Soul Reaver was originally conceptualized as a new IP

Crystal Dynamics, the developers behind Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, initially crafted the game as a new intellectual property, director and script writer Amy Hennig told PlayStation Blog.

According to Hennig, the original game was never intended to be a sequel to Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. It was called Shifter and took loose inspirations from Paradise Lost; the game starred an angel of death reaping the souls of his former brothers. Although Shifter later became Soul Reaver, several of its core concepts remained, said Hennig.

"The hero was an undead creature, able to shift between the spectral and material realms, and glide on the tattered remains of his wing-like coattails," Hennig said.

"We conceived the spirit realm as a twisted, expressionistic version of the physical world. The hero was bent on revenge after being betrayed and cast down by his creator - like Raziel, he was a dark savor figure, chosen to restore balance to a blighted, dystopian world."

Although the team first struggled with merging Shifter into a Legacy of Kain sequel, the task proved to be an enticing one.

"Creative constraints can be inspiring and invigorating, and once we dug into the challenge, the concept evolved in all kinds of exciting ways," Hennig said.