Returning PS2 Game Takes PlayStation Fans by Surprise

PlayStation fans have been greatly surprised by a PS2 game that is set to return on PS5 and PS4 this week. During its most recent State of Play presentation in September, PlayStation informed fans that it would be re-releasing Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain on modern platforms at some point before the end of 2024. This return of the iconic PS1 game would then lead into the launch of Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 1-2 Remastered, which is set to drop in early December. As luck would have it, though, PlayStation has been sitting on another surprising announcement related to the Legacy of Kain franchise that should thrill old-school PS2 fans.

As of this week, PS5 and PS4 consoles will be seeing the return of Blood Omen 2 alongside Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain. Released in 2002, Blood Omen 2 launched on PS2 and tied together the events of the first Blood Omen with the Soul Reaver Legacy of Kain entries. It has remained a fan-favorite in the decades since and will now be released on the PlayStation Store this week on November 19th.

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What’s surprising about this launch of Blood Omen 2 is that PlayStation previously didn’t hint at the game releasing on PS5 and PS4 at all. While the first Blood Omen game was known to be coming to current-gen PlayStation platforms, the PS2 sequel was presumed to have been left in the past. Instead, its return will make nearly the entire Legacy of Kain franchise accessible on modern hardware when Soul Reaver 1-2 Remastered releases in a couple of short weeks.

Per usual, Blood Omen 2 will also be available for “free” to those subscribed to PlayStation Plus Premium. For everyone else, it will be purchasable on its own via the PS Store, likely for the price of $9.99. If you’d like to learn more about Blood Omen 2 ahead of its return in the coming day, you can check out its official synopsis and a throwback trailer below.

Blood Omen 2

“Fierce attacks and brutal combos await in this action adventure, originally released on PS2 in 2002, after Soul Reaver 2’s launch the year previous. Blood Omen 2 will take you back to an alternate timeline set between the events of the first Blood Omen and Soul Reaver. Cast down from power by a mysterious warlord centuries ago, Kain reawakens in a world he barely recognizes. His armies slain, his vampire brethren nearly extinct, Kain is one of the last of his kind. With an agenda of vengeance, Kain shall unleash a wicked wrath to uncover the plot that threatens the land he seeks to conquer.”