King's Field IV: The Ancient City

The PlayStation 2 game, and the friendliest door

Japan released King's Field IV on 4 October 2001. The US title is King's Field: The Ancient City. Wikipedia and IGN date that US release 26 March 2002; Fandom says 25 March 2002. I print the one-day split instead of picking a winner. Europe is 28 March 2003. Australia is 28 May 2003. Direction is credited to Rintaro Yamada and Satoru Yanagi. The score is by Tsukasa Saitoh. Metacritic's figure, cited from the encyclopedia record, is 60.

You are Devian, in Heladin, also called the Land of Disaster. HowLongToBeat's displayed estimate is 23 hours main, 26.5 with extras, 29.5 complete, from 30 reports. That sample is the largest of the four main games. The game does not support two analog sticks for looking around. The cleanhit FAQ says turn on the D-pad and pitch the view with the triggers, and it warns that raising the turn speed breaks the fights. Five in-game maps fill in as you go. Two endings depend on whether you carry the Moonlight Sword.

Why guides send new players here first

This is a recommendation, not a sales claim. The Ancient City is the only main game on PlayStation 2, the camera and the maps are less hostile than the PlayStation trilogy, and 23 hours is a knowable size. It is also a poor place to learn the Forester family, because its kingdom is Heladin rather than Verdite. If you care about Jean, Aleph, and Lyle, play the earlier discs after, using the play order.

The opening undub patch, version 1.0a dated 13 June 2026, replaces the English opening movie with the Japanese voice and subtitles. It is not a full-game undub, and it applies to a Redump US image you already own. PCSX2 settings, the widescreen pnach, and the high-resolution liquid fix live on the PCSX2 page. The region walk is the Ancient City walkthrough. US complete sales in one eBay summary average about $103 across 17 sales.

FAQ