King's Field II (1996)

More updates from the true original Dark Souls:

This game is way bigger than I expected. I think I'm nearing the end, and then it opens up even further. I keep noticing small similarities to later Miyazaki From Soft games. The first "boss" you encounter is similar to a very early boss (Armoured Spider from Stonefang) from Demon's Souls, that being a giant spider at the end of a hallway that shoots web at you. I forgot to get screenshots.

And then just now I discovered a trap-infested dungeon filled with snake dudes with curved swords. The same formula used for Sen's Fortress in Dark Souls 1:

Also, in one of the starting areas of the game you find a well. If you try to drop down into the well you fall to your death:

However, later on in the game, with certain upgrades you can actually survive this fall and it allows you to access later parts of the game. This is the exact same mechanic employed with the well in Majula, in Dark Souls 2.

Also I am in love with the soundtrack of this game. The composer uses some interesting time signatures, it's great stuff. These tracks set the atmosphere, and give this game such a weird tone, complementing the eerie/isolated environments/tone, and I'm slightly addicted, I have added them to my car usb. I also discovered that the same composer came back and made the soundtrack for Bloodborne:

I've been playing King's Field IV: The Ancient City. So this game is the difficult first-person dark medieval RPG that From Software made prior to Demon's Souls. Although Miyazaki had not joined the dev at this point, you can still see the primordial DNA of the souls series forming in the King's Field series, and in this game in particular. The setting, the atmosphere, the stamina bar, character customisation, many of the foundations were already there. You can even spot the Crestfallen Warrior (who later appeared in Dark Souls 1, 2 and 3):

as well as the Bug Bears from Demon's Souls:

The game is quite difficult and I've been playing it on PS2 emulator, but really enjoying the experience. I was really enjoying the soundtrack, and apparently it was made by the guy who composed the music for Bloodborne.

Anyway, if anyone is dying for more souls content, might be worth giving King's Field 4 a look. Would be cool to see a modern remaster of this. It feels like a mix between Skyrim and Demon's Souls or something, it's interesting. I've fiddled around with a bunch of early From Software games, and I would also recommend Eternal Ring which I'm thinking I'll play next.