan of the series so I gave it a shot.

    So there it is, after two years of work, I am ready to release Legacy of Kain: Revival. An unofficial end to the Legacy of Kain games.

    1.3 The project

    This project started small but with great ambition. Making a 3D game alone was out of the question, so I searched for a game making tool and stumbled upon Scrolling Game Development Kit 2. Great tool, works in C#, open source, great community: it was perfect for me.

    1.4 Goal of the project

    I decided that a metroidvania would fit Legacy of Kain universe perfectly and decided to go along this direction. The goal of the project was to deliver an authentic Legacy of Kain feeling and allow the player to decide the outcome of the story. After all these years waiting for an official end, many people have their own idea of how it should end, so rather than impose my vision, I decided to allow the players to choose between five of them. I also wanted people to play the game as they want: no imposed path, except at the very beginning and at the end. That gives a good metroidvania feeling too I think.

    1.5 History of the project

    For those interested , to give you an idea of how the project went, this is about the schedule I followed:

    January 2009 to March 2009 - Basic work: proof of concepts, making the character move, learning SGDK2 and learning C# progressively, making a ugly basic menu, save and load game, etc

    March 2009 to April 2009 - Create all of the main characters abilities, move attack, powers, etc Create enemy attacks but no enemy yet, just projectiles.

  • April 2009 to August 2009 - Create enemies... AI, attacks, skills, that was hard work

    August 2009 to November 2009 - Create the first level and then release an alpha version to get comments, suggestions

    November 2009 - March 2010 - Debug, debug, debug: add some new stuff and touches everywhere and develop second level. It slowed down a bit there. I realized it would require a huge amount of work to finish the game and was a little discouraged. Then, I decided to develop procedures and tools to accelerate game development and my motivation came back. Raina Audron also jumped on board at this point and helped me a lot with graphics, musics, tests, suggestions. Wow! I was lucky to find her!

    March 2010 to December 2010 - Create 6 other levels, create all boss enemies, remake menu, make credits, make game guide, create website, debug, debug, debug... I decided to give it a shot. Hell, a lot of work was done, the least I could do was to deliver the goods. So I went crazy and almost dropped playing video games to concentrate on developing mine. Yeah, you can bet I'm playing video games again now!

    December 2010 - Release the beta version... And hopefully celebrate if everything goes well. I don't have the intention of investing a lot of work in the game from now on. But I want to solve the last bugs and glitches and see what people would like to see in the game. That remains to be seen.

    1.6 Website

    If you want to join the Legacy of Kain: Revival community, you can join it here at Http://lokrevival.webs.comI'm there everyday so you can ask me questions, talk about anything LoK related or not, hang out, whatever. You're welcome!

  • 2. Installation

    2.1 Requirements

    To run Legacy of Kain: Revival, you need these elements:

    1- .NET Framework 3.5 (or a more recent version of the .NET framework). If you do not have it, it is easy to find on Microsoft's website and it's free. Just download and install it.

    2- A graphic card that is able to run a recent version of OpenGL. OpenGL library is given with the game (the dll files), but your graphic needs the horsepower and drivers to run it. You may have to update your graphic card drivers.

    3- A decent CPU. You don't need a killer CPU to run the game, I developed the game on a 5 years old computer. It was good five years ago, but now it's not top of the food chain at all. I tried it on laptop and sometimes it runs well and sometimes the game is slow (going from 60 fps to 30 fps).

    4- A decent amount of RAM (memory). I decided, to cut loading times in game, to load almost everything in memory when the game starts. That's why it is slow to start and why it runs great afterward. It takes about 350 megs of RAM. Most (if not all) recent computers should have no problem running it.

    5- Probably a Windows OS. Because of the .NET framework requirement, I think it is only possible to run the game on Windows. I never tried it on a Mac or a Linux computer, I don't plan to and I don't want to port the game. So sorry if it doesn't work.

    2.2 Folder Contents

    When you unzip the lokrevival.rar file, you will find these files:- lokrevival.exe- fmodex.dll- OpenTK.dll- OpenTK.GLControl.dll- gameguide.pdf

    To make sure the game works well, you have to leave the "exe" and the "dll" files in the same folder. There is no installation wizard with the game. It is ready to be launched as soon as it is unzipped. It won't work from within the archive.

    To remove the game from your computer, simply delete the folder containing the game. It's as simple as that.

  • 2.3 Launch the game

    That's easy, you just need to double-click on the "lokrevival.exe" program.

    You should see a splash screen saying "Legacy of Kain Revival, please wait". The game takes a couple of minutes to launch because it loads all it needs in memory. This way, the game runs smoothly once it is loaded. You should see in the splash screen when the game loads the music. Loading the music is the last step, please be patient.

    When the splash screen disappear, you are taken directly to the entrance menu. From this menu, you can begin a new game and load a saved game.

    Before you start the game, notice the menu "tools" in the window's menu bar. I strongly suggest to set up the game before you play. See section 3 of this guide for more details on how to set up the game.

