Knights of the Round (video game)

Knights of the Round is a Beat'Em Up Arcade Game released by Capcom in 1991, and later ported to SNES in 1994. Much as the name implies, it is loosely inspired in the myths of King Arthur. The game is a rather straightforward Beat'Em Up with a level-up system which changes the clothing and looks of the characters and weapons, while increasing their strength and speed. Other game mechanics include the typical special move which drains life, a block action that grants a short invincibility after blocking an attack and the ability to mount horses found on certain stages.

The story starts out with young Arthur training and finally pulling down the Sword in th-eh, Excalibur in the Stone, and thus becoming the King of England. However, most knights aren't pleased to find out they must follow this "boy king", and thus rebellion and war break out over the land. Arthur goes to Merlin for advice, and he reveals that only the Holy Grail has the power to unify the war-torn England under his rule. So, he and two of his best friends (Lancelot and Perceval) set out to find it, eventually discovering it is on the possession of an evil knight known as Garibaldi.

There are three playable characters:

  • Arthur, wielding Excalibur, a broadsword. He's the most balanced out of the three, with average strength and speed. He starts out wearing leather armor and a red tunic, and as he level ups he gets more armor pieces, eventually ending in full-body armor.
  • Lancelot, wielding a scimitar. He's a swordsman travelling all over the world looking for a worthy king to serve. He's the Fragile Speedster, fast but with weak attack and defense. Lancelot has long blond hair and wears a blue tunic, which is replaced by plate armor as he levels up.
  • Perceval, wielding a giant axe. Son of a blacksmith, Perceval is a Gentle Giant who's willing to help Arthur on his quest. He's also remained undefeated due to his great physique. He's the Mighty Glacier, powerful and durable, but really slow. He changes the most as he levels up, losing his blond hair and getting bald, plus growing a beard.

The enemy forces are comprised of:

  • Scorn, the First Challenge. A tall and skinny fully armored knight wielding a halberd. He has a tendency to laugh in the middle of the fight.
  • Braford, the Swordsmaster. Cavalry knight wielding twin swords, and capable of shooting energy out of them.
  • Arlon, the Silver Emperor. Garibaldi's younger brother, who has taken over Castle Fort. He's a massive man wielding a morning star, and can create shockwaves by jump stomping.
  • Phantom, the Nightshade. A mysterious man with illusion techniques. He uses knives as well as trained eagles. He also owns and commands the Iron Golem, a giant armor puppet suspended by chains which has spiked balls as hands.
  • Balbars, the Hammer. Garibaldi's Advanced Guard and a massive armored behemoth wielding a big hammer. He has super armor (he doesn't flinch when hit) and a grab/pound move.
  • Muramasa, the Blood Armor. A Japanese Samurai who's somehow entered Garibaldi's service. He uses a katana, and can use fire magic to attack his enemies.
  • Garibaldi, the Golden Emperor. The Final Boss, a Palette Swap of his brother Arlon, albeit beefed-up considerably. He starts the fight mounted on a horse, and using Braford's energy blasts.
Tropes used in Knights of the Round (video game) include:
  • Action Bomb: The Buster Drones in the section just before the Iron Golem. Whenever anything hits them, whether your blade or the ceiling spike balls, they'll blow up in a short-range flame scatter.
  • Anachronism Stew: Muramasa's weapon and armor would not be developed until several centuries after the time when the Arthurian legends were supposed to take place. Then again, the same could be said for the kind of tourney that takes up the first part of Stage 4 (and more than a few French retellings of the Arthur legends).
  • An Axe to Grind: Perceval. The Bird Man mook uses a small axe too.
  • Animals Lack Attributes: Averted with the Mad Tiger enemy, which when knocked into the air is revealed to have a sizeable pair of balls between its legs.
  • Arrows on Fire: It does not take long for the Barbarian mooks to start doing this.
  • Badass Beard: Perceval once he levels up enough.
  • The Beast Master: Phantom.
  • BFS: The "Sword Man" mooks carry these.
  • Big Bad: Garibaldi.
  • Blade on a Stick: Scorn uses a long halberd. Several Mooks wield pickaxes, spears and the like.
  • Blind Idiot Translation: The arcade demo is specially hilarious.

Merlin: "Only the holy grail can release this world from attain the chaos."

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