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Bonus Mode is an apparent completion bonus for Blood Omen 2, that was cut from the game for unknown reasons; the unfinished 'Bonus Mode' can still be accessed via hacking or the control station. It allows Kain to begin the game with a full Blood vial and the Iron Armor and Soul Reaver combination, as well as all of the Dark Gifts and the ability to select Chapters.[1]

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Bonus Mode, marked as "For Bonus Kain" in the files of Blood Omen 2, initially places Kain in a special stone-walled 'hub' room with several arched doorways. Each doorway has a simple blue text title above it, showing a title for each of the Chapters/Locations from Blood Omen 2. Each doorway, once entered, transported Kain to the entrance of the specific territory (though in some cases the position Kain appears in can make it impossible to progress. )[1][Blood Omen 2]

This enabled Kain to play through the selected Chapter/Location with a selection of abilities and weapons not normally available until after completion of the game; allowing Kain to use the incredibly powerful Soul Reaver Blade (and its companion attire, the Iron Armor), a full Blood Vial (suggesting maximum Lore) and all of the Dark Gifts. The abilities afforded Kain by having the Dark Gifts early allows a small amount of extra areas to be accessed within levels (such as, for example, jumping over the rooftops in Chapter 1:the Slums), though none of these has any special features or 'bonuses' associated with them.[1][Blood Omen 2].

Notes[]

  • The title "For Bonus Kain", the presence of a full Blood vial (suggesting a previously filled Lore Bar), the Soul Reaver Blade (which is only retrieved by Kain at the end of the game) and the full list of Dark Gift abilities; suggests heavily that the Bonus Mode was intended to be a bonus for completing the game.[1]
  • BO2-DoubleKain

    Kain facing off with himself, an unintended effect of Bonus Mode

    Bonus Mode is incomplete and was never implemented in-game, as such it has many glitches and bugs; which may be part of the reason for it's removal, though these can also be used to achieve a number of interesting effects. (see 'videos' below). In some versions, the Soul Reaver Blade is invisible until Kain switches to Mist Form and back[Blood Omen 2].
  • Early boss battles using Bonus Mode can be shortened (or finished completely) by the use of the advanced Combat Dark Gifts Berserk and Immolate; which will skip the action to the next phase or the end cinematic[Blood Omen 2].
  • The Bonus Mode 'hub room' appears to be located in the Eternal Prison, with the room particularly resembling a modified 'clock and orrery' room from the prison (minus the orrery and with more clocks and doorways). The lighting effects of the room have been disabled and it shows none of the effects of Kain's visit in Chapter 8: The Eternal Prison[Blood Omen 2].
  • The 'hub room' also bears a superficial resemblance to the 'developers' level select ' available in Blood Omen, with a similar way of selecting Chapter/Location . (though it is unlikely that the 'developers level select' was intended to be used by the public, in contrast to 'Bonus Mode'.)[2]

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