    2.4 Manage saved games

    Legacy of Kain: Revival has 3 save slots. These saved gamed are stored in files within the "savegame" folder. Slot 1 is file "1.sav", slot 2 is file "2.sav" and slot 3 is file "3.sav". Easy right? So you can backup your saved games, swap them as much as you like, send them to your friends, no problem.

    You will also find 2 other files called "0.sav" and "4.sav". Please, do not rename them, swap them with a "1.sav", "2.sav" or "3.sav" or alter these files in any way. It can really mess the game up if you do and could prevent you from starting a new game or other nasty effects.

    If some sort of mess up like this happen, you can reinitialize the game by deleting the files "0.sav" and "4.sav" while the game is closed. Restarting the game should create clean "0.sav" and "4.sav" files and everything should be okay then.

  • 3. Configuration of the gameWhen "Legacy of Kain: Revival" launches, the size of the display is small, the volume may be high and the controls might not be how you want them. That is why there is a "Tools" menu, so you can set the game just like you want it. Anytime during the game, you can go into the "Tools" menu and change your setup.

    3.1 Volume

    You can set the game's music volume and sound effects volume differently. The values range from 0% volume to 100% volume.

    3.2 Controls

    By default, when you launch the game, it uses the arrow keys for movement, the space bar for jump, the "d" key for attack, the "s" key for skill and the "a" key for Select. They can be changed to any other keyboard setup you want or joystick/joy-pad configuration you want.

    The game was made with 4 buttons joy pads in mind, so I limited the buttons and the game requires the player to combine buttons to do certain tasks.

    To change the button configuration, click with the mouse pointer in the field with the key you want to change and then press the key you want to use to set it. It's easy. If you want to use a joy-pad and the game does not recognize it, the joy-pad section will remain gray.

    To have the game recognize your joy-pad, close the tools window, plug in the joy-pad and reopen the tools window: the game might detect it then. If it doesn't work, close the whole game, plug in the joy-pad and restart the game. It might work. If not, maybe the game can't manage this joy-pad: sorry.

    3.3 Size

    To change the size of the game window and see a bigger version of the game, you can use the "Game size" combo-box Press on the button with the arrow pointing down and you will see 4 possibilities of game sizes from 320x240 (original and smallest game size) to 1280-960 (biggest display possible). When you change the game size, the game window re-centers in the middle of your screen and changes size. Enjoy!

    3.4 Difficulty

    The default game difficulty is "Normal". If you want to change the difficulty, use the combo-box to select "Hard" or "Easy". Mostly, the difficulty changes the amount of hits it takes to kill enemies. But it also makes some small in-game alterations to make the challenge harder or easier. In any case, along the way you can pickup many upgrades that makes the whole game easier.

    Remember that you cannot change the game difficulty along the way. Changing the game difficulty will affect only the next game you begin from the start. If you think the game is too hard or too easy, you have to restart it to play a easier or harder version of it.

  • 4. Play the game

    4.1 Story

    Legacy of Kain: Revival takes place after the fifth Legacy of Kain game, Legacy of Kain: Defiance. It begins right after the end the Defiance. The story of Legacy of Kain is very rich and complex. It is also confusing because of time travel and many hidden agendas. So here is a little explanation for the newcomers and a refresher for fans.

    By the way, I strongly encourage you to play the 5 Legacy of Kain games. Some of them are older and didn't aged very well, but the story and voice acting alone is so great, it's worth the effort.

    4.1.1 The story so far

    This is a very very short explanation of what happened in the official Legacy of Kain games and at what point the story begins. There are two main characters in the Legacy of Kain games: Kain and Raziel. My short explanation will focus on Kain because Raziel isn't in Legacy of Kain: Revival. The games are presented in their order of appearance rather than chronologically. I think it's less confusing this way.

    For those who think I skip (or mess up) important parts of the story, please keep in mind that when I did, it was to simplify a complex story and make it interesting for non LoK fans. The idea is not to write a book here.

    4.1.1.1 Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen

    First game of the Legacy of Kain universe. Kain, a nobleman of Nosgoth, is slain by brigands. While Kain is in the land of the Dead, Mortanius, a powerful human necromancer, offers Kain the chance to avenge himself. Kain accepts and is revived as a vampire. He soon dispatches his enemies, helped by a powerful vampire named Vorador.

    Kain discovers that Mortanius is a part of a powerful circle of mages, the Guardians of the Pillars of Nosgoth. Mortanius is the Guardian of Death. Kain despises his vampire condition and seeks release. Ariel, the ghost of the slain Guardian of Balance tells him that his release can only happen after all the Guardians are slain and the decaying Pillars of Nosgoth are restored.

    Kain kills all of the guardians but gets involved into the scheme of Moebius, the Guardian of Time, along the way. Moebius succeeds in killing all vampires in Nosgoth, including the powerful Vorador, before Kain kills him.

