Knights of the Round (US/World)
FAQ v.1.0a for Arcade versions
by R.Armitage (aka. RC, Mr.Miracle, Richard Chu)
<
[email protected]>
Unpublished work Copyright by 2001 Richard Chu
=================
TABLE OF CONTENTS
=================
1. INTRODUCTION
2. STORY & GAME HISTORY
-Story
-Game History
3. GAME MECHANICS
-Game System
-Basic Commands
-Horseback Commands
-Characters & Character Specific Commands
-Experience System
-Items
-Enemy List & Scoring
4. GAME WALKTHROUGH
-Stage 1
-Stage 2
-Stage 3
-Stage 4
-Stage 5
-Stage 6
-Stage 7
-Ending
5. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN WORLD & JAPANESE VERSIONS
6. AUTHOR'S NOTES
-Special Thanks & Credits
-Revision History
========================================================================
1. INTRODUCTION
========================================================================
Hello. This FAQ is for Capcom's Knights of the Round. This is my
second FAQ, the first being Warriors of Fate. In general, the aim of
this FAQ is to be a technical FAQ instead of a strategy FAQ. It'll tell
everything you need to know about the game system and it's technical
aspects but I'll leave most of the strategy up to you and to your style
of play.
========================================================================
2. STORY & GAME HISTORY
========================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Story
------------------------------------------------------------------------
From the prologue during the English game demo:
It has been said that only the man who is destined to be the king can
pull out the sacred sword "EXCALIBUR" from the rock.
But oneday, Arthur, who had been training himself to be a knight, pulled
out the sword and so this story begins......
(Merlin)
Only the holy grail can release this world from attain the chaos. You
should be able to find it because you were able to sacred sword. Help
each other and find it, brave men!!
-Note: This is straight out from the demo, typos and all. It's not my
English ^_^
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Game History
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Released in 1991 for arcades on the CPS1 system, Capcom released Knights
of the Round. Knights of the Round is a side-scrolling beat-em-up in
the same vein as Final Fight. It uses a special experience system and
described in detail in the game mechanics section.
Knights of the Round is based loosely on the English story of, you
guessed it, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
For convenience, when I refer to the World version, it means both the
US and World versions of the game.
========================================================================
3. GAME MECHANICS
========================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Game System
------------------------------------------------------------------------
This game supports up to 3 players simultaneously as they attempt to
play though 9 stages. Players can select one of 3 characters, each
character having special strengths and weaknesses.
Players work in cooperation to defeat enemies and player attacks will
not harm other players.
When players die and they have a spare life, characters drop from the
top of the screen and all enemies are knocked down. The character
remains invincible for a short moment.
When a player continues, they can switch characters providing there are
other characters not being played.
Each stage has a timer. Should the timer expire during the game, all
players lose their current life. The timer then resets.
Each stage contains a boss. Completion of a stage will restore all
characters' life to full (or not depending on difficulty level).
A notation for the game controls and other notations are as follows:
[ Joystick and Buttons ] -----------------------------------------------
Joystick : move character (f-forward, b-backward, u-up, d-down)
A : attack
B : jump
[ Other Notations ] ----------------------------------------------------
knockdown: enemy is knocked away and falls to the ground.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Basic Commands
------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a list of basic commands that every character can use:
Basic Combo Press A (x4)
Item Pick Up Walk over item
Guard Hold A, then quickly hold b
OR just Hold b at the last moment of being
attacked
Heavy Attack Press A, then quickly press f
Emergency Retreat Press b+B simultaneously
Desperation Attack Press A+B simultaneously
-A basic combo consists of 4 successful chained hits. The last hit is
always a knockdown hit. Although called a "combo", enemies can break
out of the combo by blocking.
-Any attack in a combo other than the 4rd knockdown hit can be canceled
into a guard, heavy, or desperation attack.
