KF4/FAQ

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< KF4

This page will attempt to answer frequently asked questions regarding King's Field 4: The Ancient City (North American Release).

Q: How do I set up the emulator?

The latest nightly build of PCSX2 no longer requires any additional configuration. It is highly recommended that you use the latest nightly build. Older builds will have issues.

The high resolution patch is needed to fix issues when emulating the game above its native resolution. Without it, bizarre lines will appear in liquids as well as the sky box, among other oddities.

On older builds of PCSX2, you should make a few configuration tweaks. Instructions for tweaks are for the wxWidgets version of the emulator.

  1. Go to Config > Graphics > Hacks
  2. Enable Manual HW Hacks
  3. Enable Preload Frame Data
  4. Set Skipdraw Range 1:1

These settings will fix issues where some liquids do not render, and fix the text being blurry.


Q: Is it like Dark Souls?

A: Barely, but kinda.
This game has a dark atmosphere, makes heavy use of world-building and flavor text to communicate its story, both a stamina system and light RPG character stats systems.
Those superficial similarities are pretty much all that these games have in common. It's best to go into King's Field with an open mind, because your experience may be made worse by comparing it to is successors.

Q: How do I fix the controls?

A: You can kinda do it, but not entirely.
King's Field 4 was designed with a similar control scheme to its PSX predecessors. This is to say that the game does not make use of the analogue sticks on a Dual Shock controller. Instead, the player turns using the left and right directional pad buttons, and looks vertically using the triggers.
You can rebind the controls to fit your preferences in game, or make hack solutions at the emulator level, but ultimately, the game was designed with this control scheme in mind. It's best to learn to adjust to the control scheme.

Q: Can I mod to increase the turn speed?

A: Don't do it!
The game is not balanced to support a faster turn speed. Even at the game's natural turn speed, many enemies can struggle to face you as you circle strafe around them. Increasing the speed will just break the game's combat.

Q: How do I read the HUD?

A: for details on the HUD/UI, reference the corresponding page.


The heads up display consists of 3 bars, a red sphere, and a blue ring.
The elements are as follows:

KF4 HUD.png

Red bar = Stamina Gauge
Blue bar = Action Gauge
Small bar = Breath Gauge
Red sphere = Health Gauge
Blue ring = MP Gauge

The gauges fill as follows:

  • The Stamina Gauge, Action Gauge, and Breath Gauge fill from left to right.
  • The Health Gauge fills from bottom to top.
  • The MP Gauge fills from the bottom right around to the top right.


Help, I'm stuck!

A: The official strategy guide has a complete, step-by-step walkthrough of the game complete with pictures!

Q: How do I save the game?

A: Find this Cthulhu-looking statue and interact with it.

Q: How do I repair my gear?

A: Find and speak to Harmurah Forgefist.

Q: Is there a map?

A: Yes, but not like modern games.
The game offers 5 in-game maps which offer a progressively more detailed view of a portion of the world. If the early games maps are insufficient, and you do not mind spoiling yourself, then you can find the maps from the end-game map in the official strategy guide.
Ultimately, navigation is a part of the challenge, and gives this game its unique identity. The experience is significantly de-valued if you know where to go at all times.

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