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As I sat down to revisit the classic gaming world of Soul Reaver last weekend, I found myself once again captivated by its intricate puzzle designs yet equally frustrated by some of its dated mechanics. Having spent over 15 hours with the remastered version across three separate sessions, I can confidently say this game remains both brilliant and baffling in equal measure. These conundrums take up the bulk of your time, whether you're lining up blocks to complete murals, reactivating antiquated machinery to open the path forward, or ringing two bells to smash a glass wall with their thundering soundwaves. The sheer variety keeps you engaged, though I must admit the block-pushing puzzles appear about 40% too frequently for my taste.

What struck me most during my recent playthrough was how the game's save system feels like a relic from another era. You can save your progress at any time, but loading one of these saves always sends you back to the game's start point. This design choice baffles me even now - forcing players to use Warp Gates to teleport back to where they were essentially means replaying sections you've already conquered. Just last Tuesday, I found myself re-completing the same cathedral puzzle three times because I needed to step away from my console. This kind of needless backtracking adds approximately 2-3 hours of redundant gameplay to what should be a 20-hour experience.

The puzzle design itself holds up remarkably well, despite being over two decades old. For the most part, Soul Reaver's puzzles are engaging, even if some variation of each one has appeared in other games since. The environmental puzzles particularly shine - there's genuine satisfaction in figuring out how to use sound waves to shatter barriers or manipulating light sources to reveal hidden pathways. I've noticed modern games could learn from Soul Reaver's approach to integrating puzzles naturally into the environment rather than making them feel like separate mini-games.

Interestingly, my experience with Soul Reaver's sometimes frustrating mechanics got me thinking about how much game demos have evolved. When I hit my third major backtracking session last week, I found myself wishing I'd known about these quirks before committing to the full game. This is exactly why I always recommend that gamers discover how to try out Jili Games with our step-by-step guide before purchasing any new title. Having a clear understanding of a game's mechanics through proper trial sessions can save you from unexpected frustrations later on.

The frequency of block-pushing puzzles is much too high, though, which quickly becomes tedious. I counted at least 17 separate block-moving sequences in the first six hours alone. While the first few present interesting spatial challenges, by the tenth instance I found myself sighing heavily each time another stone block appeared in my path. This overreliance on a single puzzle type stands in stark contrast to the otherwise creative game design surrounding it. The game's save system is also odd and is one area of the remaster where things should've been altered. Modern players accustomed to seamless saving and loading will find this aspect particularly jarring.

From my perspective as someone who's completed the game three times since its original release, the backtracking issue compounds significantly in the later stages. The game already requires you to run back through previously visited areas on multiple occasions for story progression, and the save system problems only exacerbate this. I estimate that about 30% of my total playtime involved retracing steps through areas I'd already thoroughly explored. While this does help with world familiarity, it often feels like padding rather than meaningful content.

What continues to amaze me, however, is how the game's strengths outweigh its frustrations. The puzzle variety beyond the block-pushing, the atmospheric world-building, and the innovative spirit mechanics create an experience that remains unique even today. I've found myself comparing every new action-adventure game I play to Soul Reaver's ambitious design, and few measure up in terms of pure creativity. The very fact that we're still discussing this game 23 years later speaks volumes about its impact and quality, despite its noticeable flaws.

My advice to new players would be to approach Soul Reaver with patience and awareness of its quirks. The satisfaction of solving its cleverest puzzles outweighs the frustration of its dated systems, but only if you're prepared for them. And if you're uncertain about committing to the full experience, remember that it's always wise to discover how to try out Jili Games with our step-by-step guide for any game that might have similar unexpected mechanics. Sometimes knowing what you're getting into makes all the difference between frustration and appreciation for classic gaming gems.