Home > Soul Reaver > Beta Comparison - Graphics
Beta Comparison - Graphics
article by Raina Audron
This section describes some of the major differences in textures and has example screenshots with descriptions. I have tried to include as many as I could find in the games. The betas are generally much lighter while the final version has darker toned textures. In addition. the particle effects (blood, shifting, phasing) in TEB and TLB are square shaped, while in RV, this was fixed and they have a round shape.
The Underworld
- The glowing green orbs floating above the platform are missing in TEB.
Underworld Screenshots
|
|
[1] Glowing green orbs
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Lake of the Dead
- The banners were added in TLB.
- The bridge/trellis is missing in TEB.
- The floor has misplaced textures only in TLB, and wooden beams were added as well.
The Ruins of Raziel's Territory
- The Razielim Territory is white in TEB, but has been tinted green in TLB and RV.
- The altar was changed to include a Razielim symbol on the wall.
- There is a force field blocking the path in TEB.
The Necropolis (Melchiah's Territory)
- This is a very bright area in TEB in comparison to TLB and RV, and notice the missing blood on the spikes.
- The chamber with the Warp Gate is different in TEB - the door leading outside is much closer than other versions.
- TEB is very bright, while in TLB and RV the greenish tint was added. Notice also the strange square shape on the wall. It is unknown what it's supposed to be. It's possible it is only a misplaced texture. Also compare the prototype Necropolis staff in TEB to other versions.
- A corpse in Necropolis underwent changes in each version. In TEB it was just a regular corpse, with no obvious cause of death, while the spike was added in TLB. Finally, in RV since the wraith explanation cutscene was moved here, the vampire was burned and made impossible to revive, so the player must fight its dangerous spectre. The wall behind Raziel also got a greenish tint in TLB and the retractable blocks got a more distinct texture in RV.
- The secret room in the Necropolis is missing an indication of unlocking with the Soul Reaver in TEB. They added the crossed Soul Reaver blades symbol to distinguish the tomb from the regular ones.
- The water in spectral has a bright blue colour while in TLB and RV, the colour is a combinations of blue/green. Notice the crooked stone pillar in TEB, which stays straight in other versions.
- Melchiah's room is very bright in TEB. Darker lighting was added in TLB and RV, possibly to improve the atmosphere in the chamber.
- The cage textures were replaced and the blood splatters remain inside the cage in TLB and RV.
The Sanctuary of the Clans
- The Pillars throne room door in different versions. In TEB, the Pillars have a symbol on their columns, as opposed to no symbol in the final version.
- The Pillars stretch in the spectral realm. This is the only record of them doing so, they never change their shape in spectral in TLB, RV, SR2 or Defiance.
- The roof of the Sanctuary appears to have unfinished windows in the walls in TEB.
- Additional particles were added to the wraithblade.
- The entrance to the throne chamber is missing a door or has misplaced textures in the betas.
- The upper level of the Sanctuary has different textures in TEB.
- The Southern entrance to the Sanctuary became darker in TLB and even darker in RV.
The Silenced Cathedral (Zephon's Territory)
- The symbols were facing each other correctly in TLB, but were changed in RV for unknown reasons. The Cathedral's brown rock texture in TEB was swapped out for a more detailed dark red rock.
- The entrance to Cathedral area has been remodeled and given a different gate texture each time.
- Doors replaced gates in TLB and RV.
- Humans were replaced by Zephonim.
- Zephonim symbols were added.
- The health power-up was replaced by large eldritch energy orbs and also the monument leans in spectral in TEB, unlike in the other versions.
- The Silenced Cathedral in TEB has live humans trapped in cocoons, as opposed to the dead ones in TLB and RV.
- In TEB, originally two openings were accessible. One of them is closed up in the later versions, probably because one tunnel was sufficient.
- The pressure plate mechanic was swapped out for a switch, probably because it is more obvious and common way to open doors. The plate mechanic was still kept though for the first Cathedral puzzle.
- This hall end was darkened in the later versions.
- The unfinished pipe room puzzle. The pipes are destroyed in TLB and RV. It is unknown how would Raziel fix the pipes in TEB.
- Several Cathedral areas were darkened.
- The opening leading to the Sound Glyph is hard to spot in TEB.
- The Sound Glyph mural in TEB has a different texture.
- Different gate texture.
The Tomb of the Sarafan
- The wall with the door was removed from TLB and RV, probably because it was unnecessary.
- A Sarafan priest mural is found on the stone slab at the entrance of the Sarafan Tomb in TEB. This mural was replaced by vampiric writing in TLB and RV for unknown reason.
- The scalable wall in the bonus room was constantly adjusted.
- The mural was added later.
The Drowned Abbey (Rahab's Territory)
- It is unclear what kind of a structure was this supposed to be in TEB, it resembles Drowned Abbey architecture. This was replaced for unknown reason (probably to make it fit better with the environment) for a dam like structure.
