Kings Field: Additional 1

"So much wasted potential"

Back before the PSP came out, I remember browsing through the list of games that were planned for release and coming across King's Field. It was great to think that the Playstation's premier first person RPG would be making an appearance on the new portable. Its release date was a while off and while we waited for the release of the PSP's King's Field we all hoped that it would be as good a game as the previous ones were. We waited and a quite a few of us forgot and after the developer of King's Field, From Software, gave us some promo pictures and videos, were we satisfied?

NO! There were a lot of people sorely disappointed by what From Software had given us. Instead of the FPS styled RPG we had come to know and love, From Software had given us something taken from the early 90's PC scene: a dungeon crawler. These days there are plenty of first person dungeon crawlers but this King's Field is unique in the fact that instead of having any illusion of smoothness; a game that would have been perfect 10 years ago but looses a great deal of it's luster in present day gaming.

Graphics: Here is this game's biggest problem. King's Field on the PSP is a step by step dungeon crawler and with each step the game has to redraw the area the character moves in to with each step. First of all, this game is on the PSP, a "next generation" portable game system with several FPS games. Why From Software decided to do this game as a dungeon crawler when it could have been done similar to previous King's Field games is incredibly confusing and disappointing. The system was up to it but not the programmers. Second, if we look at this game as dungeon crawler in comparison to other dungeon crawlers, graphically, we find that King's Field is once again disappointingly sub-par. There is no illusion of seamlessness. The screen is redrawn after every move with the exception of the HUD except when you turn. When you turn, the HUD disappears and then the screen redraws with an awkward slide between the two scenes. Then the HUD reappears. These kinds of graphics wouldn't cut it on any current system, not PC, GBA, DS or even cell phone. Why From Software made things like this is beyond me. There are several smooth-scrolling King's Field games out for Japanese cell phones and those are much less powerful than the PSP but the PSP version ended up like a game from someone's school project.

Sound: Not everything in this game is of school project quality. The sound in King's Field Additional 1 is on par with all of the other King's Field games. The music is dramatic and environmental. The music changes for each level and each level's music fits it to a t. The qualm I have with the music is that the volume is fairly light on the music even when turned up all the way. The battle music will also tend to get annoying after several fights because it is the same tune for every standard battle. Boss battles get a different tune.

Gameplay: The game play is fairly standard to dungeon crawlers. One town with several layers of dungeon. There is plenty of equipment and secrets in this game to keep you searching for a long time. This is spot on with previous King's Fields. Secrets galore and long-lost relics have long been a hallmark of King's Field and its back in this game. Controls, however, need a huge overhaul. Often, the controls lag and you have to press the button twice to get the game to respond. This really kills game play. Battles in the dungeon are time based and not being able to respond at the right time because the input is lagging is frustrating especially during bosses. It also makes finding those secrets hard because you'll often have to press the activate button to try and activate a secret door more than once and if nothing happens the game didn't accept the button press or there is no secret door and deciphering the correct course of action from then is a little tough. Battles are nicely done when you aren't frantically pressing buttons to get the game to accept commands. Taking a clue from TES: Oblivion, you physically have to guard attacks in this game. Not guarding sucks away your life quickly. There is also the obligatory magic.

Story: The King's Field stories have always been fairly dark and this addition doesn't disappoint. It is a little lighter than some of the previous games but still manages to keep the dark atmosphere. The only problem is that the game is all in Japanese and if you don't know the language then you're out of luck. And, at the date this review was written, with no English language release on the horizon having a good story will mean jack for most players.

Replayability: Very very little. There is one alternative path in the game but it's a huge jump in difficulty. However, by completing the game you can make a save file for use in the next PSP King's Field. Having the perfect save for the next King's Field might motivate some people to play through again but the experience of this game will probably turn people off from the second one.

I want to like King's Field Additional 1. I've played it for a long time trying to get the perfect save for the next game but I'm disappointed in the game. The PSP can do at least PS1 graphics and better (see Monster Hunter Portable!) so why this game turned out the way it did, we will never know but there is a glimmer of good stuff underneath all the bad things with this game. Getting it will take a dedicated gamer and a lot of patience.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 08/14/06