-Guard will protect the player from all attacks coming from the
direction he is facing. A successful guard will result in no damage
given to the player and a short period of invincibility.
-Using the A+b method of guarding, the guard lasts as long as b and A
is held for a maximum of 2 sec. If a guard is held for more than 2
seconds the player drops his guard and is fatigued for about 2
seconds, leaving him open to attack.
-Heavy attack is a single powerful slash that causes knockdown.
Possesses a fair amount of start-up lag.
-Emergency retreat is a way of quickly avoiding an attack by a form of
backstep. Unique to each individual. Command input must be VERY
precise for the move to execute.
-Desperation attack hits all nearby enemies once and causes knockdown.
Uses up player health ONLY if the attack contacts an enemy.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Horseback Commands
------------------------------------------------------------------------
At various times during the game, players can find and ride on horses.
Riding on a horse gives players faster movement speed and horse specific
special commands. A horse will randomly run away when a player is
knocked off it or when it is standing idle for awhile without a rider.
Also, B no longer functions as a jump. Be aware that some enemies can
also ride a horse, so take care that your steed isn't stolen.
Mount Press B when close
Leap Tap f,f quickly
Basic Attack Press A
Item Pick-Up Walk over item
Heavy Attack Press A, then press f quickly, then press A
Change Direction Press B
Horse Stampede Press A+B simultaneously
-After mounting a horse, the player is given a short period of
invincibility.
-Leap causes the horse to leap high into the air and damages enemies in
the landing vicinity.
-Heavy Attack is a knockdown.
-Horse Stampede will cause your character to jump off his horse, and
then the horse will charge forward off the screen, running over every
enemy in its path. The horse does not return.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Characters & Character Specific Commands
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Characters are ordered according to their order during the character
select screen. Information about each character's strengths and
character specific moves are listed.
[ Lancelot ] -----------------------------------------------------------
-The blond man in blue cloth armor.
He is talented in swordsmanship. He is traveling all over the world
looking for a king whom he should serve.
*Emergency Retreat*: Reverse Vault
Cross Slash Press b+A or press b,f+A quickly
Kick Attack Press A, then press u quickly
-Reverse vault has Lancelot do a super jump backwards and slashing just
before he leaves the ground. Does VERY little damage.
-Cross slash is a horizontal slash that is slower than a normal slash
but is faster than a heavy attack. Has damage that is inbetween a
normal and heavy attack. Also has slightly more range.
-Kick attack is a short leap into a kick. If it connects, blocked or
not, Lancelot bounces off the enemy and is defenseless on the way down.
Does minor damage and knockdown.
Level 1 initial stats:
Offensive Power 3
Defensive Power 4
Agility 5
Comments:
Lancelot is pretty quick so his normal combo is quick and finishes
quickly allowing you to change targets. He is, however, weak in
strength and it will be noticeable when fighting bosses, especially
against those with super armor where normal combos aren't very
effective.
[ Arthur ] -------------------------------------------------------------
-The man with brown hair wearing chain and leather armor.
He is training himself to be a great knight. He understood his mission
when he pulled out the sacred sword "EXCALIBUR".
*Emergency Retreat*: Ascending Strike
Vertical Cut Press b+A or press b,f+A quickly
Upper Slash Press A, then press u quickly
-Ascending strike has Arthur jump backwards and then slashes just before
he lands. Does little damage.
-Vertical cut is a vertical slash that is slower than a normal slash but
is faster than a heavy attack. Has damage that is inbetween a normal
and heavy attack. Unlike Lancelot's Cross slash, this one actually has
LESS range than a normal attack.
-Upper slash has Arthur slashing as he jumps up. After he jumps you can
press A again to do a mid-air slash. These two slashes DO NOT combo.
The jump is also redirectable.
Level 1 initial stats:
Offensive Power 4
Defensive Power 4
Agility 4
Comments:
Arthur is the all around average guy. Decent range, good power, average
speed. He's great if all you want to use is normal or heavy attacks
cause all of his other moves really suck.