- Seems they were not sure which design to go with and later decided on the stained glass window.
- The floor in the chapel changed from TEB to include more of the blue square floor design instead of brown floor.
- The ship is actually moving back and forth in the river and Raziel must time the switch to Spectral correctly in TEB, unlike in later versions, where the ship stays in one place.
- Different gate texture.
- The mural was changed to have a Fire Reaver depicted on the stained glass, probably to more resemble the Reaver blade.
- The whole rocky area was totally redesigned and was separated into upper and lower paths.
- The roof in one room is much higher in TEB for unknown reasons.
- The water reaches Raziel on the platform in TEB.
- There are crows in this area in TEB.
- The side of the chapel house has windows in TEB.
- The Fire Reaver mural is missing in TEB and TLB.
Nupraptor's Retreat (Stone Glyph Area)
- The skull's jaw lifts up in the Spectral Realm in TEB.
- The stone block and the scalable wall are missing in TEB.
Nupraptor's Retreat (Stone Glyph Area) Screenshots
|
|
[1] Skull jaw
|
|
|
[2] Stone block/scalable wall
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Human Citadel
- The City's outside walls are much darker in TEB than other versions.
- Certain textures are different.
- A ray of light[1] shines through the roof in the room before the Water Tower area in TEB.
- The Water Tower has an additional stone block on its side.
- Scalable walls and openings were added in TLB and RV.
- The way to get to the Water Glyph appears different in each version. In TEB, Raziel has to shift through and use the portal to continue swimming, in TLB there is no portal, so he would need to use the Shift-at-Will ability. In the RV Raziel must shatter the grate with a projectile to get through and keep swimming.
- There is a different side room entrance in the Water Glyph chamber.
- In TLB they added a gate in the way but it was removed for RV.
The Ash Village (Dumah's Territory)
- The tunnel leading to Ruined City Warp Gate looks different in each version.
- The scalable wall covers the whole back part of the structure in TEB.
- The double door texture is stretched in the betas, fixed in RV.
- The sky is black in the Ruined City even though there are shadows drawn on the textures. Was that supposed to be the moonlight? Interestingly, the area's code name is "night".
- The interiors have the same texture as exteriors in TEB.
- No scalable wall is present in TEB, so it is impossible to get out of the fortress by climbing.
- The gate's textures are glitchy in TLB.
- The railing was removed in later versions.
The Lighthouse (Sunlight Glyph Area)
- The Sunlight Glyph mural looks different in TEB.
- The rooftop of the Lighthouse is stretched in TEB an TLB.
- It appears that the Turelim were added to the Lighthouse area just before the game's release, probably because Turel's territory was cut out from the game and there weren't enough Turelim in the game (they don't inhabit any specific area in large numbers in TEB and TLB unlike other vampires).
The Oracle's Cave and the Chronoplast
- The entrance to the Oracle's Cave has different textures, no fire at the top and the structure curves in the spectral in TEB.
- Darker tone and shadows were added only in the RV.
- No steel doorway in TEB.
- It is impossible to trigger the cutscene in TEB due to memory issues. Notice that the fiery pot was added only in RV.
- TEB is missing the ceiling textures.
- The most common spike in TEB vs staff with infinity symbol in TLB vs fire in RV.
- Moebius's statue is missing in TEB and thus there is no cutscene present.
- The clock's face has a blurry texture in TEB, which was fixed in other versions.
- One of the block puzzle areas was completely retextured from TEB.
- Another retextured area has a vertical tunnel serving no purpose in TEB and RV. TLB reveals that it was meant to hold an eldritch energy, but it was removed for unknown reason.
- One area only holds eldritch energy in the RV, but maybe was intended for something else. The door can't be open in TEB, though the area behind it is the same as in the later versions.
- The wooden texture in TEB was replaced by a stone texture.
- The mechanism puzzle stayed the same in all versions, with the addition of a door decoration.
- There is a stone block for Raziel to stand on in TEB which extends in the Spectral Realm. It was replaced to be part of the puzzle in TLB and RV and became a retractable metal piece.
- A door has a template texture in TEB and the symbols have been added later on the wall to aid the player.
- The climbing wall has a plain gray texture in TEB. In later versions, they added horizontal stripes to make it more obvious for the player that he can grab onto the wall.
- The mechanical platforms are working (though a bit glitchy and have template textures) in TEB.
- The vision portals in TEB have template textures and a Crystal Dynamics logo plays instead of the real vision. Decorations added in RV.
- The Chronoplast mechanism in TEB was placed outside the wall as opposed to being integrated into the wall in TLB and RV.
Related Articles:
Beta Comparison - Introduction
Beta Comparison - Versions
Beta Comparison - Story
Beta Comparison - Gameplay
Beta Comparison - Music and Sound Effects
Beta Comparison - Debug Menu
The Elemental Reavers
Shifter