It doesn't matter
which of the three characters you choose (Lancelot, King Arthur, Percival). Each press of
the button seems deliberately random. You'll occasionally pull of some gorgeous multi-hit
blasts, the rest of the time you'll simply whack the enemy with your initial swing
repeatedly. It seemingly takes the power away from the player, which is really the key to
any game in this genre.
The control and other gameplay quirks are otherwise standard Capcom greatness. It's not particularly surprising that the game bears more than a small resemblance to their other beat-em-up from the same year, Warriors of Fate. Both titles put weapons in the hands of the player, pack the screen with sprites, allow for horseback riding, and deliver a trademarked art style.
The sprites are small, but pack on detail and animation. There's a nice touch involving this games somewhat useless level-up system. As you progress, your characters appearance changes, gaining more armor and generally looking vicious by the end the game. On the opposite side, certain foes lose armor as their life is hacked away. Backgrounds sport an amazing amount of detail and all of this is done without any slowdown.
Capcom also nailed
the music portion, providing epic-like qualities to each stage theme. It suits the era the
game is set in while still getting the blood flowing in those key battles. Sound effects
are also dominant, but not in the same way the music is. The clip of a sword hitting armor
is ridiculously annoying and it's going to stay with you for the entire game. Golden
Axe provided a more convincing sound years before this game.
Knights of the Round is still appreciated, mostly for its time period setting and art direction. There's not much to cherish about the gameplay, especially considering the same company did it better the same year and countless years after. You have to question if anyone would remember it if it wasn't for the company producing.