[ Perceval ] -----------------------------------------------------------
-The bare-chested big guy
He is a gentle hearted fighter. He has never been defeated thanks to
his well-built body.
*Emergency Retreat*: Roll Escape
Dash Tap f,f quickly (hold last f)
-Dash Strike During Dash, press A
-The Roll Escape is exactly what it sounds. Perceval rolls backwards
but note his retreat does no attack, unlike Lancelot's or Arthur's.
-Dash is a simple quick dash forward.
-Dash Strike is a horizontal slash that is slower than a normal slash
but is faster than a heavy attack. Has damage that is inbetween a
normal and heavy attack. Also has slightly more range.
Level 1 initial stats:
Offensive Power 5
Defensive Power 4
Agility 3
-When Perceval walks, he initially walks slowly but then gains a lot of
speed.
-Unlike Lancelot and Arthur, Perceval's jumping slash is actually a
jumping heavy attack. Abuse it!
Comments:
Perceval is in my opinion the best character. His attacks might be
short range and perhaps a little slow but his power for than makes up
for it. And power goes a long way to doing damage to bosses. He also
gets USEFUL special moves and he actually walks FASTER than Lancelot and
Arthur when he picks up momentum. So really Perceval gets all the
perks in this game. (which really sucks cause I'm a swift and weak
character player)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Experience System
------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is one of the few arcade games that uses an Experience system found
in RPGs. Here, score points double as experience points. When you
reach a certain amount of experience, your character gains a level up
and offensive, defensive powers and agility increases. Your character
will also recover full health. At certain levels you'll even gain new
armor and/or a new weapon.
In Knights of the Round, the maximum level that can be achieved is 16.
However, you can only reach up to level 14 through experience alone.
Magic staffs located in the game will allow a character to reach the
maximum level. Suffice to say, there is only enough experience and
staffs for a solo player to reach level 16 so groups of 2 or 3 players
will have to decide how to share the experience, if at all.
Level # Exp Required Level # Exp Required
------- ------------ -------- ------------
Level 2 12000 Level 10 259000
Level 3 30000 Level 11 302000
Level 4 53000 Level 12 347000
Level 5 80000 Level 13 394000
Level 6 110000 Level 14 442000
Level 7 143000 Level 15 99999999
Level 8 179000
Level 9 218000
Experience is gained by killing enemies, collecting items, and end stage
bonuses. For maximization of experience, aim for the following:
-Always eat food when at maximum health.
-You will almost always get better experience by splitting items.
-Complete stages quickly for a higher time bonus.
-Kill same type enemies sequentially for multiplier bonus.
-Kill bosses with anything but a desperation or emergency retreat.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Items
------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are many items in the game which all characters can pick up.
Items can be found in barrels, objects, or from enemies. All items
except special items can be split into smaller sections for experience
sharing or optimization. Whole item experience values are listed
first, and split items follow those. Most items when split have
different outcomes that are produced at random. Items are separated
into their respective categories:
[ Food ] ---------------------------------------------------------------
Food items are designed to replenish lost health. If a food item is
eaten when a player is at full health, it is converted into experience.
Experience listed are if they are eaten when at full health.
Ham (small) 40
Grapes 80
Apple 100
Bread 100
Salad (small) 100
Ham (large) 120 -> 3xHam (small) 40
-> 4xHam (small) 40
Milk Jug 160
Chicken (small) 160
Salad (large) 320 -> 4xSalad (small) 100
-> 6xSalad (small) 100
Fruit Basket 320 -> 1xApple 100
-> 3xGrapes 80
1xApple 100
-> 3xGrapes 80
3xApple 100
Chicken (large) 560 -> 4xChicken (small) 160
-> 6xChicken (small) 160
[ Experience Items ] ---------------------------------------------------
These items serve to increase your experience.
