When Conan uttered "Crom" when the Atlantean general's corpse fell over, he was basically cursing. He bowed his head in a show of respect from warrior to another.
King's Field IV made me fall in love with exploration itself. I could wander its hollow labyrinthine halls listening to its ominous pseudo-fantasy ambience for eternity.
You can map the healing spell or herbs to the select button, you dont have to go to the menu every time. Also your weapons cant break, they stop degrading at 50% durability/damage
I took me three years to find a reasonably priced copy of kingsfield the ancient city, I was fortunate enough to find it for $50 because it was mistakenly marked as “Batman Arkham city” I could not tell you how much I love this game even though I had never played it before there was a feeling of nostalgia I can’t explain, it hit all the right notes for me as if someone Taylor made a game to my specifications. Even though I was only able to get the disk itself, I treasure this game as the crown jewel of my ps2 library
This was my first King's Field game and I personally consider it my favorite. Although 3 isn't far behind. Something about this game's presentation, atmosphere and general design really drew me in. It has this feeling attached to it that you'd be hard pressed to find in games nowadays. I guess part of it is because I'm nostalgic for games in the time period it came out in, but they really don't make games like this anymore. Level design wise, it sort of finds a happy medium between being straightforward and obtuse. The world in this game feels like an actual place and there's a lot to find and places to explore. Helps that it has this melancholy and abandoned vibe attached to it the entire time. It also helps that the character you play as isn't really some chosen hero. Sure, he was trained under Salvor, but for the most part, he's a regular person who was given a task that many have tried and failed to accomplish. It makes you feel small and vulnerable in a land that's harsh and unforgiving. Something that the Souls games would take and run with. By the time I finished it, I couldn't help but reflect on the journey I went on. It was truly something special.
I've never played this game or any kings field, only found them as an adult this year. They absolutely drew me in so hard the second I looked at them. Gonna start playing 4 tonight, can't wait
Dark souls 2 is very "kings field" like. Areas like doors of pharos, Brightstone cove, earthen peak, the main hub area, etc, feel like updated areas straight out of kings field 1 and 2 (US) on PS1. I've never played king's field 4 or shadow tower, but from this video it looks a lot like ds2 as well...
"Mood" is the way I have always described the KF series, past the jankiness, that you either understood or didn't. I wish From would make another KF style game.
Agreed, so cathartic, would watch this guy talk for an hour about any and every retro RPG I can think of :) Edit: Wizards & Warriors is my fave bc there’s such limited content on it available, and after watching his video I felt almost like I had played/experienced the game myself
At first I was thrown off with how slow it is, though it grew on me. I honestly think the slow pace adds to the immersion immensely since you can't zoom past everything. Also couldn't get enough of the atmosphere. I played the soul series first and also enjoy those, but with how much I enjoyed this game if they had continued making these instead of the soul series I wouldn't have any complaints.
One of the things I felt were unique about KFIV, DeS and DS1 was that for me the philosophy behind their worlds was exploration of a world alien to you, were you aren't the main character, even tho you might be the chosen undead or the savior of Boletaria, the world doesn't hold your hand and exists beyond your convenience. You have to make do, survive and learn from it, information is king in those games, really liked it.
You do these retrospectives like no one else, there is a very special feel on them. It's hard to put a finger on why exactly but I very much do like them. Hopefully there is more to come.
A shame that the game is so expensive. I wanted to play it as soon as I started to feel the atmosphere while watching your video. It feels as depressing and mysterious as a game about the aftermath of an ancient civilization should feel. The graphics are shit to today's standards, but the artistic direction it's amazing. Good video.
I absolutely loved that room with the hanging upside down statues that are whispering. Probably my most memorable gaming experience ever. Coming in that room and hearing the whispers in the dark, and then lighting it up and seeing them up there was such a pure feeling of WTF??. Any idea what they are saying? It seems like there is such a fascinating story behind them.
@@michaelsnow1 thank you so much for covering and talking about it in your video. It has been so hard for me to find anyone talking about it. I played the game when I was a teenager and over 20 years later I'm still so curious about that room! I wonder if this game would be my favorite if the movement speed was a little faster. That was really killer for me. Right now Kings Field 1 and 2 US are my favorites. I just started Dark Souls and it seems pretty good but I wish it had the Kings Field Music!
@@miket4092 yeah, sorry, it is a clip from some vocal chatter from AC2 that was reversed and edited. Some guy found it out on the Sword of Moonlight forum and I really need to fish out a link cuz its really interesting!
@@TheStolenBattenberg That sucks. Maybe you could do that thing where you replace the punctuation in the url with letters? For instance, wwwdotyoutubedotcomforwardslashmrred
The music is so reminiscent of dark souls games. Nice to see the history/precursor. As someone who has played all the soulsborne games and platinumed all of them I am embarrassed to say I have yet to play kings field and until this video I had no idea there was more than one. 😅 Would love to see a retrospective of the other 3.
If King's Field IV had a quick 180° turn it would easily be the best in the series. Such a small inclusion would make it immensely more comfortable to play
I picked up this game on a whim last summer and it was one of the best experiences I've had with a video game in a really long time. I only had a slight awareness of what this franchise was, and that From Software made it pre-Souls era. I remember it being the priciest PS2 game that store had at like $40. I picked it up after some debating in my head, got home and low and behold..this game is a masterpiece imo, haven't felt nearly this enthralled with a game since I played Symphony of the Night for the first time back in 2019 (?)
I loved the King's Field series. I am actually going back and playing them now... These games are highly underrated... I think that King's Field 3 is probably the best.
Ah, my old video quality-to-sub count ratio comes through once again. Btw, I notice a big positive difference in how you communicate criticisms now vs. your earliest vids like Neverwinter Nights. I feel like I know what you were going for in those vids (a little pre-insanity Spoony vibe), but the tone was a distraction from the content.
I think you should've mentioned Shadow Tower (the PS1 game) too. Is is a good dungeon crawler by FromSoft and shares many similarities with the King's Field Series. Abyss is somewhat different, with all the guns and unique mechanics. It's like Bloodborne to Dark Souls.
