The Legacy of Kain series maintains a rabid fan following, even though it's been a long time since there's been a new game. More than two decades, in fact. But there's a new ray of light on the Nosgoth horizon in the form of a graphic novel called Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver – The Dead Shall Rise.
As the first new 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 flashes back to Raziel's human past as a Sarafan warrior and reveals how he came to be a vampire serving under Kain. The goal is to answer some long-running questions about the Legacy of Kain/Soul Reaver mythos while also introducing a major new vampire character with close ties to both Raziel and Kain.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver – The Dead Shall Rise is a collaboration 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), letters by Jeremiah Lambert (Masters of the Universe, Transformers), covers 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), with Brent Friedman (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Call of Duty) providing narrative guidance, and Crystal Dynamics has also provided creative direction based on unreleased elements of Soul Reaver lore.
“In college, I created a Soul Reaver poster for a class project, never imagining I would one day officially contribute to the franchise,” said Viola in a statement. "Even today, Raziel graces my tattoo sleeve—a testament to my deep connection with this universe. Fans can expect a project infused with that same passion. Working directly with creatives from Crystal Dynamics and reuniting with former collaborators makes this a truly special endeavor."
The Dead Shall Rise will be crowdfunded on Kickstarter. Fans can sign up on BackerKit to be notified by email when the campaign launches later this year.
With any luck, this won't be the only new Legacy of Kain content fans can look forward to in the years ahead. Embracer Group, which currently owns the IP, received an overwhelming 100,000 responses to a 2022 survey about the franchise, suggesting that new Legacy of Kain games could be in the works.
"We saw the news of our survey shared across social and press platforms and really felt this was a great way to reignite this passionate fan community with this legendary PC console game series," said Phil Rogers, CEO of Embracer's 12th operative group. "Rest assured, we hear you loudly and clearly and will continue to update you on the 'What if?' possibilities ahead for Legacy of Kain in the future."
Are you excited for this new chapter in the Soul Reaver saga? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
