This game used to sit comfortably in my favorite games of all time. I guess that is the price of nostalgia. Playing this game for the first time in nearly 30 years made me realize that my memories glossed over this game's flaws. Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain is a top down action/adventure game along the lines of a Zelda. You explore the world and collect new spells or abilities which allow you to access secret areas. However, none of these areas are worth exploring as the bonuses you get aren't always worth the effort. This makes the game a very linear experience. The combat isn't great because Kain lacks the ability to dodge incoming attacks. Kain is simply too slow to do any hit and run attacks. So most combat comes down to standing in front of an enemy and trading blows until the enemy is staggered enough to drain his blood. Most enemies could and should be avoided because they respawn when you reenter an area and are mostly there for a quick health refill. Once I realized this, I ended up basically speedrunning the areas. I did still enjoy the greater story and setting of the game along with the excellent voice acting however. This is a revenge story for a very bad man in a world that is dark and dying. Kain, as a vampire, only cares for himself and can enter houses at night to murder innocents for their blood. Kain is expertly voiced by Simon Templeman and his VO adds much to the overall setting/experience of the game. The VO explains every item and spell in the game with brutal details that only adds to the grim world. However, the excellent setting and VO do not make up for the mediocre gameplay. I played this game to see if one of my favorite games of all time still holds up in 2022. I am sad to say, it does not. I would only recommend this game if you are planning on playing the rest of the games in the series and want to see how the story begins