Very true. Shadow Tower shares much in ways of the same mechanics and some themes to King's Field 4, you can definitely tell that the developers wanted to expand upon Shadow Tower's unique mechanics.
The first fps I played was kingsfield one (two) on the ps. Enjoyed it immensely, the weapons length and speed was a big factor in combat. My brother finished it I did not, he actually climbed on the dragon at the end. I bought the second (third) one, loved it too. I liked how they did the boots of speed. Finished it. And then the fourth was my fav. I own that one still!
I played this game last year, pretty good, didn't finish it, got up to the part where you have to head to some ocean cove with lighthouse. or whatever it is.
KFIV is my favourite game on the PS2, but sadly most of the time when I see people talk about it in forums and such, the only responses are negative and full of hatred because it's a "dead franchise" and such. Since the Dev recently said there wouldn't be another KF game, it's not necessarily wrong, but I still appreciate everything about it. I can see from this video that you share a similar stance, and I'm glad you talked about it fairly and, most importantly, positively. So thank you for making this video, solidifying to me that there are at least a few people who share my love and appreciation for this series!
I remember back in the day my buddy came over with his game shark and we put invulnerability on. I hopped in this large pool of lava and he told me to just spam the action button at the ground kinda joking (you couldn’t see through the lava). Out of nowhere I picked up a key and was like holy crap this is cryptic as all hell
The intro music makes me feel like Im watching a Zullie the Witch upload. Id watch Zullies content and wonder where that amazing music came from. I found out about Kings Field IV that way.
28:54 You do seem to be using the Ice Boulder spell or whatever it’s called for most of the playthrough, but this is definitely Wind Cutter pictured here. I do also see Flash used, which is easily one of the most versatile Light Magic spells, and you get it early-on. *Did you happen to figure out any of the hidden Sword Magic spells?*
Thank you for an amazing video. I can't stress enough how much I love the jank. Oh my, the jank! It's a shame we can't have this game on pc. Looking at it makes me think of Arx Fatalis, not only game mechanics, but also this very distinct, very artistic visual style. There is something in it that just makes you immerse, it absorbes you. Good old games, I guess :)
I personally never got as enthralled by the Souls games as I did for the King's Field series. I think there was just a better combination of mystery and wonder in the King's Field atmosphere. On top of that, a real sense of mystery as players had to experiment more and more to find areas, items, spells, and hidden tricks. I suspect our reviewer here like a few others on this platform never realized how to perform magic spells with the weapons (or I just couldn't remember when he showed us an example of this), as the game prefers you to as a player to find out than telling you these things. As for combat, I understand the complaints, but I never had the same level of frustration with it than with the glitchy, buggy nature of the Souls games. In fact, parts of King's Field's combat that I still prefer, being able to strafe at will without a weak lock-on system, first-person aiming, power meter instead of endurance, etc. Overall, this series brought so much of its own style and identity that it shouldn't be disregarded as a Metroidvania-like or Souls-like or any of that. I hate that we might never see a remaster or long-awaited sequel to the series as it's truly a unique landmark game that pushed the envelope in technical or thematic terms long before many other games would try to claim later. I am glad that there's a slow-growing audience that's taking interest that could bring some new life to this series and long-overdue credit.
There is a part in the game where you can hear reverse voices, I think it was near the giant spider area. I tried like hell to record it and reverse them and I couldn't get anything out of it. This was like 20 years ago though and I recorded it with a microphone up to a crap TV speaker. The forum I used to hang out on was like "Why? Why do you care?" The guy in the video gets it :P
There are even more DS2 references, guardians opening that door in the forest. The interriors of the king's chambers similar to the Drangelic castle in DS2 iirc. And even there you have the raws of knight armours where some of them wake up. That's more DS2.
I'd just like to say I found your channel yesterday when I went looking for videos about the Bleakers, and your soothing narration and excellent Faction taste have persuaded me to subscribe to your channel.
6:19 it is quite ironic to hear you say that the game is not 'ego-focused', as the main menu music, i.e. what you hear when you first choose to embark on your journey into the Ancient City, is titled 'ego' in the official soundtrack release (a compilation of the 'best' music from KF 1 - 4 and Additional 1 & 2)
Thanks for the Reminder... Kudos for your Work here... i played KFIV (Mea Culpa) on Retro Arc last year @ the start of... well you know... and thanks to my ADHD... forget about it... i will start again... when i have finished Yakuza 7 Cheers from Springtime in Zermany^^ (sorry for the Irony^^)
Your comment about there being a long gap between King's Field IV and Demon's Souls seems to ignore the existence of Shadow Tower: Abyss, being in the same vein as King's Field in most ways.
Did you ever try a PS2 game called "Eternal Ring"? It's another From Software game that's worth looking into if you don't know it, and another where you can see the beginnings of Dark Souls type design and combat. Edit: You mentioned Eternal Ring shortly after I wrote that. I'm currently playing it (again). King's Field 4 is one of those games I have but didn't play beyond the 10 minute mark due to it being far too slow. I'm thinking about giving it another go soon though.
I stopped at about half-way through Eternal Ring because the magic rings became a little confusing. Almost like a low-key version of fusion from Shin Megami Tensei games. Thanks for reminding me. I'm going to go back to it one of these days.
@@michaelsnow1 It actually has a pretty interesting, though short, story. The ring creation system is simply enough once you get the hang of it, though it helps to save just before you try as there's a bit of "random" involved.
I wish there was a way to hotkey weapons in Dragons Dogma like in the Elder Scrolls games 😭 playing Mystic Knight and Assassin is hard in the Bitterblack because I have to pause and switch weapons often.
I think if they decided to do a remake and put Miyazaki on charge and he’ll see the potential of this. And make it 3rd person although it will sacrifice the atmosphere a ton if they zoom the camera a little more than DS I think it would work and I think Miyazaki will elevate that ending by 10 if he remakes it.
