Knights of the Round
Introduction
Knights of the Round was developed and published by Capcom for its CPS-1 arcade board, released in Japan in November 1991 as part of a wave of fantasy-themed beat ’em ups the studio put out around that era, alongside titles like The King of Dragons. Loosely built around the legend of King Arthur, the game casts Merlin as the one who sends Arthur and his closest companions, Lancelot and Perceval, out to overthrow the tyrannical usurper king Garibaldi and reunite England under one banner. Up to three players fight through seven stages of sword-and-shield combat against knights, monsters, and other medieval enemies, but the game’s standout feature is a genuine action-RPG-style leveling system: characters automatically gain better weapons and armor as they defeat enemies and progress, visibly changing their appearance and combat capability as a run goes on rather than staying static from start to finish. That blend of detailed medieval sprite art, straightforward hack-and-slash combat, and RPG-lite character growth gave Knights of the Round a distinct identity among Capcom’s early-90s brawlers, and it remains a well-regarded cult favorite from the CPS-1 library.
