The Legacy of Kain series has maintained a die-hard fan base despite not having a recent game in a long time. Over two decades, in fact. But there’s a recent glimmer of featherlight on the Nosgoth horizon in the form of a graphic novel titled Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver – The Dead Shall Rise.
The first recent Legacy of Kain content since 2003’s Legacy of Kain: Defiance, The Dead Shall Rise serves as a prequel to the Soul Reaver games. The book delves back into Raziel’s human past as a Sarafan warrior and reveals how he became a vampire in Kain’s service. It aims to answer several long-standing questions about the Legacy of Kain/Soul Reaver mythos, while also introducing a recent, critical vampire character who has close ties to both Raziel and Kain.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver – The Dead Shall Rise is the result of cooperation between Crystal Dynamics and Bit Bot Media. The book is written by Joshua Viola (True Believers, It Came From the Multiplex) and Angie Hodapp (Unioverse, Shadow Atlas), with interior art by Juan Samu (Star Wars, Godzilla), and cover art by Jeremiah Lambert (Masters of the Universe, Transformers). by Dave Rapoza (Destiny, Magic: The Gathering) and Aaron Lovett (Monster Train, Inkbound). The book features additional art by Jonny Bush (Rob Zombie, Ghost) and Ninja Jo (Star Wars, Stranger Things), while Brent Friedman (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Call of Duty) provides narrative guidance and Crystal Dynamics also provided imaginative direction based on unreleased elements of the Soul Reaver story.
“In college, I created a Soul Reaver poster for a class project, never imagining that one day I would officially be involved in the franchise,” Viola said in a statement. “Even today, Raziel adorns my tattoo sleeve – a testament to my deep connection to this universe. Fans can expect a project filled with the same passion. Working directly with the creators at Crystal Dynamics and reuniting with former collaborators makes this a truly unique endeavor. “
The Dead Shall Rise will be crowdfunded on Kickstarter. Fans can sign up for BackerKit you will be notified by email when the campaign starts later this year.
With any luck, this won’t be the only new Legacy of Kain content that Legacy of Kain fans can look forward to in the coming years. Embracer Group, which currently owns the intellectual property, received an overwhelming 100,000 responses to a 2022 survey about the series, suggesting that new Legacy of Kain games could be in the works.
“We saw our survey being shared across social and press platforms and really felt like it was a great way to reignite this passionate fan community with this legendary PC gaming franchise,” said Phil Rogers, CEO of Embracer Operations Group 12 . “Rest assured, we hear you loud and clear and will keep you updated on your “What if?” Legacy of Kain possibilities in the future.”
Are you excited about this new chapter in the Soul Reaver saga? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Jesse is a soft-spoken staff writer for IGN. Let him borrow a machete for your intellectual thicket, I follow @jschedeen on Twitter.