Excellent Retrospective! I wish Fromsoft would go back to develop something like this, slow and exploration focused, their World Building/Story telling ability really shines in this gem as much as it does in the souls games.
I rented the second, it was my first first person "shooter". Loved it. I bought the third. Traded it away. Bought the 4 still have that one. Great series.
Im not sure if you can consider King's field the Souls prototype tbh. I know Demon's Souls is often said to be a King's Field spiritual successor, but that doesn't make it a souls game. To begin with Demon's Souls was commissioned by Sony to be an Elder Scrolls clone (which is a lot closer to what King's Field was) and Myasaki threw the open world and 1st person out the window. So appart from the Medieval aspect and some Fromsoft staples like the Moonlight Greatsword, King's Field has hardly anything to do with Souls.
KF4 was (probably) the first game I played in the series. After having fallen in love with the Souls series I wanted to see what else FromSoft had developed and thus found out about King's Field. Ended up falling in love with KF4 as well. It just exudes that lovely gloomy atmosphere the Souls games are known for. It was wonderful to see the roots of the Souls games. The game felt oddly familiar but also alien at the same time. Just a shame the PAL translation is kinda... out there at times.
10 minutes wait to upgrade a weapon? Damn, some gamedevs really don't understand that the player is a human being with responsibilities. That's pretty outrageous
I tried beating this game twice: 1st time I made it to the mine carts and got lost, 2nd time I couldn't find the merchant with arrows and couldn't kill the snake boss. Anyone planning on giving it a go i recommend buying up arrows and not wasting too many of them. Great video!
Great video, for a great game. I haven't played the previous games yet (I decided to play this one because the world design seemed similar to one of my favourite games, Arx Fatalis), but I will definitely look into the rest of the series.
I haven't had a PS2 in over a decade, but i still own my copy of KF4, i played the hell out of this but, being the stupid kid i was, didn't get very far into the game, but i still loved going back into the game and exploring the world. The one thing I would want is someone to create a mouse and keyboard plug in to use for this game instead of those awfully slow and wonky playstation controller movements. still one of my favorite games on the PS2 though
While I appreciate the original PS1 games, I have to say that KF4 is by far the best KF game. While I enjoyed all of them, it's probably the most consistent and well-realized game in the franchise. Only wish the walk speed was higher. Shadow Tower Abyss is quite excellent too.
I think demons souls was the best the souls series has to offer,it’s atmosphere is something the dark souls series seemed to lack in a way, While they felt more like magical places made for the player demons souls felt like a world which we did not belong. The bosses were easy compared to the dark souls series but each felt so unique. The later series focused too much on combat in my opinion when it should have never been the focus,I mean one of the bosses literally just sits there and says “fine,kill me” after you kill her lover. Never in a game have I felt so wrong for doing something that needed to be done and demons souls was the only one in the series that made me feel like the bad guy. Great video by the way.
I consider myself lucky and privileged to have experienced this one of a kind game back in it's day. I kind of wished they would have waited for PS4 but I'm happy it was made. A remake would be much appreciated. I absolutely love the atmosphere in kings field and the slow turning kind of sucked and my friends made fun of it but I didn't care
I got my games back on PS1 and on PS2. I think 3 was the highlight for me, but 4 was great nevertheless. I also have Shadow Tower, but never went through it. I guess I'll have too now. :)
you should also check Evergrace, Forever Kingdom and Lost Kingdom series they are influenced by King's Field and Shadow Tower and have some similarities to the Souls games
Muy buen video, largo pero nota el amor puesto en este, recordaba este juego, de mí adolescencia de otra forma, me asombró que fuera tan lento, nunca avance mucho ya que era muy difícil para mí en su momento, suscrito al canal, saludos
Weapons dont break at all... They stop degrading at 50 percent durability to lower attack wich is not a massive downgrade. If you use 2 groups of weapons you can effectively always have something to fight while the other group is being repaired by the blacksmith. The durability is rather lenient so it doest hold the game back and enemies dont respawn for the most part. As for the slowness of move and turn its more of an acquired taste.
Currently on my second playthrough after having beaten it several years ago. Yeah the weapon upgrading system is 100% pointless. If it increased the damage by 3 or 4 maybe it would be worth the wait, but 1 point per 10 mins? On only one damage type? No thanks. Also I'm fairly sure the slow movement/turn speed is tied to the render limitations of the systems these games are on. The graphical fidelity on the ps2 was better, but they couldn't have you running back and forth as levels loaded in and perhaps finding a black screen that slowly popped in assets as you ran through it. Just a guess but it makes sense to me. I absolutely love this series though, and I agree that KF3 is the best by far. I do not like TAC's soundtrack though. That's the only downfall for me, I usually end up turning it off and absorbing the ambience instead bc it does nothing for me, personally
... one major question... the fuck is with that translation? I played the game on the PS2, still have the disk too, and very little of the names are anything shown in the vid. I would recommend a different translation on your rom, cause I know how expensive the disk can be... Also, that "map" that lights up, was a tracker of the spells you have... As for the questions you have for us, I've played KF2-4, all the ones that got released over here, and I think the first three games had a trilogy that was perfected in that trilogy's story, in KF3, but, in raw quality and meta narrative use and ludo narrative impact, KF4 is the best game of the series. Sometimes I think it's better than the Souls Borne series in the meta and ludo narrative qualities. It's far better than it has a right to be, and it's got a lot of subtle, almost coy nods to the older games, like a mural of Seath the White God in the church of healing, and the final boss being a horrific abomination brought about by the corruption of someone (just like in KF1), in a manner that parallel's manus in a grim reflection, where Manus was made that way by others, and those two made themselves that way. Or the way that the deeper you go, the more corrupt it gets, like the start is the clean domain washed clean by being the first bits the water lands on, where the water sweeps away the filth and transports it lower, getting more grime and corruption as it goes down into stagnant, black depths. Where you have to take cleansing light down to find your way, and start the waters moving again so that stagnation ends. Then there's not so subtle nods like the Triple Fang and Moonlight. Then there's subversions, where the older trilogy had a huge importance on you being a noble saving a kingdom, and now, while you are a noble, it couldn't matter less. You aren't a chosen one, you are simply the person the statue was foisted onto. Another victim of the statue, but this time, you overcame it. You weren't destined, or well trained, or even well equipped. Of all those, you are the least useful. Even the horror game, Shadow Tower has you starting better off than KF4, giving you a half way decent weapon. You're greatest claim to fame, besides your position of birth of a barely connected kingdom to the one being harmed, was a slight friendship with Sword Master Septiego, who had the Moonlight for the expedition, who you find later and retrieve the weakened, abused sword, mired in the stagnant evil of the Widdas, and take it back to the bright holiness of the shrine behind the Forest Folk king's chamber. You might as well be nameless NPC number who gives a fuck, for all the world cares. Another subversion, was that the other games had the idea of coalescing the ligth into one area would be good, but in 4, it is shown that too much concentration will bring imbalance and as the light grows more focused, the dark gains more ground and deepens it's shade. The elemental forces cannot be forced to concentrate, but must be spread out in a balance to keep things from tipping into chaos. Too little fire, and the forges freeze, too much, and it floods with lava and molten metal. Too much light and the places that were once clean become defiled, and people fearful of it's power. It's all a balance that needs maintaining, and when it goes wrong, someone has to step up and fix it, and it will not be easy, and it will be brutal and terrifying. And the world will not care how you feel about what happens. It will merely expect you to make it right, or die. Whether you die trying matters not.