    When all the Guardians are dead, Ariel tells Kain that there is another Guardian since when Ariel died, Kain was chosen as the Guardian of Balance by the pillars. Ariel tells Kain that he has a choice: he can kill himself and restore the Pillars of Nosgoth thus healing the land or refuse the sacrifice, condemn the Pillars to decay and rule over Nosgoth since he is the last vampire alive and almost unstoppable.

    Kain refuses to sacrifice himself and play into Ariel's machination.

  • 4.1.1.2 Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver

    Kain ruled over Nosgoth for many hundreds of years. He created 6 lieutenants from the corpses of holy human warrior-priests to help him achieve his domination of Nosgoth.

    Kain evolved a lot physically and his lieutenants eventually gain the same characteristics, until Raziel, his first lieutenant, surpasses Kain by growing bat-like wings. In what seems an inexcusable act of anger and jealousy, Kain rips off Raziel's wings and throw him down the Lake of the Dead in the abyss.

    Centuries later, Raziel is revived as a wraith by a powerful entity called the Elder God and goes on a quest to avenge himself. The Elder God pushes Raziel to slay his brothers, Kain's other lieutenants, and urges him to slay Kain at any cost.

    When Raziel meets Kain, Kain explains to Raziel that he his not his enemy but his explanations cannot pierce the shroud of anger and self-righteous indignation Raziel strives on.

    Kain escapes the battle by leaving in a time traveling device that sends him back in time, before the events of Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen.

    4.1.1.3 Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2

    Raziel arrives in the past after following Kain and encounters Moebius. Raziel also meets Ariel. Raziel learns that Nosgoth is dying because Kain refused to sacrifice himself and decide to add this to the list of reasons he has to kill Kain. But when Raziel meets Kain again, he allows Kain to explain his actions.

    Kain tells Raziel that he refused the sacrifice and did well by doing so, because the Pillars could be temporarily restored by his sacrifice, but they would be doomed in the long run, because humans are not supposed to be the Guardians, it is a role destined for vampires. But when Kain had to sacrifice himself, he was the last vampire in Nosgoth, so no vampire could become the new Guardians.

    Kain refused the sacrifice and decided to find a way to get out of this dilemma. He wants Raziel to help him in this quest. Kain also tells Raziel that this situation was orchestrated by an unknown manipulator who seeks Nosgoth damnation.

    Raziel decides to trust Kain and seeks more information by encountering Vorador (still living since it happens before the events of Blood Omen), the first human transformed into a vampire, and Janos Audron, the last living member of an aviary-like race of beings that are the original vampires.

    At the end of the game, Raziel helps Kain to create a time paradox, that Kain uses to change the time-line and get another choice to evade his dilemma.

  • 4.1.1.4 Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2

    This game takes place between the events of Blood Omen and Soul Reaver. In this game, Kain tries to conquer Nosgoth with an army of vampires but is halted along the way by a powerful unknown enemy of the mysterious Hylden race.

    Kain learns that the Hylden are a race of powerful beings that were banished to a demonic dimension after a war against the original vampires aeons ago. The vampires created the Pillars to shield Nosgoth from decay and the Hylden. The Hylden counter-attacked by cursing the vampires with sterility.

    Since Guardians of the Pillars are chosen at birth and vampires could no longer be born, the Pillars started to chose humans to serve them. Vampires turned humans into vampires to serve the Pillars adequately, but the humans eventually rebelled and the Pillars served by humans started to decay. With the Pillars damaged, the Hylden could now get back into Nosgoth.

    Kain decides to send the Hylden back into their dimension. Helped by a Hylden relic called the "Nexus Stone" and a Hylden outcast called the "Hylden Seer" Kain overcomes the Hylden Lord, with the help of inexplicably revived Janos Audron and Vorador, and sends the Hylden back into their dimension for a time.

    He learns that he has to restore the Pillars to stop the Hylden from coming back but it is too late to sacrifice himself now since the pillars are not only decayed, they are completely broken.

    4.1.1.5 Legacy of Kain: Defiance

    This game takes place after the events of Soul Reaver 2. Kain and Raziel try to find a way to stop the unknown manipulator that orchestrated Nosgoth's demise.

    Along the way Raziel learns that Mortanius used the heart of Janos Audron (also called the Heart of Darkness) to transform Kain into a vampire. Kain still has the Heart of Janos beating in his chest. Raziel decides that he needs Janos revived to learn more about the whole scheme and rips out the heart of darkness from the chest of Kain.

    Raziel restores Janos and Janos is possessed and soon after the Pillars explode (this takes place exactly at the time of the evens of Blood Omen, and at that moment the young Kain refuses the sacrifice and the Pillars crumble) and a powerful Hylden starts mind-controlling Janos. Janos defeats Raziel and sends him back into the esprit realm of the dead where Raziel is trapped by the Elder God.

