The Necropolis Gate Puzzle in Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver

The original Soul Reaver game debuted on the original PlayStation console and was a cultural juggernaut for its time with stunning 3D graphics. Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered will allow players to relive all the dark gothic landmarks, epic boss fights and rack their brains trying to remember how to solve inscrutable puzzles. Along with these returning elements, a number of new features are also added Legacy of Kain Soul Reaver 1 & 2 Remastered.

A two-part puzzle blocks the player on their way through the Necropolis. Both parts require thinking with large stone blocks, and both are required to pass through a large gate to return to the previous area, but not before unlocking the path to the path ahead.

Necropolis puzzle in Soul Reaver

As players progress through the game, they can open a map that shows them the names of each area. While in the Necropolis, they come to a part that tells them that shifting the spectral realm can reveal hidden paths. There doesn't seem to be any way to get higher in the material plane, and players will have to move to trigger a cutscene. After moving, players will encounter their first wraith enemy. These are the warped souls of vampires that have festered in the Spectral Realm for too long. Defeat the wraith and absorb its soul with combat reminiscent of PS1 era hack and slash games.

Players may have missed where to go at this point, but the walls have warped to reveal new sections to zoom into. The location is right next to the dead fetus Melchiah. Head up this path and look along the left wall to see a ledge you can slide down to. To the far left of this ledge will be a block that you can pull out. This is also where you get your tutorial on how to flip the blocks. Push the block to the right, then rotate it to a higher level. Jump over the block and pull it once before jumping back over it and pushing until it hits the wall. This will act as a key and open the upper gate.

Necropolis Puzzle (Second Room)

Go through the gate where you'll see another large gate on the opposite side along with some enemies below. Most of them will be buried underground, but one will be impaled with a spear. Remove the spear from an impaled enemy to revive it, and use this spear to send all enemies impaling them and devour their souls as they fall. This also sends the wraith to the Spectral Realm. Go to the right of the big gate and you'll find another block that you can pull out of the wall. Push this block into the pit and towards the stairs opposite the large gate.

Dispatch any enemies that pop out of the ground and spear them before trying to continue pushing the block.

Throw the block up these stairs and then into the block-shaped hole to the right of the gate below the one you came from. This will open a path for you to return to the room you started in. Players will now have both small gates open. Go back to the top gate and you'll see a beam that you can high jump onto. You will also see a scale form on either side of the room. You will have no weight in the spectral realm and these weights will not move when you jump. However, this is not the case on the Material Plane. Jump on either side of this scale while in the Material Plane to push one of them down and the other up.

The Necropolis Puzzle (Final Room)

Move to the spectral realm and go back to the upper gate, then slide to the side of the scale that is now much higher. You can use this to reach the ledge on the other side of the room. This will take you to the next block puzzle room. Absorb souls to replenish your stamina so you can move back to the Material Plane. On either side of the room, you'll see block-sized indentations with a large gate between them. These bullets have symbols that both blocks will have to match, but only one block is correctly rotated. There will be a ledge on either side of the large gate that players can push blocks onto to push the top one off the bottom.

Here are the steps you can take to get both blocks facing the right way, even if you've already moved them from their starting position.

• Push the top block away from the bottom block.
• Turn the top block so its symbol is facing straight up.
• Turn the top block so its symbol faces away from its slot.
• Repeat flipping and pulling out the block and rotating the symbol until it matches the bottom block.

If you haven't tried to move her yet, here's how to get her moving in the right direction.

• Push the top block north, from the bottom block.
• Turn the top block from the south.
• Turn the upper block from the west.
• Turn the top block from the north.
• Both blocks will now match and can be placed on either side.

Completing this puzzle does not reward the player with any form of in-game achievements/trophies, but players should still feel a sense of satisfaction as it means they can now move on to the next event of the game's engrossing story. At the top of this gate will be two wooden doors that players can go through to find a block near a ledge. Push this block down so that it is next to another block. Throw it onto the block below, then push them south. Once they are all the way south, push them east so they are against the wall. Jump up these blocks to high, then jump again to reach the ledge at the top of the wall. Continue on your way forward to find a puzzle that will lead you to a boss fight with Melchie, as well as where you can find one of the game's symbol statue rooms.

South of these blocks will be a door that can lead the player to a fast travel room. Players have already been through this room once, so they won't have to go through and run all the way back.