It looks like your playing the PAL version going off some of the text and character names. I would strongly recommend revisiting KF4 with the NTSC version as general consensus leans towards that translation being the stronger of the two and more importantly 50 fps vs 60 fps can make the camera feel even slower in the PAL version iirc. Great video by the way, I absolutely love this game and only wish it had a more modern control scheme where the camera could fully be mapped the right stick and maybe have its speed increased slightly by 10 or 15 percent. I recognize bulling camera speed too much would basically break the combat though. I have so many questions left after beating this one: 1) Who delivered the statue to the Prince at the start of the game? One of the soldiers? Was he a monster already since we never see his face behind his leather mask? 2) How did the Sword Master actually die? 3) Who actually gave the statue to the King of Heledin before the games events? Was it a neighboring kingdom? Was it a representative of the darkness itself? If so why choose Heledin? How could a neighboring kingdom even get the statue out of its restrung place at the bottom of the ancient city?
I disagree with some of the comparisons you made with Souls games at the 33:00 minute mark. It's not the constant stressful clutter of chaos that you make it out to be. Exploration is what it's all about. There's every opportunity to see and behold the world design and the stories they tell, every bit as much as Kingsfield 4 I imagine. And your comment about bosses being an incredibly specific pattern is also a bit of an over exaggeration. At least in the clip you showed in your example with the Demon Prince boss, that spoke less of a 'specific pattern,' and more of a failure to recognize the warning that an attack was coming your way (the stream of pink gas will explode in this case.) I don't mean to come at you or anything, I just came out of that segment a bit confused lol. If anything I think every strength you pointed out KF4 possessing was something the Souls games have in common with it. I love this retrospective outside of that one complaint! Ima binge some of your others.
I go back and forth about that. One day real-time one day turn based. Real-time is more physically engaging to play but Turn-based is more strategic so mentally its more interesting.
Wait a second 4 kings field games from which one is more horrory= Demons souls and Dark souls Darker game similar to last one from previous four - Bloodborne Stupid name, light fantasy E ring game = E ring 2
Movement speed in King's Field games makes Morrowind look like an olympic marathon, and I love it.
Oh god.. I'm getting flashbacks hahaha 😂😂😂
Currently playing, I do love the game, but yeah, the movement speed is god awful.
Dark Reality is the best piece of music from the series. It's entirely evocative of the theme and tone of the games.
its amazing! love the melody! it always makes me stare into nothing and get into a trance.
I just found your channel after the algorithm recommended me your Dark Sun video. Looking forward to this vid.
Same
When Conan uttered "Crom" when the Atlantean general's corpse fell over, he was basically cursing. He bowed his head in a show of respect from warrior to another.
He find the King of Atlantis on his throne.
King's Field IV made me fall in love with exploration itself. I could wander its hollow labyrinthine halls listening to its ominous pseudo-fantasy ambience for eternity.
You can map the healing spell or herbs to the select button, you dont have to go to the menu every time.
Also your weapons cant break, they stop degrading at 50% durability/damage
This game improved upon some Shadow Tower mechanics from what I can tell. God I love these games 🖤
I took me three years to find a reasonably priced copy of kingsfield the ancient city, I was fortunate enough to find it for $50 because it was mistakenly marked as “Batman Arkham city” I could not tell you how much I love this game even though I had never played it before there was a feeling of nostalgia I can’t explain, it hit all the right notes for me as if someone Taylor made a game to my specifications. Even though I was only able to get the disk itself, I treasure this game as the crown jewel of my ps2 library
This was my first King's Field game and I personally consider it my favorite. Although 3 isn't far behind.
Something about this game's presentation, atmosphere and general design really drew me in. It has this feeling attached to it that you'd be hard pressed to find in games nowadays. I guess part of it is because I'm nostalgic for games in the time period it came out in, but they really don't make games like this anymore.
Level design wise, it sort of finds a happy medium between being straightforward and obtuse. The world in this game feels like an actual place and there's a lot to find and places to explore. Helps that it has this melancholy and abandoned vibe attached to it the entire time.
It also helps that the character you play as isn't really some chosen hero. Sure, he was trained under Salvor, but for the most part, he's a regular person who was given a task that many have tried and failed to accomplish. It makes you feel small and vulnerable in a land that's harsh and unforgiving. Something that the Souls games would take and run with.
By the time I finished it, I couldn't help but reflect on the journey I went on. It was truly something special.
