Lost Kingdoms

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After a year of social distancing, I suspect we need to increase the number of words we have for being alone.
The Loneliness of Loving Lost Kingdoms

Back in 2002, FromSoftware released Rune. Localized in English as Lost Kingdoms, this unheralded action RPG for the GameCube featured real-time, card-based combat and the sort of dissonant, atmospheric world that would later garner the developer its cult following with the popularity of its Souls series. At the time, though, hardly anyone noticed. It was as if that fog in the background of the castle, or from beyond the borders of The Neverending Story, had swallowed it up.

This spring, join Professor Kozlowski as he lays down what may well be the first recorded full playthrough of Lost Kingdoms.

Falling somewhere between the omnivorous inclusivity of The Internet Archive and the painstaking curation of the Video Game History Foundation, Ben’s videos are a labor of love for this little-known game. They are also avowedly self-serving, as he couldn’t find any decent screenshots to accompany the essay he’s been writing about it. With luck, the project of archiving its never-before-seen gameplay will not only stave off the fog of ignorance around Lost Kingdoms, but will be the beginning of future playthroughs and commentaries by our maverick professor.

Part One