The RPG that started it all. The first part in a series of “in case you missed it: FromSoftware edition articles”.
There’s no denying that FromSoftware is a top-tier developer that has been around since the very beginning of PlayStation. They never skimp on the quality of their games, with everything from playstyle to atmosphere and lore.
The PlayStation 1 was launched on 3 December 1994 in Japan and FromSoftware (which was founded on 1 November 1986) released their first-ever title, King’s Field on 16 December 1994.
What is King’s Field?
As previously mentioned, King’s Field was FromSoftware’s very first release and one of PlayStation’s first games available. King’s Field was also one of the very first 3D-FPS-RPG games, opening up the playing field for many more spectacular releases by the developer.
The game takes you on a quest playing as the protagonist, Jean Alfred Forester; a royal heir.
Based in Verdite, a medieval land that was overshadowed by evil, a hero dubbed “The Dragon” cast out this evil of ancient times. Thereafter, in the Dragon’s disappearance, a cathedral was erected amid the forests in his honour.
Sometime after these heroic events, the land once again falls victim to the returning evil, and the natives long for the prophecy of the Dragon’s return.
This is where you, the player of Forester, come in. Forester is on a search for his missing father who led a squadron into the catacombs beneath the cathedral graveyard.
On your search, you will come face to face with creatures of all types of this cursed land and eventually discover that you need to defeat the once reigning Reinhardt III who came to wield dark power.
In the November 1995 press release, one of the statements went as follows:
“King’s Field is a 3-D masterpiece, and a shining example of what could be a promising new “next-generation” genre. The graphics are exceptional, and King’s Field is overflowing with substance, making it the longest, deepest, most challenging 32-bit RPG yet. This game is “half Doom, half Dungeon Master.”
Gameplay & Mechanics
Keeping in mind that this is a 1994 release, the graphics and mechanics were especially well made and incorporated and laid the foundation for many of the first games falling into this genre at the time, as well as for many more of the upcoming FromSoftware titles.
The game was one of the first to introduce a real-time combat system with stamina- and mana bars respectively and the usual health- and magic points bars. You will consume various plants, crystals, potions, and stones to regenerate and heal your various bars and conditions.
The game’s currency is gold coins that you can loot from enemy corpses as well as the standard item looting throughout the environment.
Although for most the controls would be considered incredibly clunky in our more modern times, the movement for its time was relatively fluid. The combat system, however, is and always was quite slow.
As for difficulty, FromSoftware was delivering from day one. It was considered a difficult and unconventional style of the game back in the day which did lead to some diverging opinions upon release but slowly the popularity increased and ended up selling over 200 000 copies in Japan itself.
The environment is atmospheric, taking you through labyrinths of dungeons as well as a few outdoor locations. Believe it or not, FromSoftware’s first game was initially meant for PC but no computer was able to handle the 3D graphics and general play of the game, which led to them shifting the project to PlayStation.
Weapons and Enemies
There was really quite a large selection of weapons for this game. Weapons include the fire sword, ice blade, wind sword, crystal- and spider sword, Moonlight sword, and Dark Slayer, among many others.
There is also a wide variety of monsters, just to name a few of the common ones such as Head Eater, Necron’s Soldiers, Reiks, Baltail, Kraken, and many others. Some of the main bosses are Guyra, Demon Lord, and Dias Bagil.
Conclusion
Due to this being such an old title, it won’t necessarily appeal to everyone, what with the clunky mechanics and less-than-realistic graphics; but if you’re someone who enjoys a good classic and especially as a fan of (more specifically) the SoulsBorne series of FromSoftware creations, then this is definitely worth giving a playthrough.
If you are a SoulsBorne fan you’ll surely pick up on the classic FromSoftware quirks of their developments. You can look at putting roughly about 17 hours into the main storyline if you stick to holding a good grind and if you’re like me and want to do a completionist run, you can look at about 27 hours.
Fun Fact: In an interview, it was asked where the name “King’s Field” came from and this was the answer :
“Actually, when one of our directors was in England he found a golf club called King’s Field. As soon as he saw that name he decided that it was going to be the title of our first game.”
Part 1 of a King’s Field playthrough:
Part 2 of a King’s Field playthrough:
The King’s Field Series
- King’s Field (PS1 – 16 December 1994)
- King’s Field 2 (PS1 – 21 July 1995)
- King’s Field 3 (PS1 – 21 June 1996)
- King’s Field 4 (PS2 – 4 October 2001)
- King’s Field: Additional 1 (PSP – 20 July 2006)
- King’s Field: Additional 2 (PSP – 24 August 2006)
- King’s Field Mobile (Mobile)
- King’s Field Mobile 2 (Mobile)
- King’s Field EX
- Sword of Moonlight: King’s Field Making Tool (A basic program released by FromSoftware that allows the player to create their own playable King’s Field)