Knights of the Round 1991

About

The gameplay is very similar to other Capcom beat 'em ups, such as Final Fight and Capcom's previous hack-and-slash fantasy title The King of Dragons. There are seven stages, each with its own boss and a variety of generic enemies that try to stop the players' progress. The fights rely strongly on blocking ability, which is triggered by pressing the attack button, then pressing the joystick away as the opponent strikes. If successful, the player gains a few seconds of invincibility with which to counter-attack. However, if no one strikes the player's character while holding the block, they will tire and drop their guard, making them vulnerable to attack. Blocking is vital in certain cases, since some bosses will be vulnerable only after their attack has been blocked by the player. As in most beat 'em ups, a desperation attack is performed by pressing both the attack and jump buttons simultaneously. This knocks out most enemies on the screen, but the player loses a little bit of health every time he uses it.

Story

Arthur, who had been training himself to be a great knight, pulled out the sacred sword Excalibur from the rock. After pulling it out, Arthur realized his destiny was to become the first King of the Britons. Merlin then sends Arthur and his two closest companions, Lancelot and Perceval, to overthrow the evil king Garibaldi and to unite England.

What is happening now

Knights of the Round is a 1991 arcade action-RPG that made its way to Super Nintendo, blending hack-and-slash combat with role-playing progression. The game draws from Arthurian legend, tasking players with confronting corrupted versions of the Round Table mythos. The classic title continues to influence modern game design. Final Fantasy VII Revelation incorporates Knights of the Round as both a storyline element and a redesigned boss encounter - one the developers felt needed significant reinforcement to provide adequate challenge, prompting them to rebuild the iconic summon entirely. Meanwhile, the concept of corrupted Arthurian legend has inspired broader projects like Wardens of Avalon, a top-down action-RPG centered on restoring a corrupted afterlife where King Arthur himself has become the source of decay.