King's Field (video game)

King's Field
Developer(s)FromSoftware
Publisher(s)FromSoftware
Producer(s)Naotoshi Zin
Programmer(s)Eiichi Hasegawa
Artist(s)Sakumi Watanabe
Writer(s)Toshiya Kimura
Shinichiro Nishida
Composer(s)Koji Endo
Kaoru Kono
SeriesKing's Field
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release
  • JP: December 16, 1994
Genre(s)Action role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

King's Field[a] is a 1994 action role-playing game developed and published by FromSoftware for the PlayStation. It was FromSoftware's debut video game project after developing business software for eight years, as well as the first game in what would become the King's Field series; this first title was only released in Japan, with the follow-up, King's Field II (1995) releasing globally as simply King's Field. In the game, the player navigates a vast underground labyrinth to discover the source of an invasion of monsters. Attacking and using spells are tied to a stamina meter, which is depleted with each action and must refill before the player can act again.

The game was initially planned as a title for personal computers before shifting to the PlayStation, which they felt had better specs.[1] It was developed in around six months by a small internal team. Upon release, the game was a commercial success, though receiving mixed reviews from critics. King's Field is one of the earliest known 3D console role-playing games, predating later more famous titles such as Final Fantasy VII. The game not only spawned multiple sequels, but would go on to inspire future FromSoftware games including Shadow Tower and the Dark Souls series.


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  1. ^ Gamers' Republic staff (December 1998). "World Republic Interview - FromSoftware". Gamers' Republic. No. 7. Millennium Publications. pp. 112–113. ISSN 1520-5169. OCLC 39488699.