Bag (silver coins) 140
Bag (gold coins) 180
Treasure 240
Tea Pot (small, silver) 100
Tea Pot (large, silver) 200
Tea Pot (gold) 300
Chest (silver coins) 400 -> 3xBag (silver coins) 140
-> 4xBag (silver coins) 140
Tea Set 500 -> 3xTea Pot (small, silver) 100
2xTea Pot (large, silver) 200
1xTea Pot (gold) 300
-> 2xTea Pot (small, silver) 100
1xTea Pot (large, silver) 200
3xTea Pot (gold) 300
Chest (gold coins) 600 -> 3xBag (gold coins) 180
-> 4xBag (gold coins) 180
Chest (treasure) 800 -> 3xBag (silver coins) 140
3xTreasure 240
-> 1xBag (silver coins) 140
3xTreasure 240
-> 3xBag (silver coins) 140
1xTea Pot (gold) 300
-> 4xTreasure 240
[ Special ] ------------------------------------------------------------
There are several items that serves a special purpose.
Red Orb 800
Green Orb 800
Knight Chess Piece -
Magic Staff -
-Red orb kills all enemies on the screen and all defeated enemies drop
an experience item.
-Green orb kills all enemies on the screen and all defeated enemies drop
a food item.
-Knight chess piece calls forth a horse.
-Magic staff instantly raises a character's level by 1 without advancing
the next level up experience requirement. They are VERY rare and are
found in barrels or occasionally a split Chest (treasure) will
transform into one.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enemy List & Scoring
------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a full list of all the enemies in Knights of the Round. The
list is sorted according to score. Enemies with important notes are
listed to the right of their score.
Soldier (no helmet) 80
Soldier (helmet) 100
Buster D 100 -Explodes after being hit once
Mad Tiger 100
Magician 120
Bad Falcon 200
Bird Man 300
Fatman 300
Barbarian 400
Mask Man 400
Swordman 400
Buster F 600 -Can ride horses
Fake Phantom 600 -Occurs only on Stage 4 boss
Sky Walker 600
Tall Man 600
Buster S 800 -Can ride horses
Barricade 1000 -Doesn't attack or do damage
Iron Golem 1000 -Stage 7 Mini-boss
Scorn 2000 -Stage 1 Boss
Braford 4000 -Stage 2 Boss
Phantom 4000 -Stage 4 Boss, Stage 7 Mini-boss
Arlon 6000 -Stage 3 Boss
Balbars 6000 -Stage 5 Boss
Muramasa 8000 -Stage 6 Boss
Garibaldi 10000 -Final Boss
There is also a multiplier bonus for killing enemies of the same type
sequentially. (Eg. Kill 3 soldiers in a row or 2 Tall Man one after
the other). The equation for the multiplier is as follows:
After the 1st kill: Multiplier=Base Score x (Kill#-1)
Eg. If you kill 3 soldiers(helmet) in a row, you will get a score as
follows:
Base Score Multiplier Total
1st Soldier 100 + 0 = 100
2nd Soldier 100 + 100 = 200
3rd Soldier 100 + 200 = 300
Soldiers with or without a helmet are considered the same type.
The multiplier will reset when you kill an enemy of a different type,
after every scene change. or, die. As you can see, the multiplier can
rapidly increase, especially against higher valued enemies and is key
for maximizing experience.
========================================================================
4. GAME WALKTHROUGH
========================================================================
The game consists of 7 stages. As mentioned in the introduction
section, this will be more of a list of stats for each stage and I'll
leave most of the strategy to you, the player. I'll only mention
strategy if it is relevant to do so.
At the end of each stage, Time and Stage Clear bonuses are awarded to
all players. The player who killed the boss gets an additional Special
bonus which is based on how you killed the boss.
