starting with king's field

[usarus]

Hello. I recently found out about the King's Field games and I wanted to get into them. Not sure though which to start with. I saw there's a fan-translated original version of the game on ps1 and also the sword of moonlight pc version. Can someone tell what differences do these versions have, graphics gameplay. Which one would be better to start with, which one is more enjoyable to play? Or maybe I should start with the second game? And is there only a SoM remake of the very first game, or others as well?

[Mord of Swoonlight]

Hey, welcome to the world of KF! ‎  My personal recommendation: definitely start with KF2 (the first King's Field that was released in English)!
I'm sure the others will chime in with much more complete (and generally better) answers soon, but I think "which is better for to start with" boils down to personal opinion. ‎  That being said, I can give you my opinion, and I guess I already have. ‎  But first, a quick run-down.

KF1 - The very first one was only released commercially in Japan, in Japanese. ‎  There is a translated version, as you mention. ‎  This game is great, but being the first in the series, and one of the first games to come out on the original playstation, it's much shorter than its descendents and has simpler-looking graphics, etc. ‎ 

KF2 (KF in US) - This was the first title in the series commercially released in English. ‎  For that reason, the US et al. call this one King's Field, while in Japan it's called King's Field 2. ‎  This one has a much larger world, a more foreboding and immersive feel (due partly to the great music and environments). ‎  Also, this one starts to give you a lot more of the lore. ‎  You really feel like you're in another world in this one. ‎  Game mechanics are smoother, and magic is more developed. ‎  There are several more reasons why this one is a huge improvement, but I promised to keep it quick.

KF3 (KF II in US) - This game is a close sequel of KF2, and it's HUGE! ‎  Lots of wonderful exploration on your first play-through. ‎  Mechanics and gameplay are more or less the same as KF2 with some slight differences. ‎  There is a ton of lore in this one, and you really feel like you're on an epic journey. ‎ 

KF4 (KFTAC in US) - Titled King's Field: The Ancient City in the English release, this was the first (and only) KF title on the PS2 - the others were all for the original playstation. ‎  Aside from the expected boost in graphics quality (it does look very pretty), I find this one quite different in style and feel of gameplay. ‎  In terms of plot, it's not a direct successor of the other three. ‎  This one feels almost like a stand-alone, parallel ‎  part of the series to me. ‎  That being said, it's still a great game that you should play.


Now, back to my opinions. ‎  As far as getting started in the game, it depends on what you want. ‎  Yeah, I know that's what everyone says about everything, so I'll break it down: if you're OCD (very guilty myself) and feel the need to go through things in the order they were made (not at all necessary for this series!), then start with the Japanese KF1. ‎  If you want the most modern graphics, start with KF4 (English KFTAC). ‎  If you want to start off with a "true KF experience", start with KF2 (English KF I). ‎  And again, I highly recommend starting with KF2!

Have fun!

[HwitVlf]

Hi usarus
I think Mord pretty much summed it up. ‎  I too would recommend an order of
Kings Field 2
Kings Field 3
Kings Field The Ancient City
and then King's Field 1.
One main reason is that the US release of KF2 and 3 changed the story a bit so they don't smoothly plug into the fan translation of KF1.

[Auric]

Let's not forget about King's Field: Dark Destiny. While it's not officially part of the game series, it's a pretty good fan made game. If you're going to play them in chronological order KFDD comes after KF1 and before KF2. If you're going the recommended route I would put this anywhere after KF2.

[HwitVlf]

Auric is totally right!

We didn't answer your question about the SoM remake of King's Field 1. I would not recommend that version over the PS1 version. The remake was mainly to illustrate the capabilities of the SoM engine. it does have better graphics in some ways, but it also seemed like it was slapped together quickly and has some very sloppy designs.

You would be far better off playing Dark Destiny instead.

[usarus]

Thanks for the replies. I guess I'll start with the second game then and then see how it goes.