    Raziel realizes that the Elder God was behind the manipulation all along and that the only way to defeat the Elder God would be the enter the Soul Reaver, the legendary sword of Kain. Raziel now understands why the Elder God urged him to destroy Kain all along since only Kain can kill the Elder God.

    Kain, with his heart torn out, regains consciousness in the demon dimension where Raziel threw him after tearing his heart out. Somehow, the role of Kain as Scion of Balance, allows to live on even without the Heart of Janos. Kain is helped by a mysterious entity that he calls the Oracle of the ancient vampires. The Oracle is the Elder God, but Kain doesn't know it.

  • Kain reunites with Raziel and Raziel feeds himself to the Soul Reaver. Kain is now able to see the Elder God and he fights him. Kain temporarily beats the Elder God and emerges from the cave where the Elder God was hiding.

    The game ends with Kain looking at the horizon out by a window of the Vampire Citadel, saying that the sacrifice of Raziel opened his eyes to his true enemy and gave him hope.

    4.1.2 Story of Legacy of Kain: Revival

    Wait... What??? You mean that there was never a conclusion to this fantastic series of games? Incredible, yes, I know

    Legacy of Kain: Defiance came out years ago and another Legacy of Kain project was canceled after that. I waited and waited, but nothing came out. So I decided to take the matters in my own hands and pick the story up right at the end of Defiance.

    So what's the story of this game? It is a conclusion. You take the role of Kain. You get to avenge Nosgoth, Raziel and yourself from the Elder God.

    The game starts when Kain is in the Vampires' Citadel and looks at the horizon. He decides to take action and push his advantage on the Elder God to finish him for good. But the loss of the Heart of Darkness weakens him and he loses some of his powers. He doesn't know much about the Elder God, he doesn't even know his true name (he calls him the Oracle of his ancestors). First of all, Kain seeks shelter and information.

    This is where you come in and lend him a hand. I won't tell you anymore about this story. Play the game to find out what happens. There are many ways this story can unfold and it all rests in your hands.

    4.2 Moving

    This section covers the different ways you move around as Kain. This section will refer to inputs as keys. These keys are whatever you want them to be. See section 3.2 to find out how to use your own key bindings, joysticks and joy-pads

    4.2.1 Move

    To move Kain around use the Left and Right keys. The Up and Down keys are used for special attacks and skills, they are not used for movement.

    4.2.2 Jump

    To make Kain jump, press the Jump key. The longer you keep the Jump key pressed, the higher Kain jumps, up to a limit. Release the Jump key sooner to make a smaller jump.

  • 4.2.3 Float

    While Kain is in mid air and falling, keep the hold the Jump key pressed to reduce the falling speed of Kain. This allows Kain to reach further or to better control his fall to avoid harmful obstacles.

    4.2.4 Double Jump

    Along his travels, Kain can find the Double Jump skill. To use the Double Jump skill, Kain must also possess the Air Launcher skill. When Kain has both the Air Launcher skill and Double Jump skill, use the Air Launcher skill on an enemy, a box or on a Double Jump Ring to make Kain jump again in mid air.

    The Double Jump rings look like little donuts and can be found on walls, in mid air, etc. The Double Jump rings are made visible to Kain only when he has both the Double Jump and Air Launcher powers.

    4.3 Attacking

    This section covers the different Soul Reaver attacks of Kain.

    4.3.1 Ground Attack

    This is the basic Soul Reaver slash attack. Press the Attack key when Kain is standing on the ground. This attack deals low damage but is fast and requires no special manipulation.

    4.3.2 Air Attack

    This is the basic Soul Reaver jump attack. Press the Attack key when Kain is in mid air . This attack deals low damage but is fast. With a good timing, you can use this attack to hit multiple targets while falling. Using this attack while Kain is floating will break the float and Kain will resume falling at normal speed.

    4.3.3 Ground Launcher

    This attack is gained by finding the appropriate power up. To use the Ground Launcher attack, hold down the Up key and press the Attack key. The Ground Launcher is used to launch enemies and boxes in the air. This attack deals medium damage. This power is useful to get enemies out of the way and pass under boxes or stack them on top of each other.

    4.3.4 Air Launcher

    This attack is gained by finding the appropriate power up. To use the Air Launcher attack, Kain must be in mid air. While Kain is in mid air, hold down the Down key and press Attack key. While Kain is Air Launching his fall is interrupted during the attack. This attack deals high damage. When an enemy or a box is struck, it is launched downward to the ground. When an enemy hits the ground, it is stunned because of the impact. Some enemies are immune to stun.

  • 4.3.5 Combo

    This attack is gained by finding the appropriate power up. To use the Combo attack, Kain must be standing on the ground. Hold down the Down key and press the Attack key. The combo attack lasts for 6 attacks. To keep attacking, hold the Attack key down. If you release the attack key before the combo ends, Kain breaks the combo. Each attack in the combo deals medium damage. They are chained very fast. The whole combo deals very high damage and stuns enemies during the attacks. Some enemies are immune to stun.

