I was alerted to this game because I saw it had an achievement set and translation patch but the reason I decided to play it was because I like the genre and find it's development so fascinating. From the origin's of video games to the fact that user generated content was in demand and often available (including this one) for …
I was alerted to this game because I saw it had an achievement set and translation patch but the reason I decided to play it was because I like the genre and find it's development so fascinating. From the origin's of video games to the fact that user generated content was in demand and often available (including this one) for RPGs.
It's also a genre that tries to introduce new ideas or design elements. Historically, CD-based platforms offered a lot of new possibilities for even larger open-world first person RPGs such as bigger worlds, better engines, and voice acting all leading towards more immersion.
In this era, some of the games tend to test the abilities of the platform (and the player). I've seen at least a few now that tend to run slow and sluggish. KF is one of those but it's nothing like the footage i've seen of Virtual Hydlide (Saturn) (The other game that comes to mind which is slow is Slayer (3DO) a game I actually kinda like)
Signs are readable if you activate them (provided you have the English patch)
Western Role-Playing style has been something of a fascination in Japan (and to me.) The development of first-person games started as roleplaying games. King's Field made a mix of some genre-defining concepts. That of the first-person role-playing dungeon-crawler/mapper... Combined with that of action role-playing. (Keep in mind, action role-playing was much more particular in this pre-Diablo era.) I suppose with KF eschewing the turn-based combat, you essentially have what would become the singular defining origin of what modern From Software games feature: Timed attacks and dodges based on animation frames. Perhaps this transition into real-time and free-moving (rather than be locked to a grid or turn-sequence based combat) was just 'catchy' enough or new that limitations were forgiven?
I dunno because King's Field runs rather slow, and it's actually not even that terribly old (by PSX standards) and at some points with multiple enemies engaging you it will bog down and run slower. But like many action games when this happens its helpful in making combat easier (bullet-time!) From a modern perspective, it has aged badly and has severe limitations on it's technicals alone. I dare say it's one of the most jagged and rough looking games i've played for PSX. It does however have a distinct and very minimal "render" style which I wouldn't deem as bad looking. It's not all over the place and it has a very consistent aesthetic that is compatible with its atmosphere.
If one were to decide to go into a game like this, you likely have an idea of what to expect in the sense of it being an old RPG with quirky mechanics (especially being From Software) and having some other genre-generalized RPG quirks. For the most part this is a rather manageable game. You have stats and gear and it's fairly straightforward in the sense that you have equipment and a stats screen that shows you the changes that gear makes. You also get notifications that you level up or increase stats as you fight or use magic. There are but a dozen or so things that a good FAQ will inform you about that are more ambiguous or not outright presented. Some of them you kinda should know and not be surprised at. (Just my opinion!)
In fact this is a game that is much more enjoyable with aid of FAQ, Walkthrough and maps. Since enemies respawn (and rather quickly, pretty much as soon as they are out of sight) it tends to be a bit time consuming to just wander aimlessly and enough locked doors, switches and other things to keep you in a loop. About halfway through the game you get some rather good gear upgrades that make the game a whole hell of a lot easier (my first fight and the beginning of the game with a skeleton lasted maybe a few minutes and made me wonder what the hell I had gotten myself into)
The game consists of five floors of dungeon crawling with light puzzles and with the above mentioned aid (and save states) I was able to complete it in a day and felt rather satisfied. Perfect amount of length.
KF hasn't aged so well but this is nice enough I suppose if you know what you are getting into in advance and playing with guidance. I would not want to play this one blind or with no maps (it would be frustrating as heck with the respawns and the backtracking segments) Nor would I want to keep this on my playing shelf for days or weeks. But with all that said it's definitely a good pick if you are looking for something in the genre that is shorter or or fascinated by Japanese Western style RPGs.
