‘I wish we had made more’ on Her Biggest Regret About 1 Game That’s Surprisingly Not Uncharted

Renowned game director Amy Hennig is often celebrated for her pivotal work on the Uncharted series. But when reflecting on her career in 2019, Hennig revealed that her biggest regret was in a different title, one that predates her Uncharted fame. That game is Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver.

Despite its acclaim and influence on gaming, she wishes that the Soul Reaver series had been explored further. And her wishes may be soon fulfilled as Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 and 2 are set to get remasters in December 2024. If these are successful, we could potentially have more entries soon after.

Amy Hennig is a Legend Outside of Uncharted Too

Released in 1999, Soul Reaver was the first pioneer of a feature we see in open-world games today. Crystal Dynamics developed a data-streaming system that loaded new parts of the map dynamically as players moved, allowing for a continuous world.

Blood Omen Legacy of Kain and Soul Reaver both had such incredible writing and voice acting, especially for their time.
Soul Reaver was the title that really put the series on the map but damned if I’ll ever let people forget how fucking cool the first Blood Omen game was. pic.twitter.com/gnYPVEDpn6

— AlphaOmegaSin (@AlphaOmegaSin) June 25, 2021

Having the technology to do that in the 90s was remarkable. But not just that, the feature is now a staple in modern open-world games, and it goes to show how ahead of its time Soul Reaver truly was.

Hennig’s regret about not expanding the Soul Reaver series stems partly from this unique technical foundation. Talking to VG247, she briefly talked about how making the game was fulfilling and that there should’ve been more

 My favorite Dreamcast game is actually Soul Reaver on the Dreamcast… Not that many people got to see it, but it was like a more complete realization of what we were trying to do… I wish we had made more.

In Soul Reaver, players have access to two overlapping worlds: the spectral and physical worlds. This dual-realm feature encouraged to implement it into their thought process of solving puzzles and progressing quests.

The Soul Reaver Series Might Some Love Very Soon

Despite Soul Reaver’s critical acclaim, the series struggled to maintain momentum. Other franchises like Tomb Raider were huge in the market at the time and Soul Reaver just couldn’t get the recognition it deserved.

Though several sequels followed, including Soul Reaver 2 and Legacy of Kain: Defiance, they did not achieve the same level of success or polish as the original. For Hennig, the inability to fully realize the potential of the Soul Reaver series remained a point of personal regret.

Nothing beats soul food.

Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered launches on December 10. First details: pic.twitter.com/cDMrJ8lVSw

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) September 25, 2024

In addition to the visuals and gameplay, Soul Reaver had a good story that went into themes of betrayal, revenge, and redemption. As players moved through Nosgoth’s fractured realms, they uncovered layers of a dark, mythic world steeped in complexity. This depth was a hallmark of Hennig’s storytelling.

The game’s legacy is one that Hennig believes could have evolved further, similar to the longevity of franchises like Uncharted or Tomb Raider. Despite its impact, Soul Reaver ended with the release of Legacy of Kain: Defiance in 2003, followed by various canceled projects.

But it now has another chance with the upcoming remasters. Had the industry circumstances been different, the Legacy of Kain series might have grown alongside titles like Dark Souls, sharing the gritty, challenging landscapes that now define that genre.

Would you have wanted more Soul Reaver games back then? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!