I've never played this game or any kings field, only found them as an adult this year. They absolutely drew me in so hard the second I looked at them. Gonna start playing 4 tonight, can't wait
Dark souls 2 is very "kings field" like. Areas like doors of pharos, Brightstone cove, earthen peak, the main hub area, etc, feel like updated areas straight out of kings field 1 and 2 (US) on PS1. I've never played king's field 4 or shadow tower, but from this video it looks a lot like ds2 as well...
"Mood" is the way I have always described the KF series, past the jankiness, that you either understood or didn't. I wish From would make another KF style game.
Would love to see a modern update/version. But the demon/souls games are the spiritual successor at least.
I agree, but I doubt we will see another sadly.
Your videos is a form of therapy. Your Wizardry VII video is still my favorite.
Agreed, so cathartic, would watch this guy talk for an hour about any and every retro RPG I can think of :)
Edit: Wizards & Warriors is my fave bc there’s such limited content on it available, and after watching his video I felt almost like I had played/experienced the game myself
At first I was thrown off with how slow it is, though it grew on me. I honestly think the slow pace adds to the immersion immensely since you can't zoom past everything. Also couldn't get enough of the atmosphere. I played the soul series first and also enjoy those, but with how much I enjoyed this game if they had continued making these instead of the soul series I wouldn't have any complaints.
Would be great to see if they ever made a new kings field game, I never played it but looks unsettling fun.
One of the things I felt were unique about KFIV, DeS and DS1 was that for me the philosophy behind their worlds was exploration of a world alien to you, were you aren't the main character, even tho you might be the chosen undead or the savior of Boletaria, the world doesn't hold your hand and exists beyond your convenience. You have to make do, survive and learn from it, information is king in those games, really liked it.
You do these retrospectives like no one else, there is a very special feel on them. It's hard to put a finger on why exactly but I very much do like them. Hopefully there is more to come.
A shame that the game is so expensive. I wanted to play it as soon as I started to feel the atmosphere while watching your video. It feels as depressing and mysterious as a game about the aftermath of an ancient civilization should feel. The graphics are shit to today's standards, but the artistic direction it's amazing. Good video.
Don't lose hope there's still emulation or modding your console
@@hesioliteyeah Im playing it on ps3 super slim with Hen .It plays perfectly.
@@gv2212 Awesome! I have been playing on ps2 with an iso I burned on a disc than used freemcboot and it works perfectly too.
I guess I lucked out, I got a great quality copy for $14 plus shipping a few years back
Just emulate took me all of 5 mins to download pcxe2 and a kings field iso
This is honestly such a stellar review. I only found out about this game last week but seeing this summed it up so nicely.
I absolutely loved that room with the hanging upside down statues that are whispering. Probably my most memorable gaming experience ever. Coming in that room and hearing the whispers in the dark, and then lighting it up and seeing them up there was such a pure feeling of WTF??. Any idea what they are saying? It seems like there is such a fascinating story behind them.
I tried listening but it just sounds like eerie whispers.
@@michaelsnow1 thank you so much for covering and talking about it in your video. It has been so hard for me to find anyone talking about it.
I played the game when I was a teenager and over 20 years later I'm still so curious about that room!
I wonder if this game would be my favorite if the movement speed was a little faster. That was really killer for me. Right now Kings Field 1 and 2 US are my favorites. I just started Dark Souls and it seems pretty good but I wish it had the Kings Field Music!
Its a clip from Armored Core 2 iirc.
@@DonnyKirkMusic did you mean to post this under another comment or were the upsidedown whispering heads actually from Armored Core 2?
@@miket4092 yeah, sorry, it is a clip from some vocal chatter from AC2 that was reversed and edited. Some guy found it out on the Sword of Moonlight forum and I really need to fish out a link cuz its really interesting!
I want to find a guitar tab for Mansion of the Howling Winds. It's such a beautifully melancholic song.
@Mr Red I did comment a tab here for you, but I think the video author either removed it or has to approve the comment 'cause of the link. Sorry :/
@@TheStolenBattenberg That sucks. Maybe you could do that thing where you replace the punctuation in the url with letters? For instance, wwwdotyoutubedotcomforwardslashmrred
The music is so reminiscent of dark souls games. Nice to see the history/precursor.
As someone who has played all the soulsborne games and platinumed all of them I am embarrassed to say I have yet to play kings field and until this video I had no idea there was more than one. 😅
Would love to see a retrospective of the other 3.
If King's Field IV had a quick 180° turn it would easily be the best in the series. Such a small inclusion would make it immensely more comfortable to play
What a fantastic coverage of the game ! Thank you 🙏
Ah it's always a good day when i see your videos pop up in my sub list
Your channel deserves more views! This is excellent video making, just spectacular!
that david lynch clip was perfect. you get it.
Love this game and the Soundtrack. Especially the Paranoid Android cover !
I picked up this game on a whim last summer and it was one of the best experiences I've had with a video game in a really long time. I only had a slight awareness of what this franchise was, and that From Software made it pre-Souls era. I remember it being the priciest PS2 game that store had at like $40. I picked it up after some debating in my head, got home and low and behold..this game is a masterpiece imo, haven't felt nearly this enthralled with a game since I played Symphony of the Night for the first time back in 2019 (?)
I loved the King's Field series. I am actually going back and playing them now... These games are highly underrated... I think that King's Field 3 is probably the best.
top 3 1st person dungeon crawlers of all time
dungeon master
kingsfield 3
wizardry 7
Ah, my old video quality-to-sub count ratio comes through once again. Btw, I notice a big positive difference in how you communicate criticisms now vs. your earliest vids like Neverwinter Nights. I feel like I know what you were going for in those vids (a little pre-insanity Spoony vibe), but the tone was a distraction from the content.
gonna replay this soon - i think it'll be on track to becoming one of my favorite games of all time once i do
This was a really well made and enjoyable video. You are a good editor
I think you should've mentioned Shadow Tower (the PS1 game) too. Is is a good dungeon crawler by FromSoft and shares many similarities with the King's Field Series. Abyss is somewhat different, with all the guns and unique mechanics. It's like Bloodborne to Dark Souls.