Bonus Scoring:
Time Bonus Based on difference to Best Time
Clear Bonus See stage walkthrough
Special Bonus 3000 (Normal), 2600 (Desperation), 2400 (Emergency
retreat)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 1- Village On Fire
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage Boss: First Challenge! Scorn
Boss Experience: 2000
Stage Clear Bonus: 5000
Scorn is your first challenging enemy. Tall and using a long spear,
he is slow so get the guard out when you see his attack coming. Later
on Scorn becomes a regular enemy called Tall Man.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 2- Confused Fight
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage Boss: The Swordmaster, Braford
Boss Experience: 4000
Stage Clear Bonus: 7000
Braford is a swordmaster that wields a short sword and a long sword and
starts off on his blue horse. Be aware when he is on his horse since
he can shoot a long distance energy wave at you. It can be blocked so
always be ready. Off his horse, Braford is very quick. Watch out of
his own desperation attack where he causes a small circle of fire
around him.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 3- Battle at the Castle Fort
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage Boss: The Silver Emperor, Arlon
Boss Experience: 6000
Stage Clear Bonus: 12000
Ridiculously big and using a morning star and spiked knuckles, Arlon
looks formidable. When he lands from a jump he creates a circle of
fire around him. He also charges forward with a punch or with his
morning star. When he does his desperation attack Arlon stands still
for a moment and no attacks can hurt him during this time.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 4- Knights Festival
------------------------------------------------------------------------
At the end of the first scene, whoever touches the flag gets a large
10000 experience bonus.
Stage Boss: The Nightshade, Phantom
Boss Experience: 4000
Stage Clear Bonus: 13000
The Phantom is very quick. He occasionally throws a knife or a series
of arching butcher knives on the ground. He also occasionally he jumps
straight up and either throws a series of knives at a 45 degree angle or
shoots out a fireball towards the ground that expands and reaches full
screen. The fire can be jumped or blocked. At 50% life he's call for
2 fake Phantoms to try and confuse you. The fakes can be killed and
are worth 600 each.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 5- Expedition
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage Boss: The Hammer, Balbars
Boss Experience: 6000
Stage Clear Bonus: 14000
An enormous guy wielding an enormous hammer and heavy blue armor with
a skull molded on the chestplate. He possess super armor so even if you
do a successful hit and he takes damage Balbars does not go into a stun
animation. Unlike the other big bosses, Balbars does not create a fire
ring when he lands from a jump. Other than his pound and grab attacks
Balbars is fairly straightforward.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 6- Knights in the Strange Land
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage Boss: Blood Armor, Muramasa
Boss Experience: 8000
Stage Clear Bonus: 16000
A samurai with long katana. Probably the most difficult boss in the
game. He has a charge move and a desperation attack where he is
surrounded by fire. Occasionally he jumps into the air flashing and
then calls forth a shower of fireballs. This move can be blocked.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stage 7- Decisive Battle at the King's Castle
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mini-Boss: Iron Golem
Boss Experience: 1000
This mini-boss is very easy if you've learned how to block effectively.
If you attack the core, the upper chain ball will try to hit you. It
is easily blocked. At regular intervals, the bottom chain ball hit
hit the ground and cause iron balls or barrels to fall from the roof.
The balls can be blocked. And that's all there is to this mini-boss.
Mini-Boss: Phantom
Boss Experience: 4000
Phantom hasn't changed much at all the second time around. Beat him
like you beat him before.
Stage Boss: The Final Conflict, Garibaldi
Boss Experience: 10000
Stage Clear Bonus: 20000
Disappointingly, Garibaldi is nothing more than a color swap of Arlon
from stage 3. Garibaldi starts off on a horse and has an energy wave
attack from Braford (stage 2). Occasionally he might flash and raise
his morning star and call forth a shower of lightning balls. They
can be blocked. When Garibaldi goes down to 60% of his last bar, he'll
jump off his horse. His gold helm can be picked up for a full health
recovery! Off his horse Garibaldi can jump (and cause a fire circle),
shoot out a ground fire wave, desperation with his morning star, and a
desperation with fire that extends full screen. He also possesses
super armor so be aware of that too.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ending
------------------------------------------------------------------------
After enduring countless severe battles, the valiant warriors have
finally obtained the legendary Holy Grail. Even though the evil scourge
has been defeated, only the Holy Grail can restore the destruction that
was left in the evil's wake and bring peace once again to the land.