    4.4 Special skills

    There is more to Kain than slashing enemies with the Soul Reaver and moving around seeking blood. Kain has a magical arsenal and other useful skills at his disposal.

    There are two ways to select a special skill, in the menu, while the game is paused, and with the in-game skill selector, which doesn't pause the game.

    To select skills in the menu, open the menu by pressing down the Select key and press the Attack key. In the menu, go to skill selector and select the skill you want to use. Most of the skills must be found in the game.

    To use the in-game skill selection, hold down the Select key and press the appropriate directional key to use the skill you want. The current skill is in the center. In the upper slot, you will find magical attacks like Telekinetic Bolt and Lighting. In the left slot, you will find Speed, Strength and Vision enhancements. In the lower slot you will find defensive powers like Air Shield and Water Shield. The right slot always contains the Activate skill.

    4.4.1 Activate

    Kain begins his quest with this skill. This skills allows Kain to interact with some objects like levers, teleportation devices and, much more importantly, save pillars. To select this skill, hold down the Select key and press the Right key. Activate skill is represented by Kain's hand. When using the skill Activate on a save pillar, you will be taken to a save menu where you can decide on which slot to save your game.

    4.4.2 Mist

    Kain begins his quest with this skill. This very useful skill needs not to be selected, it is always available to Kain. To transform Kain into mist, hold down the Down key and press the Skill key. Do not hold the Skill key too long or Kain will get out of mist as soon as he gets into mist form.

    Mist Form allows Kain to pass through fences, enemies and most projectiles. Mist form drains magic along time. To get out of mist form, press and hold Attack or Skill key.

    Mist form is weak against water and wind attacks. If Kain is struck by such an attack while in mist form, he will become corporeal again. Mist offers almost no resistance to wind.

  • 4.4.3 Drain Blood

    Kain begins his quest with this skill. This skill is essential for Kain's survival and is always available. Kain recovers from his wounds by drinking blood. Blood can be found within most of Kain's enemies.

    When Kain enemies are near death, they are stunned for a moment while they are agonizing. At this moment, Kain can drain the blood of his enemies. Hold down the Up key and the Skill key. You will see a certain amount of blood come out of the dying enemy. Keep the keys pressed until the Blood reaches Kain. When the blood reaches Kain, it is absorbed and recovers the Kain's health. If the Keys are not held long enough or if Kain is damaged while the blood is traveling from the enemy to him, the blood is spilled and lost.

    Alternatively, you can finish an enemy with Kain's blade, the Soul Reaver, to fill his magic rather than his health. It is up to you to manage health and magic refills when you have a source of blood. Blood can also be found into red vases.

    4.4.4 Telekinetic Bolt

    This skill is gained by finding the appropriate power up. Telekinesis allows Kain to attack enemies at a distance. This attack shoots bolts of telekinetic energy that pushes and damages enemies. The telekinetic bolt deals low damage. It may be more or less effective depending on the target.

    You can also use telekinetic bolts to activate levers and switches at a distance. Finally, telekinetic bolt can be used to push boxes out the way. To select the telekinetic bolt, hold the Select key and press the Up key.

    4.4.5 Lightning

    This skill is gained by finding the appropriate power up. Lightning is the most powerful magical attack in Kain's arsenal but it costs a lot of magic to use. Hold down the Skill key to use lightning.

    The lightning area of effect is different when Kain is on the ground and when he is in mid air, but the damage dealt to enemies is the same. It may be more or less effective depending on the target. To select the telekinetic bolt, hold the Select key and press the Up key.

    4.4.6 Strength boost

    This skill is gained by finding the appropriate power up. To use this skill, first select it, then use the Skill key to turn it on or off. As long as the power is select and turned on, it consumes magic. Be careful not to deplete your magic reserve too fast.

    When this power is active, Kain deals double damage with the Soul Reaver and he is strong enough to destroy sturdy obstacles. To select strength boost, hold the Select key and press the Left key.

  • 4.4.7 Speed boost

    This skill is gained by finding the appropriate power up. To use this skill, first select it, then use the Skill key to turn it on or off. As long as the power is select and turned on, it consumes magic. Be careful not to deplete your magic reserve too fast.

    When this power is active, Kain runs faster and jumps higher. To select speed boost, hold the Select key and press the Left key.

    4.4.8 Spirit vision

    This skill is gained by finding the appropriate power up. To use this skill, first select it, then use the Skill key to turn it on. It will last for 20 seconds. This power will remain active even if you select another power after activating it.

    This power is used to see invisible spirit enemies. Kain can always attack invisible enemies, but his work is made easier when he can see them. This power also allows Kain to interact with object of the spirit worlds. Sometimes, when alternative paths are offered through the spirit world, Kain will hear a distinct humming sound.

    Remember to turn this power on when such a humming sound can be heard. To select spirit vision, hold the Select key and press the Left key.