Very true. Shadow Tower shares much in ways of the same mechanics and some themes to King's Field 4, you can definitely tell that the developers wanted to expand upon Shadow Tower's unique mechanics.
The first fps I played was kingsfield one (two) on the ps. Enjoyed it immensely, the weapons length and speed was a big factor in combat. My brother finished it I did not, he actually climbed on the dragon at the end. I bought the second (third) one, loved it too. I liked how they did the boots of speed. Finished it. And then the fourth was my fav. I own that one still!
I played this game last year, pretty good, didn't finish it, got up to the part where you have to head to some ocean cove with lighthouse. or whatever it is.
One of my favorite places!
KFIV is my favourite game on the PS2, but sadly most of the time when I see people talk about it in forums and such, the only responses are negative and full of hatred because it's a "dead franchise" and such. Since the Dev recently said there wouldn't be another KF game, it's not necessarily wrong, but I still appreciate everything about it. I can see from this video that you share a similar stance, and I'm glad you talked about it fairly and, most importantly, positively. So thank you for making this video, solidifying to me that there are at least a few people who share my love and appreciation for this series!
I remember back in the day my buddy came over with his game shark and we put invulnerability on. I hopped in this large pool of lava and he told me to just spam the action button at the ground kinda joking (you couldn’t see through the lava). Out of nowhere I picked up a key and was like holy crap this is cryptic as all hell
The intro music makes me feel like Im watching a Zullie the Witch upload. Id watch Zullies content and wonder where that amazing music came from. I found out about Kings Field IV that way.
I bought this game for $15.00, 5 years ago, and finished it. I love king's field tetralogy
28:54
You do seem to be using the Ice Boulder spell or whatever it’s called for most of the playthrough, but this is definitely Wind Cutter pictured here. I do also see Flash used, which is easily one of the most versatile Light Magic spells, and you get it early-on.
*Did you happen to figure out any of the hidden Sword Magic spells?*
Thank you for an amazing video. I can't stress enough how much I love the jank. Oh my, the jank! It's a shame we can't have this game on pc. Looking at it makes me think of Arx Fatalis, not only game mechanics, but also this very distinct, very artistic visual style. There is something in it that just makes you immerse, it absorbes you. Good old games, I guess :)
I personally never got as enthralled by the Souls games as I did for the King's Field series. I think there was just a better combination of mystery and wonder in the King's Field atmosphere. On top of that, a real sense of mystery as players had to experiment more and more to find areas, items, spells, and hidden tricks.
I suspect our reviewer here like a few others on this platform never realized how to perform magic spells with the weapons (or I just couldn't remember when he showed us an example of this), as the game prefers you to as a player to find out than telling you these things.
As for combat, I understand the complaints, but I never had the same level of frustration with it than with the glitchy, buggy nature of the Souls games. In fact, parts of King's Field's combat that I still prefer, being able to strafe at will without a weak lock-on system, first-person aiming, power meter instead of endurance, etc.
Overall, this series brought so much of its own style and identity that it shouldn't be disregarded as a Metroidvania-like or Souls-like or any of that. I hate that we might never see a remaster or long-awaited sequel to the series as it's truly a unique landmark game that pushed the envelope in technical or thematic terms long before many other games would try to claim later.
I am glad that there's a slow-growing audience that's taking interest that could bring some new life to this series and long-overdue credit.
Keep up the great work bro. Don’t let the current view counts deter you
Never played the kings field as a kid. But i have this year. And I'm glad I did. Fantastic series
There is a part in the game where you can hear reverse voices, I think it was near the giant spider area. I tried like hell to record it and reverse them and I couldn't get anything out of it. This was like 20 years ago though and I recorded it with a microphone up to a crap TV speaker. The forum I used to hang out on was like "Why? Why do you care?" The guy in the video gets it :P
There are even more DS2 references, guardians opening that door in the forest. The interriors of the king's chambers similar to the Drangelic castle in DS2 iirc. And even there you have the raws of knight armours where some of them wake up. That's more DS2.
I'd just like to say I found your channel yesterday when I went looking for videos about the Bleakers, and your soothing narration and excellent Faction taste have persuaded me to subscribe to your channel.
6:19 it is quite ironic to hear you say that the game is not 'ego-focused', as the main menu music, i.e. what you hear when you first choose to embark on your journey into the Ancient City, is titled 'ego' in the official soundtrack release (a compilation of the 'best' music from KF 1 - 4 and Additional 1 & 2)
Always a pleasure to watch your videos.
Thanks for the Reminder... Kudos for your Work here... i played KFIV (Mea Culpa) on Retro Arc last year @ the start of... well you know... and thanks to my ADHD... forget about it... i will start again... when i have finished Yakuza 7 Cheers from Springtime in Zermany^^ (sorry for the Irony^^)
The reference you are looking here is the ultima underworld. This game series is inspired by those
Your comment about there being a long gap between King's Field IV and Demon's Souls seems to ignore the existence of Shadow Tower: Abyss, being in the same vein as King's Field in most ways.
True
When i was a kid i falled in love with the elvan girl haahahahah, maybe was the music or the picture or because She was next a healing fountain haha
Did you ever try a PS2 game called "Eternal Ring"? It's another From Software game that's worth looking into if you don't know it, and another where you can see the beginnings of Dark Souls type design and combat.
Edit: You mentioned Eternal Ring shortly after I wrote that. I'm currently playing it (again). King's Field 4 is one of those games I have but didn't play beyond the 10 minute mark due to it being far too slow. I'm thinking about giving it another go soon though.
I stopped at about half-way through Eternal Ring because the magic rings became a little confusing. Almost like a low-key version of fusion from Shin Megami Tensei games. Thanks for reminding me. I'm going to go back to it one of these days.
@@michaelsnow1 It actually has a pretty interesting, though short, story. The ring creation system is simply enough once you get the hang of it, though it helps to save just before you try as there's a bit of "random" involved.
