From Software King's Field (From Software)

[Siveon]

Dude, I wish. Now, did you beat the PC remake of KF1? There's also fan mods for the thing as well.

So after all this time, was it worth it? Any impressions?

 

[Sacibengala]

I love King's Field. This year I finally finished all the mainline King's Field games... KF1, KF2, KF3, and KF4. I even finished KF3: Pilot Style. In addition I beat Shadow Tower 1 & 2, and even completed Eternal Ring. As far as I know, I've beaten every first person console dungeon crawler FromSoftware has made. It took a few years yeah, but was a good time. Has anyone else around here beaten all these games as well?

I could not endure eternal ring, it was too much nauseating for me. And I didnt finished shadow tower 2 yet, but I will sometime, glad that it have a fan translation. The others I finished. The best one for me was the kings field 3, the worst, I don't know, maybe shadow tower. I didnt like too much the way the gameplay was. I did play some mods from pc version of sword of the moonlight though.

 

[Sacibengala]

Dude, I wish. Now, did you beat the PC remake of KF1? There's also fan mods for the thing as well.

So after all this time, was it worth it? Any impressions?

The atmosphere from all these games are unbeatable in my humble opinion. (Minus eternal ring). The setting in kings field is very good, the story is nice too, I like the mythos, its kind of a subversive lord of the rings kind of stuff (i can be talking rubbish, but whatever) . Shadow tower is nice too, its more dark toned. The gameplay is difficult to describe. I preffer the kings field style of exploration and itemization. The way that equipment deteriorates in shadow tower is kind of crazy, and the way the repair works is vicious, but you can manage. All in all are excelent games, for what it is. Great atmosphere and exploration, primarly in kings 3, hard to the eye and simple graphics, and even worse gameplay, but that I think its the part of the magic. I love the music and sounds though.

 

[Exhuminator]

Dude, I wish. Now, did you beat the PC remake of KF1? There's also fan mods for the thing as well.

So after all this time, was it worth it? Any impressions?

I beat the original PS1 version of King's Field, using this translation patch:

http://www.romhacking.net/translations/1067/

And yes, KF1 was worth the trouble to play. Sure the game is crusty, but it can still be very exciting and surprising. I wrote an in-depth review for it a few years ago: https://ardentexhuminator.blogspot.com/2014/09/kings-field-japan-review.html

What Sacibengala says about the atmosphere is exactly right, the key reason that I loved all these dungeon crawlers. The feelings of immersion, isolation, and forlorn survival in these games are just unbeatable. The Ultima Underworld games come close, but they still aren't as distilled in the atmosphere department.

If I were to rank them from most favorite to less favorite:

King's Field IV
King's Field III
Shadow Tower Abyss
King's Field
Shadow Tower
King's Field II
Eternal Ring

Eternal Ring gets a bad rap, but it's a bit like if you mixed King's Field with Jewel Master, this is what you'd get. I thought it was a pleasant diversion, but a half baked one.

 

[Leitz]

I just finfished the first King's Field game (japanese one) and it was great fun. The slow gameplay makes sense. It makes everything really tense and I wonder if I ever had more fun fighting three enemies in a room in an Action-RPG. This gives the waltz of the tile based real time RPGs a new meaning. The game became a little bit weird toward the end and I'm not sure who the endboss was (the son is a tree huh?), but whatever. Nice little game, that I can recommend to anyone; it's not that long anyway.

Now, I really look forward to play the next game in the series. And by the way listen to this man:

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

If I were to rank them from most favorite to less favorite:

King's Field IV
King's Field III
Shadow Tower Abyss
King's Field
Shadow Tower
King's Field II
Eternal Ring

What makes KF3 better than KF2 in your opinion? From what I've played of KF3 so far I'd never rank it above KF2 (or even KFJ).

 

[Gentle Player]

Now, I really look forward to play the next game in the series.

You're in luck as the next games in the series are much improved. There's also a very nice surprise in KF3 for those who have played the original.

 

[Exhuminator]

What makes KF3 better than KF2 in your opinion?

A few things...

The difficulty level has risen in KF3 vs KF2. Puzzles are more complex, and enemy AI is better, and late game baddies pack more of a punch in KF3. The amount of ground to cover is considerably larger in KF3 as well, so not getting lost takes more skill. There are areas in KF3 specifically designed to be highly challenging such as The Path of Poison and the infamous Passage of Death.

KF3 is more expansive in scope, you're not just stuck on an island like in KF2. This means there's way more variety to locales, and the way recursive exploration works is more intuitive.

Graphics improved over KF2, giving KF3 an edge with its atmosphere and immersion.