    4.4.9 Air shield

    This skill is gained by finding the appropriate power up. To use this skill, first select it, then use the Skill key to turn it on. It will last for 10 seconds. This power will be deactivated if you select another power after activating it.

    The Air shield protects Kain from wind attacks and from natural wind. In some areas, the wind is so powerful that it pushes Kain around and pushes even stronger when Kain is in mist form. With the air shield activated, Kain is immune to all wind effects. To select air shield, hold the Select key and press the Down key.

    4.4.10 Water shield

    This skill is gained by finding the appropriate power up. To use this skill, first select it, then use the Skill key to turn it on. It will last for 10 seconds. This power will be deactivated if you select another power after activating it.

    The Water shield protects Kain from water attacks and from natural water and liquids. In some areas, there is rain or puddles of water. With the water shield activated, Kain is immune to all water effects and can walk on water. To select water shield, hold the Select key and press the Down key.

    4.5 Managing health and magic

    Managing Kain's health and magic levels is vital in Legacy of Kain: Revival. Keep in mind that dying enemies can be drained of their blood for health or finished with the Soul Reaver for magic. Also, save pillars instantly refill Kain's health and magic levels. Planning your exploration by finding the save pillars first is a good strategy.

  • 4.5.1 Health loss

    Many things can hurt Kain, but, unlike other Legacy of Kain games, time alone will not kill Kain. In the other games, Kain must feed often to recuperate health loss by the passage of time. In Legacy of Kain: Revival, the Soul Reaver sustains the life of Kain.

    4.5.2 Magic regeneration

    Kain naturally recuperates magic when time passes. This way of recuperating magic is slow. The best way to recuperate magic is to finish enemies with the Soul Reaver. Red vases filled by blood can be struck with the Reaver to refill magic too.

    4.5.3 Upgrades

    Scattered across Nosgoth are potions of blood and magic that can strengthen Kain's health and magic levels. There is a total of 8 blood potions to boost health and 8 magic potions to boost magic. With all potions found, the health level and magic level triples.

    4.6 Using the map

    As in all metroidvanias, the map is an essential element of the game. All the map is shown at the beginning of the game. There is no hidden area. Refer often to your map to know where are objectives, items, save points, teleport devices and unseen areas.

    The map can be seen in the left upper part of the screen. The semi transparent red area of the map is the inside of a room. For the purpose of the game a room is any place Kain can visit, be it indoor or outdoor. The red lines represent the walls Kain cannot cross. When you see an opening in a wall, it means that there is a door. This door might be hidden, locked or impossible to cross at sometimes, but eventually, Kain will be able to pass when he get the proper powers and keys.

    4.6.1 Map elements

    Here you will find an explanation of each of the map elements in the game.

    4.6.1.1 Grey area

    At the beginning of the game, most of the map is gray. Grey areas have not been visited yet.

    4.6.1.2 Red dots

    If you see a red dot in the middle of a room, it is because an undiscovered item is there. When Kain picks up the item, the red dot will vanish.

    4.6.1.3 Save pillars

    Save pillars are represented by a green S in the middle of a room.

  • 4.6.1.4 Teleport devices

    Teleport devices are represented by a blue T in the middle of a room. These devices are used to travel around the map quickly. Some devices may be one way only and they do not all lead to the same areas. It is for you to discover where each teleport device leads.

    4.6.1.5 Kain's location

    Kain's location is shown on the map with a flashing white square.

    4.6.1.6 Other areas

    The game is separated in 8 different areas. To see which areas connects with the one you are currently in, look for the area initials written on the map.VM = Vorador's MansionTS = Termogent SwampsPN = Pillars of NosgothHD = Hylden DimensionHS = Human StrongholdVC = Vampire CitadelHF = Hylden FortressEL = Elder God's Lair

    4.6.1.7 Objectives

    Last but not least, Kain's objectives are marked with a red rectangle. Reach and complete these objectives to accomplish Kain's goal.

    4.6.1.8 Map example

  • 4.6.2 Small map

    The small map is always available in the upper left corner of the game window. When the game is paused, when there is a conversation or a cut-scene, the small map is hidden.

    4.6.3 Large map

    You can get a better view of the world of Legacy of Kain: Revival by looking at the full map. To open the full map, hold down the Select key and press the Skill key. While the large map is opened, you can navigate it with the Up, Down, Left and Rights keys. To close the full map, hold down the Select key and press the Skill key.

    4.7 Using the menu

    To open the menu, hold down the Select key and press the Attack Key. The menu can be opened when you are playing the game, but not when the large map is opened, during a conversation or during a cut-scene These events must be finished before you can access the menu.

    Navigating the menu is simple, use the directional keys to move the cursor around and press the Select key to select an option. From the menu, you can begin a new game, load an old game, find information about your abilities and skills in the encyclopedia, select a skill you want to use, see what items you have collected and see the statistics of your current game.

    4.7.1 Start a new game

    If you want to leave the current game to begin a new one, select this option. All unsaved progress will be lost. Don't forget that the difficulty of this new game must be set in the options/tools game window's menu before starting it.

