Your average game character is good-looking, good-natured and, generally, nice. And then there’s Blood Omen 2’s Kain. Ugly, evil and, er, dead, the vampire Kain was one of the first video game anti-heroes when he made his debut in 1995’s original Blood Omen. And now he’s back doing what he does best: killing, maiming and running around with sharp objects in all the ways we were told not to.
It’s been 400 years since Kain chose to rule the world in damnation rather than die for its salvation (can’t say we blame him) but now he’s back, and thirsting for revenge. Kain returns to his old stomping ground of Nosgoth to find his vampire buddies slain and a mysterious force controlling the land. Worse still, he’s been stripped of most of his vampire powers. Naturally feeling a bit peeved, Kain sets out to discover who dares challenge his claim to Nosgoth.
You take control of Kain as he embarks on his bloody quest, armed initially with only two special abilities. ‘Mist’ enables Kain to shroud himself in fog and hide from enemies, while ‘Fury’ is a manic special attack. As you progress through the game you must reclaim your lost powers from the bodies of slain boss creatures.
Stealth and tactics play as much a part of Blood Omen 2 as hacking and slashing. If you decide to run around, killing everyone in sight, it won’t be long before the locals realise you’re a vampire and bring out the stakes and holy water. But if you stick to the shadows, your chances of survival will improve. But when you do decide to leap from the shadows, the eye-wincing variety of attacking moves this vampire displays will have you frantically stuffing garlic in your pockets next time you’re out late at night. Kain is able to attack, defend, block and execute combos and special moves via pleasingly intuitive controls – and use swords, daggers and axes in ways we’d rather not think about.
As Kain treads deeper into the terrifyingly detailed gothic environments, new abilities open up darker and more difficult areas, overflowing with puzzles to be solved and enemies waiting be packed off into the next life. As the dramatic plot unfolds, Blood Omen 2 will keep you gripped well past bedtime – so just be sure not to get so involved that you turn to Kain’s kind of midnight snack…
