In this game you take the role of Kain, revived as a vampire by the Necromancer Mortanius to avenge himself by killing the bandits that murdered him. As a vampire Kain is easily able to kill the bandits. But after doing this Kain finds out from Mortanius and the spirit of the dead Ariel, one of the guardians of the pillars of Nosgoth that protect the world, that the other Guardians have gone insane because of Ariels death and the only way to save Nosgoth is by slaying the guardians.

This is top down action adventure not completely unlike the top down Zelda games, but that's where the similarities end. As the player guides Kain through Nosgoth more and more of the history is revealed. But with every revelation, more questions rise, many of which are not answered until the later installments in the series.

In his quest, Kain obtains many new weapons, special armor, items and tools. But as Kain becomes stronger as a vampire he also gains access to new magical spells and transformations. And through expanding Kains arsenal, the player is able to travel to more of Nosgoth in the quest for the truth that leads Kain not only through the darkest outskirts of Nosgoth, but also time.