They quickly seek help from the wizard Merlin...
Merlin: Welcome back! Ahhhh, the Holy Grail. The Grail holds
inconceivable power. It may be used for the good of man or for his
very destruction. Its is left to you to decide how best to use its
power.
Players can then "press botton" and touch the Holy Grail. The dialogue
is different depending on who presses first.
If Lancelot presses first:
Lancelot goes up to the Grail.
Lancelot: I am deeply honored that you should offer me the power of the
Holy Grail. But I know it is not mine to bear. My quest has taught
me the virtue of my own dedication to good and purity and found for me
a lord and king for whom I would willing lay down my life.
Merlin: So tell me, who shall be king of all the Britons?
Lancelot & "Parceval": Arthur!!!
Arthur: If it is my destiny to be king and do such deeds as you fortell
then so be it, my shoulders and will make every effort to restore
peace to this country.
If Arthur presses first:
Arthur goes up to the Grail.
Arthur: With the help of the Grail, this land may know a peace such as
none it has ever known before. I will create that peace or die in my
effort. There is much to be done and, though the power of the Grail
is considerable I will also need the assistance of men. Lancelot,
Parceval... Please join me in my court so that I might have some chance
of success.
If Perceval presses first:
Perceval goes up to the Grail but it rejects his touch.
"Parceval": I am not worthy of the Grail. It must go to one of
greater destiny than I. It should be held by no less than a king and
that I can never be. Only one can be king and I now know who that
one must be.
Merlin: So tell me, who shall be king of all the Britons?
Lancelot & "Parceval": Arthur!!!
Arthur: If it is my destiny to be king and do such deeds as you fortell
then so be it, my shoulders and will make every effort to restore
peace to this country.
After a long period of violence and battle, England was finally unified
by the valiant effort of these three heroes and others like them.
Arthur became the first King of all the Britons as Merlin had predicted
and Lancelot and Parceval, Arthur's closest companions, were welcomed in
glory by all the people of the land.
King Arthur believed that he and his knights should meet as equals with
no one knight more highly placed than another. Therefore, he devised
the 'round table' so that none should sit at the head of the table.
People called them the 'Knights of the Round' and their story is still
told today by people all over the world.
-Yes, they decided to misspell Perceval's name for the entire ending.
They even spelled 'button' wrong. But that is how it would be
pronounced in Japanese so it's not a translator's error. Again, this
is directly from the game so these are not my typos. ^_^
========================================================================
5. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN WORLD & JAPANESE VERSIONS
========================================================================
Gasp?! I'm happy to say that there are no significant changes
what-so-ever between the World and Japanese versions. The only things
that were changed was the translation of the intro demo and ending which
is expected. Everything else is exactly the same.
========================================================================
6. AUTHOR'S NOTES
========================================================================
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Special Thanks & Credits
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris MacDonald/Kao Megura
-whose original FAQs were the inspiration for me to write, and whose
FAQ template which was the basis for this one.
If there are mistakes or you have something to contribute or just have
feedback, email to <
[email protected]>.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Revision History
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Version 1.0a (April 26, 2001)
-Minor editing fixes like old notes I left on.
Version 1.0 (April 25, 2001)
-My second FAQ is finished. This would have been finished sooner
but I got side tracked with RPGMaker ^_^ And I even did the entire
enemy scoring breakdown! So about the only possible thing left to do
is to figure out how the Time Bonus works, but I don't feel like
busting my brain over it. It's not that important... I hope. Well
that's it.
Unpublished work Copyright 2001 Richard Chu
