Call for Responses: King's Field
Added 2020-02-28 22:24:25 +0000 UTCDo you have thoughts on King's Field? We want them! Specifically, thoughts on the game that is "King's Field" in the US, and "King's Field II" in Japan. The one we've been talking about on Bonfireside Chat. We're recording the appendix for that game on Tuesday, so please offer up your concise and specific responses as a comment on this post by the end of the day on Monday, March 2.
Comments
Hey dudes, here’s the response: My play-through has been grueling but rewarding. I am at the Big Mine, figuring out my way forward. After about five hours of this game, the controls clicked. Full disclosure: I am playing on a Playstation 2 slim and a CRT television, so no save states and no analog sticks. Strangely, the shoulder button rotation and up/down controls are now jiving for me. It’s a little awkward in a way that seems baked into the game, but if you calm down and relax your hands, it’s super manageable. I always love a game where you can set yourself up for success before you actually engage with an enemy or obstacle. I love the Lynchian “trapped in screensaver purgatory” atmosphere of this game. I am a little sad I didn’t get to play this back when I first had a PS1: As a young dweeb, I would have eaten this shit up. Hey, so what’s up with the weird little vertical line in the LOADING / SAVING dialogue window? Does this show up on emulation? It’s very slight, maybe a pixel or two wide, but super noticeable. Almost as odd as the insulated stairs in the Groverhaus. Also: I had a very weird experience when I loaded a save by the trap door to the Termite Nest. I came out into the village, where Kehl Hunt hangs out. Normally, when you find Sandler, Kehl moves away from the door to let you inside the shop. Except this time, Kehl was both standing against the wall AND standing in front of the door. That’s right: double Kehls. Who loves orange soda? It’s like the village had reset to pre-Sandler conditions, but also duped the post-Sandler character placements. I couldn’t get through the corridor guarded by the woman in pink, and even more perplexingly, I could not kill her. This was a glitch, right? There’s no way From would do something like this on purpose… Right? When I reloaded, everything was back to normal. Thanks guys. Playing this game has been a good way to de-stress after a long day.
Cody F
2020-03-02 18:04:52 +0000 UTCIt wasn't until thinking about this game again that I realized that From trolled me with skeletons you probably shouldn't be fighting yet LONG before Dark Souls was ever a thing. Kid me found the long sword in the waterfall cave first thing and died a whole bunch trying to escape with it. I found a sweet sword and was NOT leaving with out it. I never actually beat the game as a kid, I don't think i ever got more than halfway through, but given how it does end I'm not entirely sure that was a bad thing. Thanks for finishing it off for me!
David
2020-03-02 02:50:22 +0000 UTCI love King’s Field 2! I first played it after i was already a dedicated Souls fan, and it was fascinating to see all the elements of the Souls series that are so beloved in their primordial state. I especially want to call out the way From uses the early PlayStation’s limitations. The simple textures, tense soundtrack and low draw distance create an oppressive, creepy mood out of what would otherwise look like a pile of dirty Doritos, and areas are consistently divided by their use of the textures/soundtrack in a way that helps you conceive of this collection of dungeon hallways as an actual space. This feels like a feature of the series — KF4 in particular shares the same strengths , only a generation later. I think a King’s Field 5 could stand out from the Souls games just by being slower-paced and first-person, but i wonder what it would *look* like on an HD system? One other little thing i want to mention that i adore is the King’s Field tradition of giving your player character a blood-curdling death scream. In the PS1 games it’s even mixed way louder, making your deaths from offscreen head eaters kind of an audio jump scare. (Ex: https://youtu.be/FKpAh6wPAqQ) (And by the way, “head eaters” are what the King’s Field plant monsters are called. How good is that??)
sleepysmiles
2020-03-01 19:47:19 +0000 UTCAs an old-timer, I played the King's Field games when they were new releases, and I can still remember cracking the cellophane off this one in 1995 and diving in. I'd be hard-pressed to tell you specific details since that was (oh my god, that can't be right) 25 years ago, but I remember *the feeling* of them like it was yesterday. The short draw distances and dark hallways made for perilous areas you were afraid to set foot in, and the sight of roughly-defined creatures looming out of the shadows like sea creatures surfacing from inky depths was far scarier than anything made out of four polygons had a right to be. It was tough to make progress without all of the wikis and walkthroughs we have today and i've never been a fan of humping the walls in the search for secret doors, but I loved the feelings that game delivered and it was probably with King's Field that I became a FROM fan for life. I haven't played them since then but listening to you guys go through them brought back some very fond memories. SIDE NOTE: gonna include a link to my review of Ancient City that I wrote for it as a new release in 2002. No need to read it on the air of course, but I figured you guys might get a kick out of it -- almost all the sentiments I wrote about it apply to KF and KFII. https://gamecritics.com/brad-gallaway/kings-field-the-ancient-city-review/
Brad Gallaway
2020-02-29 08:43:14 +0000 UTCIt shocks me how little reflection this game has received, despite the wild success of it’s modern cousins. Going back to it now, I am amazed at how well it plays. It is quick, concise, and holds the same tense mystery that Demon’s Souls had. People bemoan early 3D games, but experiencing things like this or Jumping Flash, and even Star Trek: Starfleet Academy on 32X or Star Cruiser on Genesis, I can’t help but be impressed at what could be accomplished on such early tech. They are still fun!
CacharoRosieSaurus
2020-02-29 04:55:39 +0000 UTCI have never had the opportunity to play a King's Field game, but I so completely agree with the thesis that you posit that by continuing to ramp up the speed and intensity of these games, they become less special. Yes, Bloodborne and Sekiro still have good combat, but there is a special feeling to being deep in enemy territory, hunkering behind your shield and just inching forward that I don't get from those games. Similar to how Resident Evil had to realize that scaling back and slowing down were actually assets, I hope that FROM realizes that and brings back a slower pace. Let me plan, not just react. Let me strategize and adapt, not just memorize. Let the game live in my brain, not just my hands. Bring back King's Field, you cowards! Or Shadow Tower, which also sounds great. It seems difficult to believe that Elden Ring will be as fast as Sekiro, so perhaps there is hope yet.
Adam Bucceri
2020-02-28 23:17:38 +0000 UTC