    4.7.2 Save and load

    To load a game, select this option. You will be taken to another menu where you can select which saved game to load. There is a marker saying which slot have saved games and which do not.

    To save a game, you must use the skill Activate on a save pillar. You cannot save the game anytime you wish, you must find a save pillar during the game. See section 4.4.1 for more information on how to save a game.

    4.7.3 Encyclopedia

    The encyclopedia lists all the skills and attacks Kain can have in the game. Kain has some of these abilities at the beginning of the game, the others must be acquired by finding the appropriate power ups. Use the Select key to navigate each subsection of the encyclopedia. Also, you can find the objectives Kain has to accomplish to complete his quest. They are separated into five categories. When a category is completed, you will see a "Completed!" marker appear next to the category of objectives.

  • 4.7.4 Skill Selector

    This menu allows you to change the currently selected skill without having to do so in real time. If you are pressed by time, you can pause the game by going into the menu, change the current skill and go back to game without losing precious moments to select the desired skill.

    4.7.5 Inventory

    This menu serves only as a source of information. You can see what items Kain found during his journey. Whether these items are still in Kain's possession is irrelevant. Any item found and possessed at one time by Kain are shown in this menu.

    4.7.6 Game statistics

    In this menu you can see what you have found and what is still undiscovered. You can see the percentage of items found, the percentage of map discovered, the percentage of objectives completed and the time spent in the current game.

    For those interested in speed runs, know that the time calculated excludes: cut-scenes, dialog, looking at the large map, going into the menu and any time spent between the moment of Kain's death and the reload. So no need to close the game and reopen it to save seconds or minutes when Kain dies. No need to skip conversations or the credits either.

    4.8 Completing objectives

    Objectives are Kain's goal. To get the best outcome out of Kain's quest, you must complete the objectives. To locate objectives, see section 4.6 Using the map.

    4.8.1 Effect of objective completion

    The outcome of Legacy of Kain: Revival is in your hands. Depending on which objectives you complete, which you decide to ignore and in what order you accomplish them, the game changes. There is no difference between a category where no objectives are completed and a category when half the objectives are completed. For the game to change, you must complete every objective in a category.

    The last level of the game changes depending on which objective category is completed.

    The ending changes depending on how many objective categories are completed, no matter which are completed.

    Conversations in the game can be different depending on which objectives are completed and which are not at the beginning of the conversation. As a note, there are not many conversations altered in this fashion. It's a lot of work to manage all of those possibilities!

  • 4.9 Endings

    I won't spoil the fun, but know this: there are five different endings in Legacy of Kain: Revival. There is an ending for no objective category completed, one for one category completed, one for two, etc. Also, each room of the final level exists in two versions. These rooms can be similar or very different. They are all linked to a single objective category.

    4.10 Rankings

    When you completed the game, you get to see your final statistics and you get a rank. This rank depends on what you have accomplished in the game.

    The "Whelp" rank means you haven't done anything "special" in the game.

    If your statistics are special (for example: 100% item found, 100% map found or other conditions) you can get a special rank.

    There are 8 different possible ranks in the game. I won't spoil the fun and tell what they are. They are for you to discover.

  • 5. Sharing the funLegacy of Kain: Revival is a single player game, but it doesn't mean you have to keep the fun you had with it for yourself!

    The game is free and you are allowed to distribute it. If you do, please respect these conditions: give the whole game package you received. This means, give the exe file, all the dll files and the game guide with it. If you want to share it, it's easier to share the original package you got.

    Also, please do not alter any of the files that your received.

    Thanks in advance!

    5.1 Website - Http://lokrevival.webs.com

    I created a website for the game's promotion but also as a place to hang out with fellow Legacy of Kain fans and a place where to share your experience with the game. All is free on the website.

    To participate in the forum you must become a member. Everyone is welcomed. At the time of the release, there is a pretty small community on the web site, but who knows, if enough people show they are interested in Legacy of Kain games, we might get an official game someday.

    5.2 Walkthrough

    Obviously, there is not much information on how to complete the game in this present guide: I don't want to spoil all the surprises. If you are stuck or need help with the game, go to the website and browse through the walkthroughs and FAQ to get the help you need.

    At the time of the beta release, there are no walkthroughs, but if you become a member and ask me questions on the website, it will be my pleasure to help you out.

    On the other hand, if you are a LoK: Revival completionist and want to share your knowledge, you are welcome to create a walkthrough or a list of hints and tips on the website!

    5.3 Speed runs

    As a metroidvania, Legacy of Kain: Revival offer a particular challenge: you can try to beat the game at a furious pace. There are special ranks awarded to speed runners.

    If you want to show your skill to other LoK: Revival players, you can do so on the website. Upload your videos or final result screen-shots on the web and post a link to them in the website forum.

