Game of the Day 3/1/2016: King's Field

[celerystalker]

King's Field (in Japan, King's Field II) is one of my very favorite PS1 games, and it probably shouldn't be. For one, it's a first-person RPG, and I get motion sick playing in first person views... but this early action RPG does it for me in ways even its own sequels and spinoffs don't. It's credited as the groundwork for the modern "Souls" series from From Software, and spawned many sequels of its own. However, this one game from the series is the one that I to this day think is the best.

If you've not played King's Field, it's a fully 3D first person RPG from the days before analog control and experienced programming on the PS1. It's pretty sluggish, though the game can be effectively played at a high level by taking a few minutes to master its timing. You weild swords and other blades alongside magic and bows and arrows in taking on the denizens of a cursed island. Your task is to scour the island and its caves for its lost treasures and kill the dragon who rules it in order to save the kingdom. It all sounds pretty rudimentary, and in a lot of ways, it is. However, and I'm way too tired to do this description justice, the game utilizes its own shortcomings as a strength in order to achieve one of the most critical aspects of any great action RPG: atmosphere.

So the draw distance is short- they made an overpowering, permeating, almost inky blackness in the dank corridors and caves in the island. The polygon count is low- the enemies are large enough to seem foreboding, while allowing their size to absorb the angles to appear more as curves, and in the case of small enemies, they chose angular designs such as insects that won't shiw it as badly. The texture quality is low-res and almost non-existant- faceless elves, stark, muddled-looking dark dungeon walls, and creepy disfigured complexion on monsters only adds to the mysterious feel. The game feels oppressive. The soundtrack is understated and menacing, and the fact that it's always night when you step outside and look up at the blackness adds to the sense of isolation.

The other thing King's Field gets so right for an action RPG is secrets. The game is littered with chests, barrels, herbs, and all sorts of trick walls that have hidden compartments, secret passages, or traps just waiting all around. The island is cursed and wants you dead, and coaxes you to scour it with the reward of weapons, power, and wealth. Like other games such as Metroid or Castlevanias, the games gives you a reason to really dig into the corners of its world for what you might find, which, in such an oppressive atmosphere, becomes an oddly relaxing horror experience, as that next corner might be an item or a giant monster spitting crude fireballs.

The major criticisms of the game are its sluggish movement and crude graphics, and those are fair. However, if you are the kind of player that prefers the older Resident Evils or D to the likes of more modern horror, there's an island that is begging to be explored, and moreso than its sequels, this one will leave you feeling lost and alone, searching for answers the old-fashioned way. If your tastes don't include a tolerance for slower, older 3D that feels more like a middleground between D&D and Myst, you'll hate it. If you find the plain black backgrounds on NES games to add a sense of unease to games and like it, King's Field might have the atmosphere for you.

There is a standard and long box issue of this one as well. The long box seems more common in my experience, but it's not like it's a collector's item either way.

Played it?

[Edmond Dantes]

OH HELL YES!!!!!

King's Field (or should I call it King's Field II?) was the game that revived my interest in JRPGs, after FF8 killed it... well okay, that's kind of backwards, but it was a game that filled a niche I always thought was missing on consoles--an RPG more about simply exploring a mysterious environment than about following some dumb anime-wannabe plotline.

I love Metroidvanias, but one issue I have with most of them is that they always feel, well, "empty." Take Metroid itself--you know that if there isn't a chozo statue in the room, then you're not gonna find anything worthwhile except a missile upgrade (and those become less and less worthwhile as you go on). King's Field, though? You can find a sword just laying around in a puddle near the beginning of the game that will carry you through a couple of early sections IF you're willing to run past the instant death kracken (who you can kill much earlier than you're supposed to). That sort of thing gives you a feeling that anywhere, in any place, there could be something worthy of your interest. Nothing feels empty.

For some reason, the sequels never felt like they measured up to this one. I can't exactly put my finger on why... just somehow, this one always feels the most mysterious of them. I forget exactly how I felt about KFIII (or II in the US) though I do remember loving it, just not as much. IV (the Ancient City) I think mainly felt like it was more of a sequel to Shadow Tower, though that's not a bad thing. I also remember this one bit early on with this giant that would come to life once you pressed a switch and you're supposed to quickly run past him before he blocks your way out, but I took awhile to realize that so kept getting stuck.

But they're all awesome games. All of them.

[FieryReign]

Such a slow walking speed... No sense of direction or guidance of any sort. Takes about a minute to swing your weapon. Blobs of polygons that are supposed to be creatures of some sort. SLOWLY circle strafing around them, swinging wildly, and whiffing half the time. Doesn't hold up as well, and might be unplayable to those that didn't remember it. It does still have that atmosphere, I guess.

