Knights of the Round (US/World) FAQ v.1.0a for Arcade versions by R.Armitage (aka. RC, Mr.Miracle, Richard Chu) Unpublished work Copyright by 2001 Richard Chu ================= TABLE OF CONTENTS ================= 1.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 . ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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