Considering whatDemon’s Soulsdid forSoulsseries and the greater collection of FromSoftware games as a whole, it would be impossible to say that it doesn’t deserve therecently revealed PS5 remaketo reintroduce fans to the game that started it all. That being said, the game that really did start it all certainly deserves to be revived for next-gen console than any game that holds aSoulstitle and already enjoyed its own time in the sun.
Many fans of theSoulsseries already know about thelegacy ofDark Souls, but similar to howDemon’s Soulsacts as the spiritual predecessor to the more well known series,King’s Fieldis the predecessor for the series as a whole. In fact, some of the most iconic mechanics, weapons, and characters can be traced all the way back to the criminally under-loved PlayStation and PS2 series.
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So, with so few people having played any entry in the originalKing’s Fieldseries or the numerous other near misses that FromSoftware published before finally hitting it big withDemon’s Soulsand the rest of theSoulsseries. Without even delving into titles likeEvergrace,Enchanted Arms, and the Tenchu series which have detailed the progression of the FromSoftware catalog, there are so many games related toSoulsthat deserve to be reevaluated. However, actually being able to play these games can be incredibly difficult which leads to one of the largest reasons to remakeKing’s Field, and that is the series' incredible rarity.
King’s Field is too hard to find
At the time of this writing, some of the games within theKing’s Fieldseries are selling on Amazon for upwards of $175, makingKing’s Field 4one of therarest PS2 gamesin the system’s massive library. Additionally, locating the game itself also implies that the player can find a reputable seller to get a hold of the game, and already has a working system that can still play retro titles. As a result, grabbing the four games within theKing’s Fieldseries can be an incredibly difficult and expensive task that only the most avid collectors would likely bother to go through.
In contrast,Demon’s Soulsis downloadable on the PS3, making it much easier for players to access the original at any time and begin playing through what most consider to be the origins of theSoulsseries. So when it comes to which game should be given more attention and receive a remake withbreathtaking HD updatesfirst,King’s Fieldis more often the gap players have in their history over its spiritual successor. Additionally, looking at the origins of the series, it can’t be said enough that almost every aspect of FromSoftware’s flagship series is an echo of these early games.
Seath and the Moonlight Greatsword
So far it’s been a lot of big talk about howKing’s Fieldestablished the origins of theSoulsseries, but an interesting piece of trivia about Seath the Scaleless and the Moonlight Greatsword become some of the largest references to the original games. Namely that Seath appears as a major character who sends the player to fight the final boss, Guyra who originally created the Moonlight Sword that rests on the enemy black dragon’s tail. The reference here is so fundamental, that it’s understandable that most players have no idea what’s going on with theplot ofDark Souls.
This is the tip of the iceberg as well when it comes to the ways that the originalKing’s Fieldinfluences the deeper lore of theSoulsseries. Other characters, like the dark dragon Gyura, have been re-imagined as bosses and other characters like Kalameet, or even the comparisons between King Reinhardt and the many kings that have gone crazy inDark Souls, from Gwyn toKing Vendrick. The complicated nature of theDark Soulslore certainly makes it difficult to pin down exactly what’s happening, but having the primer of theKing’s Fieldseries could be the key players need to wrap their minds around the intense bosses players will have to tackle.
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Maintaining Classic Difficulty
Speaking of theintense boss fights, one thing that theSoulsseries is often elevated for is being a brutally difficult game in an era where games tend to hold the player’s hands. This is sometimes attributed to being the reason why fans love the series so much, with tutorials that aren’t afraid to straight up kill the player in the opening few minutes. However, whileDark Soulsis often congratulated for not being afraid to be difficult, the difficulty may have actually been what killedKing’s Fieldduring its original release window.
This means that players who are ripping every game they can off the shelves, looking for the nextSouls-like titleto challenge their gaming abilities, may have missed out to a product that was both behind and ahead of its time. Fortunately, FromSoftware never stopped aiming to make the most brutally, but still fair, difficult gameplay experiences available and were able to continue forward to making a game on the quality ofDemon’s Soulsto warrant being remade.
First attempt at the dark Atmosphere
One aspect that putDemon’s SoulsaboveDark Soulsin general is the masterful way that it manages to perfect the dark and gloomy atmosphere of a fallen kingdom on the edge of being destroyed. This gloom is captured equally well inKing’s Field, with the lonely halls, tunnels, and dungeons of the Royal Catacombs that make up the game leaving the player isolated and desperate for the entire run. A lack of online accessibility continues to add to that bleakness as players can’t even call for help when they’re up against a particularly difficult level or boss.
Again, this design choice may have influenced the lack of success forKing’s Fieldas players at the time were drawn more towards brightly colored worlds and family friendly stories. However, once again, the success ofDark Soulshas proven that these bleak, adult worlds and lore are extremely popular with today’s players of all ages. So, while it’s wonderful to seeDemon’s Soulsget a much deserved remake, FromSoftware’s origins are rich with material that are well worth revisiting.
