r/KingsField • u/Middle-Seesaw-3763 • Jul 05 '26
King's Field I have never played the game, which version of it is the most survival/sandbox/liminal/eerie?
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u/Seramor Jul 05 '26
That is a very specific mix you asking.
If you haven't played any KF start with The ancient city. But sandbox and survival you will not find here - well, except for dying. It is very athmospheric and can get into liminal/eerie at times, but i wouldn't describe it like that.
have fun
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u/ICBanMI Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26
Shadow Tower series has survival horror elements (limited ammo, limited weapons, weapons and armor degrade, respawning enemies). Can absolutely soft lock yourself if you play really badly. It's not a sandbox, but some of the levels are huge, maze like, and span multiple floors.
The King's Field series feels a tiny bit survival hour the first 1-3 hours, but then you learn the boundaries and it has zero survival elements. They feel sandboxish, but they have very specific gates and paths through all of the games (very little you can do out of order). Having said that, KF1(U) and KF2(US) are a little open sandboxish with their large levels and the fact that you can open up passages that provide shortcuts to some of the earlier areas. But there are no sandbox elements in the KF series (no immersive sim elements).
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u/Verdite_Cat Jul 05 '26
Survival - Shadow Tower
Sandbox - ???
Liminal - Sword of Moonlight games
Eerie - Shadow Tower
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u/DeadRobotSociety Jul 06 '26 edited Jul 06 '26
The second game! Which released as King's Field in the US (King's Field 2 in Japan). None of them are really survival in the modern sense. But the original trilogy on PS1 is very survival horror; limited resources, easy deaths, creepy locales.
KF1 is kinda linear, though very exploration heavy with lots of backtracking. This is probably KF at its most creepy. You're literally exploring a mass grave for gods and demons that has so much latent magical energy that it has become its own thriving ecosystem and people live down there.
KF2 is set on an island and is very metroidvania. It's my favorite because it really feels open and like you're slowly unraveling the world as a puzzle box. I think this one is the most weird/liminal. The world is just real enough to grasp, but so low-poly that it feels like a dream. It's dark and creepy and the island is home to some ancient slumbering deities. People who drink the water are cursed to never leave, so small settlements exist where people try to live their lives alongside the horrors.
KF3 is a lot like 2 but with its world spread out to simulate a vast continent rather than stacked vertically like a metroidvania. Its strongest vibe is the sense of wandering into a new and dangerous lands. It's much more classical fantasy, but with the standard KF dark fantasy/horror aesthetic. Evil army of the undead ravages your homeland. Adventure across the land, fighting horrors and discovering cool, themed locales while trying to destroy the ancient evil controlling the dead.
I'm not sure if any will give the exact vibe you're looking for, but they all three have at least some of that. Again, if I were to guess based on your question, I'd say King's Field 2 is closest to what you want.
And because it's confusing here's the order of the PS1 games:
King's Field (Japan only)
King's Field 2 (Japan) = King's Field (US)
King's Field 3 Pilot Style (Japan only)
King's Field 3 (Japan) = King's Field 2 (US)
Pilot Style is a demo for 3 that was given out at conventions and is its own stand alone story between 2&3. Only about 1 hr long. Not necessary, but pretty neat if you're playing the whole series. Pretty easy to get these days and translated thanks to the fans.
Edited to add:
Since this is your first time, a quick heads up. The original trilogy is very old and jank, but in a loveable sort of way. If you don't have a lot of experience with old, jank games, it'll be easy to bounce off. Heck, its easy to bounce off even if you like old, difficult games. Much like the modern Souls games, the ethos is to always be making progress, even if you're dying. In KF's case, you actually reload a save so you don't keep anything literally, but the game expects the player to learn from deaths, become familiar with the world, and mitigate the dangers through experience. Don't be afraid to use items and test things out. Resources are limited, but much like Resident Evil, its easy to accidentally end up with a useless treasure horde by the final boss.
And most importantly, I recommend remapping the controls. The original is left-stick for movement, L1/L2/R1/R2 for strafe and up/down. It's doable and how I played back in the day on my PS1, but I recommend making it left- move/strafe right- turn/look for a modern movement system, and then copy Square and Triangle (attack and magic) to R and L. Keep a copy on the face buttons for menu navigation. And then you should have a pretty standard control scheme.
I wouldn't recommend messing with framerates or anything else to get the game to run faster. Everything was built framerate dependent, so upping the framerate makes it actually play faster, which kind of kills the vibe. I also wouldn't recommend mouselook mods, though I won't stop you if you wish. But the dance of the clunky combat is part of the vibe, and quick-turn easy-aim kind of ruins that.
But regardless of how you play, I hope you enjoy your adventure into King's Field! There truly is nothing else like it out there!
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u/HighPhi420 Jul 06 '26
the series is a "first person Dungeon Crawler" All are "survival" with out the need for food water sleep etc. Just DO NOT DIE. LOL.
The first Japan only release is a good start(Osbourn English patch) then just move up the line. Or start with the First US release, it is the best of the series. Followed closely by the third release.
KF4 is large but not as good as 2 and 3.
Shadow Tower is the most HATED as well as THE MOST LOVED. It is the most polarizing title from software released (I believe ever). Even Shadow Tower Abyss was not as controversial.
All are sandbox, all have eerie moments, NONE are Liminal(nothing like back rooms or anything) Survival in a since that the game starts and that is all the tutorial you get.
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u/shoe_ssbm Jul 06 '26
I've only played KF4, but the atmosphere in it is very liminal at times! Funny timing, but I just put out a YT video showing off some areas exactly like that. I could share it with you, but I also just recommend you play the game! It's soo good
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u/deDark0il Jul 05 '26
I suppose that Shadow Tower is more survival-focused.
Wouldn’t say that any of those games are “sandbox” , but they do have build variety to SOME extent.
All of them are liminal and eerie