Interface

Grab your gamepad

As Soul Reaver is a direct port from the PlayStation (all the way down to the "Press Start" opening screen. My keyboard doesn't have a "Start" button . . .), it should come as no surprise that the game is best played with a gamepad of some sort. One can play with a keyboard, but the four-axis control is even worse with arrow keys, and it isn't stellar on a gamepad to begin with.

What you're best off with, it seems, is a gamepad set up the same as (surprise) the standard PSX gamepad, with two Left and Right buttons. The reasoning behind this is that a large number of the moves you'll be doing require you to hold down one button while pressing another, and it gets a bit awkward with, say, a Sidewinder gamepad. Whatever controls you use, spend some time configuring them - you'll be glad you did.

I can fly!

Hangin' on

Smack! Smack!

What's that smacking sound? Ahh, it's Soul Reaver smacking heavily of console. As such, the interface is left with that nasty 'digital' feeling. It's often a lot harder than it should be to point Raziel in the direction you want, because the four-axis control is very clumsy. It isn't always a problem, but it sure is a pain when you're trying to jump from platform to platform - especially if you're "gliding" via your wings, in which case the controls really DO only let you point in one of four directions. Our suggestion is to simply not move while gliding.

One big saving grace of Soul Reaver's interface is the large variety of moves you can pull off. Not only can you jump, slash, jump and slash, slash, then jump, but there are a myriad of other options. Some aren't even covered in the (very helpful) "instructional" phase of the game - for instance, reading the manual, you'll discover how to feed off humans without killing them, making you a more popular evil soul-sucking demon.

Material world portal

Cos' we are livin'