(Best thing about this post? You can download ALL this music LEGITIMATELY right here.)
My introduction to the Legacy of Kain series was with the PlayStation game, Soul Reaver. It was a dark, atmospheric third person adventure game, with the usual block-moving puzzles made most popular by Crystal “Tomb Raider” Dynamics. But by far the favourite part for me was the music. By the second game, I’d become so fond of the soundtrack, I used to leave the game running just to have the music playing (these were before the days of YouTube–I had to work to listen to my favourite tracks!).
Highlights for me include:
I had a mild obsession with the introduction of the game itself. I may or may not be able to quote it, word for word. That aside, the music here really set the tone–a dark and gothic, and easily my favourite track*.
Titled “Ariel’s Lament”, the theme (or game menu) from the second game is a close second favourite, with the way it jumps straight in with Ariel claiming “Kain refused the sacrifice”, then the horn kicks in like a declaration of war.
Ruined City is very slow and haunting.
Finally, The Elder God, another powerful piece, with the “war drum” again, sounding rhythmically and purposefully, as a constant call to arms.
Music to Write Creepy Scenes By
The disjointed melodies make these good tracks to accompany your dream/nightmare sequences, or maybe while you’re character’s trapped somewhere, whether that be in a prison or merely inside their own minds.
More Information / Further Reading
As mentioned above, you can legally download a copy of all the Legacy of Kain soundtracks here*.
*with the exception of Ozar Midrashim by Information Society, the rights to which weren’t released along with the other tracks. You can find on YouTube here (which I recommend you do; the whole introduction is like a fever dream–from the distance I can see a huge holographic Ronald McDonald walking between the grain elevators and trees…).
Check out the full list of my ‘Music to Write Novels By’ series here, including a spiffy FAQ section, which will likely cover any questions you have.
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