@@cord113I agree. The ring system was very neat and I liked how you could fuse them to create different kinds :D
8:18 that wasn't Crom though... it's just Conan's way of saying OMG
Okay gotta be honest, the clips annoyed me at first. BUT YOU WOM ME OVER WITH THE LEGEND STEVE RAMBO! You have my sub ❤
I wish there was a way to hotkey weapons in Dragons Dogma like in the Elder Scrolls games 😭 playing Mystic Knight and Assassin is hard in the Bitterblack because I have to pause and switch weapons often.
I have this game and didn't make it very far before I dropped it. I feel like going back to it after watching your review.
I think if they decided to do a remake and put Miyazaki on charge and he’ll see the potential of this. And make it 3rd person although it will sacrifice the atmosphere a ton if they zoom the camera a little more than DS I think it would work and I think Miyazaki will elevate that ending by 10 if he remakes it.
Excellent Retrospective! I wish Fromsoft would go back to develop something like this, slow and exploration focused, their World Building/Story telling ability really shines in this gem as much as it does in the souls games.
Many people that worked on KF4 made DSII. That explains the similarities.
I rented the second, it was my first first person "shooter". Loved it. I bought the third. Traded it away. Bought the 4 still have that one. Great series.
Im not sure if you can consider King's field the Souls prototype tbh. I know Demon's Souls is often said to be a King's Field spiritual successor, but that doesn't make it a souls game. To begin with Demon's Souls was commissioned by Sony to be an Elder Scrolls clone (which is a lot closer to what King's Field was) and Myasaki threw the open world and 1st person out the window. So appart from the Medieval aspect and some Fromsoft staples like the Moonlight Greatsword, King's Field has hardly anything to do with Souls.
I never considered it a Souls proto-type. They share certain ideas, but Souls is very different to King's Field.
Damn good review, thanks for bringing this gem of a game to my attention!
KF4 was (probably) the first game I played in the series. After having fallen in love with the Souls series I wanted to see what else FromSoft had developed and thus found out about King's Field. Ended up falling in love with KF4 as well. It just exudes that lovely gloomy atmosphere the Souls games are known for. It was wonderful to see the roots of the Souls games. The game felt oddly familiar but also alien at the same time. Just a shame the PAL translation is kinda... out there at times.
10 minutes wait to upgrade a weapon? Damn, some gamedevs really don't understand that the player is a human being with responsibilities. That's pretty outrageous
I tried beating this game twice: 1st time I made it to the mine carts and got lost, 2nd time I couldn't find the merchant with arrows and couldn't kill the snake boss. Anyone planning on giving it a go i recommend buying up arrows and not wasting too many of them. Great video!
Great review Mike, just found your channel and subscribed, keep up the good work.
Umbasa...
I'm wondering if the slow movement is related to the common PS2 PAL vs NTSC problem that many games have.
I like this the best of the KF series
Great video, for a great game. I haven't played the previous games yet (I decided to play this one because the world design seemed similar to one of my favourite games, Arx Fatalis), but I will definitely look into the rest of the series.
Is this a European region translation of King's Field 4? All the names of things are completely different from the North American version I have.
Yes I think this was the PAL version
I hope kings field makes a comeback like armored core is getting. Imagine a full blown revival like Elden ring was for the souls games.
I haven't had a PS2 in over a decade, but i still own my copy of KF4, i played the hell out of this but, being the stupid kid i was, didn't get very far into the game, but i still loved going back into the game and exploring the world. The one thing I would want is someone to create a mouse and keyboard plug in to use for this game instead of those awfully slow and wonky playstation controller movements. still one of my favorite games on the PS2 though
Definitely buy a PS2 when you can, they're decently cheap tbh.
Amazing! I love this retrospective! Thanks!
Play this game and dark souls 2 differences will start to make sense. Same director?
DS2 definitely feels like a spiritual successor to KF more than even DeS or DS1 ever did.
While I appreciate the original PS1 games, I have to say that KF4 is by far the best KF game. While I enjoyed all of them, it's probably the most consistent and well-realized game in the franchise. Only wish the walk speed was higher.
Shadow Tower Abyss is quite excellent too.
Awesome video, keep up with the good stuff!
Para mi este juego es el mejor se toda la saga Souls
I think demons souls was the best the souls series has to offer,it’s atmosphere is something the dark souls series seemed to lack in a way,
While they felt more like magical places made for the player demons souls felt like a world which we did not belong.
The bosses were easy compared to the dark souls series but each felt so unique.
The later series focused too much on combat in my opinion when it should have never been the focus,I mean one of the bosses literally just sits there and says “fine,kill me” after you kill her lover.
Never in a game have I felt so wrong for doing something that needed to be done and demons souls was the only one in the series that made me feel like the bad guy.
Great video by the way.
I consider myself lucky and privileged to have experienced this one of a kind game back in it's day. I kind of wished they would have waited for PS4 but I'm happy it was made. A remake would be much appreciated.
I absolutely love the atmosphere in kings field and the slow turning kind of sucked and my friends made fun of it but I didn't care
I got my games back on PS1 and on PS2. I think 3 was the highlight for me, but 4 was great nevertheless. I also have Shadow Tower, but never went through it. I guess I'll have too now. :)
you should also check Evergrace, Forever Kingdom and Lost Kingdom series they are influenced by King's Field and Shadow Tower and have some similarities to the Souls games
Muy buen video, largo pero nota el amor puesto en este, recordaba este juego, de mí adolescencia de otra forma, me asombró que fuera tan lento, nunca avance mucho ya que era muy difícil para mí en su momento, suscrito al canal, saludos
Weapons dont break at all... They stop degrading at 50 percent durability to lower attack wich is not a massive downgrade. If you use 2 groups of weapons you can effectively always have something to fight while the other group is being repaired by the blacksmith. The durability is rather lenient so it doest hold the game back and enemies dont respawn for the most part. As for the slowness of move and turn its more of an acquired taste.
fantastic video, great analysis.
"Bugger Blade" hahaha bloody hell
Nicely done! But damn i would get sea sick playing this game 😂
No demon princes slander will be tolerated here
Currently on my second playthrough after having beaten it several years ago. Yeah the weapon upgrading system is 100% pointless. If it increased the damage by 3 or 4 maybe it would be worth the wait, but 1 point per 10 mins? On only one damage type? No thanks.