There are far more NPCs to converse with in KF3, allowing for a more involved and detailed plot.

There's considerably more gear/items to collect in KF3, which provides the means for deeper strategy in approaching combat.

I could think of more comparisons if I went back and played the games side by side. It's not that I think KF2 is bad, it's still excellent. But I think KF3 is a bit underrated even by series fans.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

What makes KF3 better than KF2 in your opinion?

A few things...

The difficulty level has risen in KF3 vs KF2. Puzzles are more complex, and enemy AI is better, and late game baddies pack more of a punch in KF3. The amount of ground to cover is considerably larger in KF3 as well, so not getting lost takes more skill. There are areas in KF3 specifically designed to be highly challenging such as The Path of Poison and the infamous Passage of Death.

KF3 is more expansive in scope, you're not just stuck on an island like in KF2. This means there's way more variety to locales, and the way recursive exploration works is more intuitive.

Graphics improved over KF2, giving KF3 an edge with its atmosphere and immersion.

There are far more NPCs to converse with in KF3, allowing for a more involved and detailed plot.

There's considerably more gear/items to collect in KF3, which provides the means for deeper strategy in approaching combat.

I could think of more comparisons if I went back and played the games side by side. It's not that I think KF2 is bad, it's still excellent. But I think KF3 is a bit underrated even by series fans.

Thanks. TBH I got used to the claustrofobia in KFJ and KF2 so much, the expansive areas felt jarring at first.

I'm playing it right now, and my two cents so far:
-- Graphics are indeed better, but now they feel empty due to the size.
-- At the same time, the only secrets I've found were related to keys and chests (just like the majority of KFJ secrets).
-- There are tight areas where circling the enemies is impossible due to (deliberate?) enemy placement.
-- Lack of any means of fast travel. In KF2 you could save a lot of time if you've found a secret shortcut, but here you have to trudge back and forth if you've missed something.
-- The game runs at lower framerate than KF2, but at least it doesn't suffer from slowdown. But this is funny, because KF3 Pilot Style ran at higher framerate and felt much better.

To me it feels like a step in a way different direction than I expected after finishing KF2. Still gonna beat it, though -- maybe I'll 'get into' it later.

BTW, have you played Evergrace?

 

[Exhuminator]

BTW, have you played Evergrace?

Yes, I spent some time with it a few years ago. While I appreciated the autumn aesthetics, the actual game design was not good. Evergrace is one of the few From Software games I just couldn't get into it. There's a decent concept there, but Evergrace was really cut short due to a very rushed development schedule. Even worse than Eternal Ring was.

Even if you don't go back to KF3, be absolutely sure you play through KF4. KF4 is the best KF, and one of the very best video games I've ever played.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

BTW, have you played Evergrace?

Yes, I spent some time with it a few years ago. While I appreciated the autumn aesthetics, the actual game design was not good. Evergrace is one of the few From Software games I just couldn't get into it. There's a decent concept there, but Evergrace was really cut short due to a very rushed development schedule. Even worse than Eternal Ring was.

Even if you don't go back to KF3, be absolutely sure you play through KF4. KF4 is the best KF, and one of the very best video games I've ever played.

I actually enjoyed Evergrace despite its flaws. While the combat feels as if they took their usual KF formula and slapped the equipment system and third person perspective on top of it, it had its moments. I've heard the sequel (Forever Kingdom) improved the idea, but I couldn't check it -- the game is just too demanding for my current hardware. As for Eternal Ring, it's funny that the same engine was re-used in Sword of Moonlight and a lot of assets got pulled there too. Kinda breaks the original KFJ vibe for me, but it spawned kinda interesting fan games I'm willing to try sooner or later.

I'll give KF3 a fresh start a little bit later to avoid comparisons with KFJ/KF2, since I assume jumping in and expecting the same stuff from KF2 was kinda silly. KF4 is on my 'must beat' list together with Shadow Tower/Abyss/Eternal Ring. So far I've tried all of them for a few hours and enjoyed them.

 

[Exhuminator]

Eternal Ring is pretty easy, shouldn't take long to knock that one out. It was actually the initial From Software first person dungeon crawler I ever beat. The Shadow Tower games both start off piss hard but get easier and easier the further you go. I mean, King's Field games do that as well, but not to the extreme that the Shadow Tower games do. There's enough variation to the formula that the Shadow Tower games end up feeling like their own thing (also guns). I think I enjoyed the original Shadow Tower more than Abyss overall, but Abyss does have some killer graphics and atmosphere.

