1. King’s Field
From Software burst into mainstream gaming prominence thanks to Hidetaka Miyazaki and the Souls series. Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice were all instant classics, and some of the best games of the modern gaming generation.
But even before Miyazaki and Souls gained prominence, From Software had been around for a long time; its first game was a launch title for the Playstation 1. Since then, it has created a few properties that stood out, such as Armored Core and Shadow Tower. But what I think truly deserves the remake/remaster treatment is the King’s Field series.
When the first King’s Field was released in the US, many American critics dunked on it for being too slow and plodding, and not as fast-paced as Doom. Because back then, if it was a first-person game, it had to be compared to Doom. But the thing is, at their core, these games were absolutely fantastic. Leveling up and enemies were incredibly well-balanced, and exploration was always rewarding. The games did a fantastic job of managing risk and reward during exploration, with a plethora of weapons, armor, and equipment that your character could find, which genuinely helped in your progression without feeling utterly broken.
The games had an interesting and creepy vibe to their labyrinths, and with a healthy dose of imagination, many of these areas were truly haunting and spooky. But those blocky PlayStation-era graphics definitely don’t hold up today, especially in the first few games of the series. While there was a far better-looking PS2 sequel in King’s Field: The Ancient City, even that could use a nice boost.
With a graphical overhaul and a reworking of some of the dungeon design of the earlier games, I truly think a King’s Field Remastered Collection would be an absolute gem–and there are enough From Software fans today that it would find a big audience.