Ancient City on PS2 was awesome though. Addictive and not as cryptic. Not as fugly either.

[Gentlegamer]

I bought a copy a while back after learning it's the spiritual father of Dark Souls.

Your description about the myriad of risk/reward secrets affirms that.

It's getting time for me to rotate the systems I have hooked up to the CRT, PlayStation will have to be in there for King's Field (and Alundra).

[Emperor Megas]

I've never played this, but the description (especially FieryRiegn's) makes me think of AD&D Slayer on the 3DO. Does anyone who's played both know if it's anything like Slayer?

I loved Slayer, BTW.

[celerystalker]

I've never played this, but the description (especially FieryRiegn's) makes me think of AD&D Slayer on the 3DO. Does anyone who's played both know if it's anything like Slayer?

I loved Slayer, BTW.

Why, yes, I do in fact have and have played both. King's Field is more of an open world, with a more clearly defined story and game world. Aside from being in the FPS mold, they're pretty different, as King's Field is much, much more exploration focused and less focused on your character sheet and stats... it's almost like comparing Zelda to Diablo. I personally enjoy King's Field quite a bit more with its atmosphere, but Slayer is fun. I also died a ton more learning to play Slayer...

[Edmond Dantes]

Such a slow walking speed...

Hold X to run, but like in Secret of Mana you have to wait for a moment for your sword arm and magic to recharge when you do. I've never had a problem adapting to this system.

No sense of direction or guidance of any sort.

It's almost like you're meant to have some personal initiative... like you're playing as a guy who just survived a shipwreck or something.

Takes about a minute to swing your weapon.

It's not DOOM, no.

Blobs of polygons that are supposed to be creatures of some sort.

It's on the PS1, whaddya expect?

SLOWLY circle strafing around them, swinging wildly, and whiffing half the time.

How are you "whiffing half the time?" The game doesn't use random rolls for hits IIRC--you either hit their hitbox or you didn't.

Ancient City on PS2 was awesome though. Addictive and not as cryptic. Not as fugly either.

While I love Ancient City, I'm kinda astonished that its somehow not crypic while KF is. The only way AC has more direction is just in the sense that you're continually working your way downward... besides that, there's still places where you have to make a judgment call or just look around and see what you find.

And yeah, not surprised a PS2 game looks better than a PS1 game.

[FieryReign]

Geez, talk about being defensive. Was just pointing out the way I feel about the game now. I came up with this stuff in my teenage years and can recall renting this. I like the series, damn. Didn't know we were breaking each others critiques on a sentence-by-sentence basis. I don't got time for that shit nowadays.

Just gonna say I like the series, wish they would make a new one. But these first couple don't stand the test of time. Sorry. Maybe if people remove the nostalgia goggles, they'll see clearer.

[FieryReign]

Yes, circle strafing will miss targets and whiff. Unless you're some kind of thumb contortionist, these aren't Doom controls, as you so observantly pointed out. Meant to use the clunkyness of the ps1pad, so it controls clunky. Similar to Jumping Flash! Early experimentations that laid the groundwork for future gameplay. Stop acting like this old thing had precision collision detection.

[Berserker]

This was one of the first Playstation games I ever played, and it left a lasting impression on me. I didn't own it (or the system at that point), but my nephew brought both and a few other games over one day. The other games were sort of interesting for various reasons, but for me King's Field stood above all the others. Not necessarily because it was so good, but I think the feeling was more like man, what WAS that? A first person 3D RPG for a console seemed unusual enough, I believe by that point I was playing games like Daggerfall on the PC, so that alone wasn't technically impressive to me.

It seemed really simple, basic, but still intriguing. It was this hazy, foggy, mysterious world. You moved slowly through winding caverns full of slow-moving creatures who would slowly kick your ass. Faceless people were found here and there, seemingly oblivious to the sluggish hell going on around them, like living statues, completely unmoving until you interacted with them and they would slowly turn to look at you. It felt alien, like you were trapped in some kind of shadowy realm between life and death.

I was bad at it, I was dying over and over again, but I was digging it. I didn't see my nephew much so I didn't play it again after that until many years later. I think it's pretty amazing that a company that would make such a strange game are not only still making games in this same kind of vein, but being successful with it. I try to pick up all the From Software stuff that comes out, I'm still fucking terrible at them but I enjoy the atmosphere. I like just being sort of plopped down into these unexplained worlds and trying to make my way through them. I still need to go back and check out all the stuff between King's Field and Demon's Souls, but I definitely plan to at some point. I'm still digging it.