Also I'm fairly sure the slow movement/turn speed is tied to the render limitations of the systems these games are on. The graphical fidelity on the ps2 was better, but they couldn't have you running back and forth as levels loaded in and perhaps finding a black screen that slowly popped in assets as you ran through it. Just a guess but it makes sense to me.
I absolutely love this series though, and I agree that KF3 is the best by far. I do not like TAC's soundtrack though. That's the only downfall for me, I usually end up turning it off and absorbing the ambience instead bc it does nothing for me, personally
Nice detailed review for game I didn't know. I love the gloomy atmosphere. Apart from price, it appeals to me to play but then I fear the clunkiness.
Wow great review of a great game!
Umbasa, indeed
Kingsfield 2>4 BUT... This video>over other videos
... one major question... the fuck is with that translation? I played the game on the PS2, still have the disk too, and very little of the names are anything shown in the vid. I would recommend a different translation on your rom, cause I know how expensive the disk can be... Also, that "map" that lights up, was a tracker of the spells you have...
As for the questions you have for us, I've played KF2-4, all the ones that got released over here, and I think the first three games had a trilogy that was perfected in that trilogy's story, in KF3, but, in raw quality and meta narrative use and ludo narrative impact, KF4 is the best game of the series. Sometimes I think it's better than the Souls Borne series in the meta and ludo narrative qualities. It's far better than it has a right to be, and it's got a lot of subtle, almost coy nods to the older games, like a mural of Seath the White God in the church of healing, and the final boss being a horrific abomination brought about by the corruption of someone (just like in KF1), in a manner that parallel's manus in a grim reflection, where Manus was made that way by others, and those two made themselves that way. Or the way that the deeper you go, the more corrupt it gets, like the start is the clean domain washed clean by being the first bits the water lands on, where the water sweeps away the filth and transports it lower, getting more grime and corruption as it goes down into stagnant, black depths. Where you have to take cleansing light down to find your way, and start the waters moving again so that stagnation ends. Then there's not so subtle nods like the Triple Fang and Moonlight. Then there's subversions, where the older trilogy had a huge importance on you being a noble saving a kingdom, and now, while you are a noble, it couldn't matter less. You aren't a chosen one, you are simply the person the statue was foisted onto. Another victim of the statue, but this time, you overcame it. You weren't destined, or well trained, or even well equipped. Of all those, you are the least useful. Even the horror game, Shadow Tower has you starting better off than KF4, giving you a half way decent weapon. You're greatest claim to fame, besides your position of birth of a barely connected kingdom to the one being harmed, was a slight friendship with Sword Master Septiego, who had the Moonlight for the expedition, who you find later and retrieve the weakened, abused sword, mired in the stagnant evil of the Widdas, and take it back to the bright holiness of the shrine behind the Forest Folk king's chamber. You might as well be nameless NPC number who gives a fuck, for all the world cares. Another subversion, was that the other games had the idea of coalescing the ligth into one area would be good, but in 4, it is shown that too much concentration will bring imbalance and as the light grows more focused, the dark gains more ground and deepens it's shade. The elemental forces cannot be forced to concentrate, but must be spread out in a balance to keep things from tipping into chaos. Too little fire, and the forges freeze, too much, and it floods with lava and molten metal. Too much light and the places that were once clean become defiled, and people fearful of it's power. It's all a balance that needs maintaining, and when it goes wrong, someone has to step up and fix it, and it will not be easy, and it will be brutal and terrifying. And the world will not care how you feel about what happens. It will merely expect you to make it right, or die. Whether you die trying matters not.
I used the PAL version of the game so the English was a little off.
@@michaelsnow1 I would say more than a little, but that makes sense.
It looks like your playing the PAL version going off some of the text and character names. I would strongly recommend revisiting KF4 with the NTSC version as general consensus leans towards that translation being the stronger of the two and more importantly 50 fps vs 60 fps can make the camera feel even slower in the PAL version iirc. Great video by the way, I absolutely love this game and only wish it had a more modern control scheme where the camera could fully be mapped the right stick and maybe have its speed increased slightly by 10 or 15 percent. I recognize bulling camera speed too much would basically break the combat though.
I have so many questions left after beating this one:
1) Who delivered the statue to the Prince at the start of the game? One of the soldiers? Was he a monster already since we never see his face behind his leather mask?
2) How did the Sword Master actually die?
3) Who actually gave the statue to the King of Heledin before the games events? Was it a neighboring kingdom? Was it a representative of the darkness itself? If so why choose Heledin? How could a neighboring kingdom even get the statue out of its restrung place at the bottom of the ancient city?
I disagree with some of the comparisons you made with Souls games at the 33:00 minute mark. It's not the constant stressful clutter of chaos that you make it out to be. Exploration is what it's all about. There's every opportunity to see and behold the world design and the stories they tell, every bit as much as Kingsfield 4 I imagine.
And your comment about bosses being an incredibly specific pattern is also a bit of an over exaggeration. At least in the clip you showed in your example with the Demon Prince boss, that spoke less of a 'specific pattern,' and more of a failure to recognize the warning that an attack was coming your way (the stream of pink gas will explode in this case.)
I don't mean to come at you or anything, I just came out of that segment a bit confused lol. If anything I think every strength you pointed out KF4 possessing was something the Souls games have in common with it. I love this retrospective outside of that one complaint! Ima binge some of your others.
The Bugger sword? It's for bugs, right?
Let's just say, It's medieval...
Do you prefer this gameplay over turn based rpgs
I go back and forth about that. One day real-time one day turn based. Real-time is more physically engaging to play but Turn-based is more strategic so mentally its more interesting.
The entire game looks like its in slow motion 😂
Lunacid, check it out if you like King's Field games!!
Wait a second 4 kings field games from which one is more horrory= Demons souls and Dark souls
Darker game similar to last one from previous four - Bloodborne
Stupid name, light fantasy E ring game = E ring 2