 

[Werdna's Revenge]

So I recently picked up King's Field 2(English 1) thinking about starting through this series. Assume there's not much reason to go back to the japan only KF1 unless I fall in love with the games?

 

[Hobo Elf]

Not really. The series remains more or less the same just with better puzzles, dungeons and graphics.

 

[Exhuminator]

So I recently picked up King's Field 2(English 1) thinking about starting through this series. Assume there's not much reason to go back to the japan only KF1 unless I fall in love with the games?

KF1 is a lot of fun, and has killer music. I wrote a big review for it a few years ago: https://ardentexhuminator.blogspot.com/2014/09/kings-field-japan-review.html <-I'd rather link that than regurgitate the same thoughts.

Is KF1 essential? Not really. I'd only considering King's Field 2 and King's Field 4 "essential". KF2 is important because it broke the series into the English world. And KF4 is vital because it's simply the apex of the formula plus highly decent graphics. Chances are though, once you play through one King's Field, you'll want to play through them all. So do them in whatever order you wish. Personally I played through KF4 first, then went back and did KF1, KF2, KF3|PS, KF3, ST, and ST:A in that order.

 

[Gentle Player]

So I recently picked up King's Field 2(English 1) thinking about starting through this series. Assume there's not much reason to go back to the japan only KF1 unless I fall in love with the games?

It's nothing special compared to the later games, and it's certainly more primitive. However, it's a lot shorter and I'm very glad that I did start with it - if only because of the surprise in KF3 which is lost on those who haven't played the original.

 

[lightbane]

Check this to see if you're still interested in playing King's Field 1 after seeing how badly it aged:

Spoiler

 

[Gentle Player]

Check this to see if you're still interested in playing King's Field 1 after seeing how badly it aged:

Spoiler

It might not be Ultima Underworld, but in terms of level design I dare say KF4 at least approaches and in some respects surpasses the greatness of its inspiration. Even the older King's Field are, in my opinion, more fun to play today than the likes of Eye of the Beholder, despite the PS1 graphics.

 

[Hobo Elf]

I actually like the PS1 graphics and consider them a feature. There's something otherworldly about those crappy 3D graphics that works in favor of the atmosphere of these games. Same thing goes for Silent Hill 1 & 2.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

I actually like the PS1 graphics and consider them a feature. There's something otherworldly about those crappy 3D graphics that works in favor of the atmosphere of these games. Same thing goes for Silent Hill 1 & 2.

Silent Hill 2 was released in 2001 on the PS2, though. Its graphics might be dated today, but they aren't comparable to the early PS1 graphics of the King's Field trilogy.

 

[Grimlorn]

Even if you don't go back to KF3, be absolutely sure you play through KF4. KF4 is the best KF, and one of the very best video games I've ever played.

I've played and beaten KF2 and 3. How does KF4's story tie into the other games? Any references to Lyle, Ichrius, Seath, Guyra, Vallad?

 

[Exhuminator]

How does KF4's story tie into the other games? Any references to Lyle, Ichrius, Seath, Guyra, Vallad?

I personally didn't notice any direct references, but there are theories:

https://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/431703-kings-field-the-ancient-city/51344611

https://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/431703-kings-field-the-ancient-city/74437910

The Moonlight Sword is of course still obtainable in KF4. It's basically the mascot of KF/Souls.

 

[Hobo Elf]

I actually like the PS1 graphics and consider them a feature. There's something otherworldly about those crappy 3D graphics that works in favor of the atmosphere of these games. Same thing goes for Silent Hill 1 & 2.

Silent Hill 2 was released in 2001 on the PS2, though. Its graphics might be dated today, but they aren't comparable to the early PS1 graphics of the King's Field trilogy.

My mistake, I was convinced that Silent Hill 1 & 2 were for the PS1 and graphically similar. I remembered that the series jumped over to the PS2 with SH3.

The Moonlight Sword is of course still obtainable in KF4. It's basically the mascot of KF/Souls.

You can find the Moonlight sword in the Armored Core games as well.

 

[deuxhero]

3D PS1 graphics physically hurt for me to look at. N64 and PC games (even the few ports of PS1 games I've played are fine. Will have to track down the MGS port to be sure) of the same era are fine (haven't tried Saturn yet because it emulates like ass), so I'm sure it has to do with the odd way they handled 3D.

 

[Gentle Player]

Even if you don't go back to KF3, be absolutely sure you play through KF4. KF4 is the best KF, and one of the very best video games I've ever played.

I've played and beaten KF2 and 3. How does KF4's story tie into the other games? Any references to Lyle, Ichrius, Seath, Guyra, Vallad?

KF4 is completely separate in terms of story.