From Software action RPG in an oppressive underground dungeon. First-person real-time exploration, cryptic messages and mystery atmosphere create constant tension. A direct ancestor of Dark Souls in its punishing but perseverance-rewarding approach.
Your verdict
Category
Action RPG1 player16+
Description
North American edition by FromSoftware and Agetec released in 2002, distributed as "King's Field - The Ancient City." A first-person action-RPG, the last King's Field on PS2, plunging the player into a gigantic ancient castle. Contemplative pacing, foggy exploration: a direct ancestor of Demon's Souls.
King's Field - The Ancient City review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
4/5
Story
★★★★★
"Captivating"
This first-person dungeon crawler cultivates a methodical oppression. From Software plunges the player into dark labyrinths explored at slow, cautious steps, where one advances without landmark, vulnerable, weapon in hand and a lamp for sole aid.
Here it is the setting itself that makes the soundtrack. The music fades almost entirely in favor of the underground's noises: water drops resounding far off, echoes of steps on stone, moans of creatures lurking in the dark. This minimal soundscape, where silence reigns more often than melody, does the work of a score, turning the listening to emptiness into a source of dread and giving the least sound an outsized weight.
The story is not told, it is dug up. The tale of a sunken ancient civilization, that of the Verdite and the cursed city, is delivered only in scraps: descriptions of gathered items, whispers of rare survivors, half-erased inscriptions. It falls to the player to piece these scattered fragments together to grasp the old drama that sealed the fate of the place.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"Frustrating"
Addictiveness
"Engaging"
Difficulty
"Difficult"
Lifespan
"Massive"
Exploring oppressive underground depths in first person, step by step, unfolds a slow, demanding action-RPG where every advance is earned. Mapping the place, outwitting traps and surviving a merciless difficulty calls for patience and method over long hours. That heavy atmosphere, signed FromSoftware, founds a stubborn reputation as a cult exploration RPG.
Technical info
💾0,4 GB📅26/11/2002
Published by Agetec
King's Field - The Ancient City (PS2) price, value & rarity
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
Compare prices
Loading eBay listings…
Alert active — budget
$
Collector interest
The last Western King's Field, a first-person RPG by From Software released in the USA by Agetec in 2002. Long before Souls, this series laid the groundwork for the oppressive atmosphere central to the studio, earning retroactive demand since Dark Souls' success. Agetec's NTSC run, from a niche publisher, stays limited and never reissued, making a clean complete copy a sought-after milestone for anyone tracing From Software's origins.
Is King's Field - The Ancient City still worth playing in 2026?
Known as King's Field IV in Japan and The Ancient City in the West, this FromSoftware dungeon crawler has you explore a hostile underground world in first person at a slow pace, where every step, sword blow and spell is weighed against a constant danger. The oppressive atmosphere, the methodical slowness and the sense of isolation foreshadow the DNA of the future Souls games. The stiff handling and the austere pace put off the hurried. A gem for fans of demanding contemplative RPGs and the curious about FromSoftware's roots.