  • 6. Closing wordWell, this is it. A good two years of work to get to a fully playable and enjoyable Legacy of Kain: Revival beta version. Beta means I expect some bugs, glitches and other issues to come up, but the next step in development is not to add new levels, story hooks, etc.

    In my mind, the game is what it should be, but I am ready to solve issues when they appear. If I don't receive bug reports or easy feature requests, then this will be the final version of the game.

    It might not be the perfect Legacy of Kain conclusion everyone hopes for, but it's my shot at it, so please respect it.

    If some of you like my work and would like to support me as a fan game developer, you are welcomed to go on the website and give me a small donation. This donation must not be considered as payment for the game: it is 100% free.

    6.1 Special thanks

    I would like to thank the following persons for the time and efforts they spent supporting me while I developed Legacy of Kain: Revival.

    First of all, I would like to thank Raina Audron. She spent an impressive amount of time with me on this project. She drew many of the main characters sprites and animations, extracted music from different LoK games for me to use, pointed me the right the direction when I was confused with my endings, tested the game extensively and was always there to support me. Thanks a lot Raina!

    Then, I must also thank Benjamin Marty the author of the Scrolling Game Development Kit. He was always ready to help me out with the source code: debug some confusing stuff, add features I asked for in SGDK2 source code, test the game, add great elements in LoK: Revival, and so much more. His game making software is great and he is ready to help people making games with it. My hat is off to him!

    Of course, Jonathan Gauthier must not be forgotten. He was there at the very beginning of this project, drawing great sprites, suggesting parts of levels, giving great ideas for many parts of the game, tested the game thoroughly and was always ready to listen to my ideas and comment them. Thanks buddy, this game is a reality because of you!

    Kevin Champoux: man, talk about an enthusiastic beta-tester! He tested the game through and through many times and he was not gentle with. He found so many glitches, bugs and weird behaviors in the game that without him, the game would be very clunky. He also took the time to make very funny videos with some glitches, it made my work so much more entertaining. Thanks man!

    I would be ashamed to forget about my wife Gen. Although she didn't play the game much, because she is not a gamer at all, she did in critical moments (like just before the beta release). But most of all, she listened to me talking about the game for a good two years, almost non-stop. A lesser woman would have become crazy, but she was there all along to support me, listen to me and give me ideas. Thanks love!

  • Finally, I would like to thank all the legal owners of the copyrighted elements I used in my fan game. I took the liberty of using these elements the make an authentic and beautiful game. I mean no harm to you and I greatly appreciate your work.

    And now, here is a special entry for Raina's special thanks:

    First of all, I want to thank Vincent that he allowed me to help him with the game.Without his dedication and hard work, this project would not be possible to complete.

    So that's it fellow Legacy of Kain fan. Go play the game and have fun!

    copyright Vincent Chevalier 2009-2010, 2010-12-22

    1. Introduction1.1 Welcome1.2 Introducing myself1.3 The project1.4 Goal of the project 1.5 History of the project1.6 Website

    2. Installation2.1 Requirements2.2 Folder Contents2.3 Launch the game2.4 Manage saved games

    3. Configuration of the game3.1 Volume3.2 Controls3.3 Size3.4 Difficulty

    4. Play the game4.1 Story4.1.1 The story so far4.1.1.1 Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen4.1.1.2 Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver4.1.1.3 Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 24.1.1.4 Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 24.1.1.5 Legacy of Kain: Defiance

    4.1.2 Story of Legacy of Kain: Revival

    4.2 Moving4.2.1 Move4.2.2 Jump4.2.3 Float4.2.4 Double Jump

    4.3 Attacking4.3.1 Ground Attack4.3.2 Air Attack4.3.3 Ground Launcher4.3.4 Air Launcher4.3.5 Combo

    4.4 Special skills4.4.1 Activate4.4.2 Mist4.4.3 Drain Blood4.4.4 Telekinetic Bolt4.4.5 Lightning4.4.6 Strength boost4.4.7 Speed boost4.4.8 Spirit vision4.4.9 Air shield4.4.10 Water shield

    4.5 Managing health and magic4.5.1 Health loss4.5.2 Magic regeneration4.5.3 Upgrades

    4.6 Using the map4.6.1 Map elements4.6.1.1 Grey area4.6.1.2 Red dots4.6.1.3 Save pillars4.6.1.4 Teleport devices4.6.1.5 Kain's location4.6.1.6 Other areas4.6.1.7 Objectives4.6.1.8 Map example

    4.6.2 Small map4.6.3 Large map

    4.7 Using the menu4.7.1 Start a new game4.7.2 Save and load4.7.3 Encyclopedia4.7.4 Skill Selector4.7.5 Inventory4.7.6 Game statistics

    4.8 Completing objectives4.8.1 Effect of objective completion

    4.9 Endings4.10 Rankings

    5. Sharing the fun5.1 Website - Http://lokrevival.webs.com5.2 Walkthrough5.3 Speed runs

    6. Closing word6.1 Special thanks