A discussion on From Software's first person action-RPGs.

[Exhuminator]

Just never encountered any Kings Field games in the wild about the only game I have from your list is Eternal Ring. It seems to be fairly common in my area though.

I never encountered any of these games in the wild either, save one. Back in 2006 I came across a sealed copy of King's Field II (USA) for $10. (I stupidly did not buy it, and missed a helluva resale opportunity.) Anyway internet research lead to me discovering this series of games, and internet acquisitions lead to me having them at my disposal. I doubt one would have much luck finding these games at random.

I am very curious and will grab me a PS2 copy of one in the series and see how I feel.

If you only grab one game from the entire list above, make it King's Field: The Ancient City.

...it was made by From Software?

Or did they only publish it?

It's a common misconception that From Software made 3D Dot Game Heroes. In actuality, Silicon Studio developed the game. It was indeed published by From Software in Japan, hence the association. In the USA, Atlus published 3D Dot Game Heroes however.

Anecdotally; another series that is often misconstrued as being solely developed by From Software is Tenchu. That one is a bit of a pet peeve of mine. The vast majority of the Tenchu series was developed by Acquire and other studios. There are only a handful actually developed by From Software. And those are ironically some of the worst in the series.

[Sload Soap]

Your enthusiasm for these games is infectious, Ex.

I have always been curious about the series since I read about them on HG101, but I think, like with Otogi and Dark Souls, as much as I can really, really appreciate the artistry put in by From Software, I don't quite have the patience to push myself to stick with them. That and they have become quite rare and expensive round these parts.

[Exhuminator]

I have always been curious about the series since I read about them on HG101

That article is pretty good. I have some qualms with it though. It omits a few of the smaller games in the King's Field's field series. And the author's opinions as to which games are better than the others I don't personally agree with. That said, it's still a great article.

but I think, like with Otogi and Dark Souls, as much as I can really, really appreciate the artistry put in by From Software, I don't quite have the patience to push myself to stick with them.

I own Demon's Souls, Dark Souls and Dark Souls II, but I have not played them yet. So no opinion there. But I also own both Otogi games, and I finished the first Otogi last year. In my experience the first Otogi was not a very difficult game. I'm sure you could handle it. But if you're only going to play one game in that series, Otogi II is supposed to greatly improve upon the first.

I think people's apprehension with these first person action-RPGs by From Software, is that people expect them to be overly difficult in an unfair way. But that is definitely not the case. These games merely require that the player pay attention, and to act tactically. Those are the keys to success.

Here's some screenshots from KF IV for fun:

[Opa Opa]

I only played the first PS1 game... it was kind of boring and slow-paced. I don't know that it aged too well. Maybe the PS2 titles are a better choice for a modern player?

[Exhuminator]

I only played the first PS1 game... it was kind of boring and slow-paced. I don't know that it aged too well. Maybe the PS2 titles are a better choice for a modern player?

The PS2 titles are definitely better for a modern player.

These games are slow paced, there's no doubt about that. There's a reason for that though, it encourages methodical play.

However any feelings of boredom are going to vary from player to player. These games start off simple yes, but get more and more complex and engaging the deeper you get into them. For example; I thought King's Field IV was boring until I made myself stick with it, and after about an hour I was in love with the game. I had the same experience with King's Field I and Eternal Ring to a lesser extent.

I don't want to come off like I think these games are something every player would enjoy. That is absolutely not true. I just think that every gamer who enjoys action-RPGs should give one of these titles a fair shot. Especially any gamer who enjoys a good dungeon crawler. Because these are the best pure aught dungeon crawlers.

[CFFJR]

Yesterday I found a copy of Ancient City at a half price books in Ohio. 20 bucks.

I saw one at Game Force back home a couple of weeks back for 30, so I'm pleased about that.

This copy doesn't have the manual unfortunately, but it is in otherwise nice shape. Gonna give it a spin later this year.

[Exhuminator]

This copy doesn't have the manual unfortunately, but it is in otherwise nice shape. Gonna give it a spin later this year.

Well you can always buy a manual off eBay. $20 was a great deal.

Playing through King's Field: The Ancient City was one of the greatest gaming experiences I've ever personally had. And I've been gaming since circa 1983, so that's saying something. Remember when you start playing it what I said about that first hour. The first hour is going to be underwhelming and difficult, but persevere. Shortly after that, the game should "click" for you, and you'll start to enjoy it. The Ancient City is a deep, massive, and thoroughly rewarding experience for the few that stick with it.

I am looking forward to reading about your experiences with this game. I would suggest playing this game during the fall as everything is dying away into winter. That is the perfect time to play King's Field: The Ancient City.

[laurenhiya21]

I haven't played any, but I have been interested in a few of these for a while (mostly King's Field: The Ancient City and Shadow Tower... for some reason). I haven't tried any yet just because I haven't seen any in the wild ><; Also I guess I'm not entirely sure how much I like the dungeon crawler genre yet... just haven't played very many to form a solid opinion. And I think I've assumed these would be a bit difficult for me haha

[Exhuminator]

I haven't tried any yet just because I haven't seen any in the wild

Indeed, coming across any King's Field or Shadow Tower game in the wild would be a rare occurrence these days.

And I think I've assumed these would be a bit difficult for me

I can't speak for the Shadow Tower games yet, but of the three King's Field games I've played, the games are only as hard as you make them on yourself. If you play slow and smart, you can survive fairly easily. What makes them challenging is navigating huge labyrinths of areas, trying to keep the layouts straight in your head, so that when backtracking is necessary you actually have a clue where to go. There are special items you can find in the games that help with this however. King's Field IV has a magic orb that when used fills the screen with a three dimensional map of the world that you can rotate and zoom in and out of. Of course the game doesn't give this trinket up to the player easily though by any means. I'd wager most players never even found it.

[Omerta]

Curiosity was killing me (thanks to this thread) and I caved.

King's Field: Ancient City game and guide are on the way. Gonna do it the old school way.