King’s Field (JP)

King’s Field is the first game in the King’s Field role-playing video game series. Like all its successors, the game is played through first person view in a dark and mysterious, medieval fantasy setting.

The game was developed by the Japanese video game company From Software, and released December 16, 1994 in Japan, making it the first RPG released for the PlayStation. Since it was never published outside Japan, this game is commonly known as King’s Field (Japan) in the U.S. The game has later received a fan translation in English. A complete remake was released in 2000 as part of the Sword of Moonlight: King’s Field Making Tool software suite for Windows PCs; also released only in Japan.

STORY:
There was a small country called Verdite surrounded by a deep forest, encircled by fog and whirling winds. In ancient days, when a great battle was fought and many were dying, Verdite was saved by a person who then disappeared into the forest. Only the forest’s drifting fog knew who this person was… The citizens called their savior the Dragon of the Forest and built a sanctuary and honored this person there. Eventually, only a legend remained and the Sanctuary was changed into the Royal Graveyard and all was silent. But, the legend says, “Someday the Dragon of the Forest shall return, bearing Magical Artifacts.” However, the time has not yet come and the Sanctuary sleeps deeply…

GAMEPLAY:
The original King’s Field is the first of the first-person fantasy RPG King’s Field series. It was released in Japan weeks after the launch of the PlayStation, and never localized or released elsewhere. When King’s Field II was later released in the West, it was renamed King’s Field for those regions.

In this game, the player controls John Alfred Forrester looking for his missing father inside lost, haunted ruins. The journey takes him through a five-level dungeon populated by friendly NPCs and deadly traps and monsters. The entire world, including objects, enemies, and the player’s own equipment, is rendered with 3D textured polygons.

The player collects gold and items from slain enemies, and can purchase weapons and spells at two shops located within the dungeon. Weapons and magic are assigned to different buttons so the player can easily attack with both, however, recharging action bars for each prevent rapidly spamming attacks. Skills and stats increase with use, and items can be bought or collected that raise specific stats when used (green Verdite stones raise magic, for example). The final boss can only be defeated with magic, encouraging players to grind a rounded character to to a maximum level.

Each level of the dungeon holds enemies more difficult than the last, as well as greater rewards. The game takes place entirely within the narrow walls of the dungeon, with the only “safe” areas on the first floor. Players can save their progress to the memory card by activating crosses mounted on walls throughout the levels.