Compatibility mode with Windows 7 will not help. SR2 was released in 2001, at a time when it was just a few days since the launch of Windows XP, perhaps compatibility mode with Windows 98 or 2000 would do the trick.

Defiance works because he was built with D3D9b in mind, check it out: [url=https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Legacy_of_Kain:_Defiance#API]https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Legacy_of_Kain:_Defiance#API[/url]

Side note: At the time of Defiance's release, Windows XP was the go-to system for PC gaming. You know, after Windows XP there weren't so many internal changes in Windows until the launch of Windows 10 with its endless updates that love to completely break games.

Well, SR2 was built on top of D3D8: [url=https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Legacy_of_Kain:_Soul_Reaver_2#API]https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Legacy_of_Kain:_Soul_Reaver_2#API[/url]
Maybe you don't know, but D3D8 games are a pain on Windows 10.

SR1+2 uses the Gex engine: [url=https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Engine:Gex_Engine]https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Engine:Gex_Engine[/url]
And it's a fact that SR1 is a real pain to run, just like SR2, fortunately, there are fan patches.

Anyway, maybe in your case dgVoodoo2 will do something: https://dege.freeweb.hu/dgVoodoo2/dgVoodoo2/
People often point to this as the magic solution that will solve 99% of compatibility issues in any games. Honestly, for me this never solved anything, so I always used DxWrapper for D3D games: https://github.com/elishacloud/dxwrapper

Edit... Nothing to do with the topic: I find it incredible how the GOG forums love shitting on links that have ":" in the middle or at the end of the address. The result is the broken links above.

And so it unfolds,

I was genuinely hoping to see the remastered games here on GOG.com and am very pleased to finally see it on my most preferred digital game store! Not seeing it within the https://www.crystaldynamics.com/blog/2024/09/24/aspyr-crystal-dynamics-reveal-legacy-of-kain-soul-reaver-1-2-remastered-launching-dec-10-2024-on-pc-consoles/ post and other communication immediately following the announcement did concern me, and I haven't received any communication from GOG regarding this pre-order, until I searched for it here today and found it - which truly brings me joy!

I wish that Crystal Dynamics blog post and/or other resources would also list GOG.com as a pre-order option, as more people could opt for a DRM free version of this upcoming release. It will certainly be my first choice and a birthday gift, no less!

Thank you, GOG.com!!!