King's Field II ambitiously advances the series. It takes the (very) basic gameplay and style and drops it into a seamless, interconnected world -- an important iteration that eventually leads From Software to the Souls series.
Though the model and texture quality here are only slightly better than the first game, the environments are much more interesting and coherent. Caves and fortresses are more starkly foreboding -- thanks in part to better ambient audio. "Villages" offer moments of respite, while maintaining a surreal atmosphere, thanks to incongruously lit skies on this island otherwise perpetually covered in a veil of night. The final area of the game adds to the dream-logic these games use in a way that possibly recontextualizes things but is also just supremely strange.
NPCs mostly embody a sense of doom with many of them accepting their deaths and the deaths of their neighbors as inevitable or doing what they can to exploit things to their advantage. There are a few glimmers of hope here, however, a child who is just happy to explore and give you tips, a tradesman you are able to rescue from prison (a common theme in Souls games going forward), and a father and daughter you can reunite. These character moments are straightforward and simple but give your time on the island a sense of impact and worth beyond your quest.
Like the original King's Field, this sequel seems to play with time in a way that makes the narrative feel very strange and disconnected. NPCs speak of important events and people as though they just happened, or were just there, though as you progress farther into this island fortress things feel ancient and inevitable... as though events have been progressing for much longer than seems possible. It gives the whole game a suspenseful and uncertain air that isn't common.
Your home Kingdom of Verdite's greed for artifacts and treasure has, here on Melanat, turned into greed for the crystals that are mined on the island. For the player, crystals act as a source of magic power as well as currency, bringing you directly into the economy that has been established by the people attempting to survive here. As you continue your quest, the goals of the ruler of the island become more clearly related to the crystals and seem to tie directly (if mysteriously) into the first game.
Advancements have been made in the structure of this entry in the series.
Where the original feels like a series of dungeon levels you progress through (more or less) in turn, the Isle of Melanat is one seamless, fully realized environment consisting of caverns, mines, villages, and temples for you to explore. Part of your quest is deciding where you want to go and figuring out how to get there as you map the twists and turns of this world in your mind. King's Field II isn't really interested in giving you goals or direction in its open world, though enticingly darkened cave entrances and threatening monsters draw your attention to places worthy of exploration. Inching your way through this haunted, monster infested island is a harrowing but satisfying experience.
One interesting addition is the existence of three different maps in the game, from three different sources (a soldier, a miner, and Necron himself) all giving you different contextual information that makes sense -- the miner's map has caves even Necron doesn't know about, for instance. It is compelling to cross reference each of these maps and they are genuinely useful for navigating the Isle of Melanat.
Combat is the first person melee and spell slinging you recognize from the original with very few changes (and very few improvements). Magic is a bit more powerful, sword magic feels a bit less powerful, though it is more complicated, with multiple spells available per weapon. Learning magic is more interesting, rather than gaining a specific type and learning it as you level up, there are magic crystals hidden throughout the world that level up individual magic types, giving you more options as a reward for your diligence in searching the environs. I like this system a lot, and it helps tie your power directly into exploration and the themes of this world, making your magic extremely powerful by the end of the game -- a tangible reward for having scoured every inch of Melanat.
As in the first game, your advancement and mastery of the systems here are hard-won and continue the overall gameplay and world cohesion that is this series' greatest strength.
King's Field II still takes a lot to get used to but is far more rewarding than the first game. The world is more coherent, exploration is more natural and rewarding, and your goals are more clearly identified and more satisfying to achieve. I had a great time fighting my way through this game, learning its intricacies, and thinking about its world.
Work through the control jank and bland visuals if you are interested in the genre or the games that come directly from this series. It is a rewarding experience that still holds up in a ton of ways.
Though the model and texture quality here are only slightly better than the first game, the environments are much more interesting and coherent. Caves and fortresses are more starkly foreboding -- thanks in part to better ambient audio. "Villages" offer moments of respite, while maintaining a surreal atmosphere, thanks to incongruously lit skies on this island otherwise perpetually covered in a veil of night. The final area of the game adds to the dream-logic these games use in a way that possibly recontextualizes things but is also just supremely strange.
NPCs mostly embody a sense of doom with many of them accepting their deaths and the deaths of their neighbors as inevitable or doing what they can to exploit things to their advantage. There are a few glimmers of hope here, however, a child who is just happy to explore and give you tips, a tradesman you are able to rescue from prison (a common theme in Souls games going forward), and a father and daughter you can reunite. These character moments are straightforward and simple but give your time on the island a sense of impact and worth beyond your quest.
Like the original King's Field, this sequel seems to play with time in a way that makes the narrative feel very strange and disconnected. NPCs speak of important events and people as though they just happened, or were just there, though as you progress farther into this island fortress things feel ancient and inevitable... as though events have been progressing for much longer than seems possible. It gives the whole game a suspenseful and uncertain air that isn't common.
Your home Kingdom of Verdite's greed for artifacts and treasure has, here on Melanat, turned into greed for the crystals that are mined on the island. For the player, crystals act as a source of magic power as well as currency, bringing you directly into the economy that has been established by the people attempting to survive here. As you continue your quest, the goals of the ruler of the island become more clearly related to the crystals and seem to tie directly (if mysteriously) into the first game.
Advancements have been made in the structure of this entry in the series.
Where the original feels like a series of dungeon levels you progress through (more or less) in turn, the Isle of Melanat is one seamless, fully realized environment consisting of caverns, mines, villages, and temples for you to explore. Part of your quest is deciding where you want to go and figuring out how to get there as you map the twists and turns of this world in your mind. King's Field II isn't really interested in giving you goals or direction in its open world, though enticingly darkened cave entrances and threatening monsters draw your attention to places worthy of exploration. Inching your way through this haunted, monster infested island is a harrowing but satisfying experience.
One interesting addition is the existence of three different maps in the game, from three different sources (a soldier, a miner, and Necron himself) all giving you different contextual information that makes sense -- the miner's map has caves even Necron doesn't know about, for instance. It is compelling to cross reference each of these maps and they are genuinely useful for navigating the Isle of Melanat.
Combat is the first person melee and spell slinging you recognize from the original with very few changes (and very few improvements). Magic is a bit more powerful, sword magic feels a bit less powerful, though it is more complicated, with multiple spells available per weapon. Learning magic is more interesting, rather than gaining a specific type and learning it as you level up, there are magic crystals hidden throughout the world that level up individual magic types, giving you more options as a reward for your diligence in searching the environs. I like this system a lot, and it helps tie your power directly into exploration and the themes of this world, making your magic extremely powerful by the end of the game -- a tangible reward for having scoured every inch of Melanat.
As in the first game, your advancement and mastery of the systems here are hard-won and continue the overall gameplay and world cohesion that is this series' greatest strength.
King's Field II still takes a lot to get used to but is far more rewarding than the first game. The world is more coherent, exploration is more natural and rewarding, and your goals are more clearly identified and more satisfying to achieve. I had a great time fighting my way through this game, learning its intricacies, and thinking about its world.
Work through the control jank and bland visuals if you are interested in the genre or the games that come directly from this series. It is a rewarding experience that still holds up in a ton of ways.