Summary
- King’s Field turned 30 this week, and while it might be an obscure cult classic today, its influence can still be felt.
- It’s where FromSoftware got its start, and it was an undeniable inspiration behind Demon’s Souls.
- Without that odd, divisive dungeon crawler from the ’90s, we would never have the Soulslike genre as we know it today.
30 years ago, FromSoftware began its life as a game developer with King’s Field, an obtuse, notoriously difficult, divisive dungeon crawling RPG for the original PlayStation.
It wasn’t a runaway hit, fading into obscurity despite its three sequels and small cult following, but its legacy and impact on modern gaming cannot be understated.
The Spiritual Successor: Demon’s Souls
FromSoftware CEO Hidetaka Miyazaki cites King’s Field as one of his favourite games from when he was “just a gamer” (as reported by Forbes). It’s no surprise then that when he took over the troubled production of Demon’s Souls, he was inspired by this brilliantly inventive classic from the company’s past.
There are a lot of similarities between the two. Thematically, they both take place in dying lands plagued by monsters, in which a lowly hero must rise to meet the seemingly impossible odds. And each is tied together by a vague, untrustworthy narrative. Staples of any modern FromSoftware game.
Mechanically, both feature a similar stamina/magic bar system, enemies dole out huge and unforgiving amounts of damage, emphasising a need to dodge or strafe, and the player is pushed through rigorous trial and error. Dying over and over again is how you come to master these games, and it’s this core philosophy that once drove King’s Field that would become a mainstay of modern FromSoftware.
Demon’s Souls sold around 2.5 million copies on the PS3, a huge success for a game that was, by all accounts, a complete mess until Miyazaki stepped in. But FromSoftware knew it could go even further. This game, which so few had faith in, hit a niche. There was an audience hungry for more gruelling, challenging experiences that just weren’t being offered anymore. While we might not have noticed it at the time, Demon’s Souls marked a changing tide in the video game landscape.
Soulslikes Are Born: Dark Souls
FromSoftware had gold on its hands, but Sony had so little faith in Demon’s Souls that it didn’t even publish the game outside of Japan. Instead, it would be third-party companies like Atlus and Bandai Namco who would bring it to the West.
As reported by Eurogamer, Sony has since admitted to “dropping the ball” with Demon’s Souls.
Bandai Namco became an especially important part of the genre’s history, as this with new relationship, FromSoftware set its sights beyond PlayStation exclusivity and got to work on yet another spiritual successor — Dark Souls.
It took the formula of Demon’s Souls and made only a few changes, removing the mana bar, adding a replenishing healing item, and integrating its hub into the world itself. But with Bandai Namco behind it, and without the shackles of exclusivity, Dark Souls was a hit. To date, the trilogy has sold over 27 million copies, eclipsing Demon’s Souls.
With such staggering success, others quickly started to take note. Iindie and triple-A developers began experimenting with FromSoftware’s ideas, leading to the likes of Nioh, Lords of the Fallen, Salt and Sanctuary, and Hollow Knight.
Related
Upcoming FromSoftware Projects Won’t Just Be Soulslikes
Multiple projects are in the works that will tackle a “variety of genres”.
Even the biggest franchises like Star Wars drew inspiration from Dark Souls with Fallen Order and Survivor, while PlayStation flagship God of War shifted away from its hack ‘n slash roots to a more Souls-inspired format.
Dark Souls’ success had sparked something in the industry, making a genre out of a cult classic. It wouldn’t be long before we came to know these games as Soulslikes.
It’s fascinating to see how far the genre has come. Elden Ring outsold the entire Dark Souls trilogy, Black Myth Wukong became one of Steam’s most-played games overnight, and we’ve had countless beloved gems like Bloodborne and Lies of P over the years.
And yet, FromSoftware has never wavered in its approach. Elden Ring, like the games before it, is a truly punishing experience that refuses to pull its punches — Malenia and Consort Radahn are arguably among the genre’s toughest bosses. But in the ‘90s, King’s Field split players down the middle for all the reasons we love Elden Ring today.
So, a divisive game led to a spiritual successor nobody had faith in, which somehow led to one of the biggest genres in the medium. It’s bizarre when you spell it out. But all these years later, its undeniable what an impact King’s Field has had.
