A Capcom Arthurian medieval brawler, three players in arcade and SNES adapted. Pleasant but tech limited, retro arcade charm.
Your verdict
Category
Beat-'Em-Up2 players12+
Co-op
Description
Capcom beat-'em-up featuring Knights of the Round Table battling hordes of medieval monsters. Published by Capcom, released in Europe in 1994. Five knights with distinct combat styles including Lancelot and Arthur, side-scrolling levels in an Arthurian world and massive bosses. SNES port of the Capcom Knights of the Round arcade.
Knights of the Round review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
2/5
Story
★★★★★
"Classic"
Capcom makes progression visible: as the knight rises in rank his armour changes on screen, more ornate, heavier, up to full plate. Around him the settings line up misted forests, burning villages and throne rooms, with that density of fallen figures on the ground which characterises the publisher's brawlers.
The console adaptation takes the arcade score and gives it more orchestral colours: fanfare brass for the charges, held strings in the siege passages, hammered percussion marking the fights. The round table theme returns in several forms, which gives the whole thing the bearing of a chivalric film score.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Playing a Knight of the Round Table, parrying blows and slicing through entire armies in a medieval Capcom beat'em up: the Arthurian epic is lived sword in hand. The blocking system and the levelling-up add real depth to the brawling. Two or three players, co-op electrifies. Epic, snappy and stylish, a gleeful chivalric blow-off.
The European PAL SNES edition of the Capcom 1994 arcade beat'em up based on Arthurian legend, with a short PAL print and a fragile cardboard box. The PAL cart is rarer than the Japanese Super Famicom version, and the SNES port remained one of the few period ways to play this Capcom arcade title at home. PAL boxed CIB in the original cardboard box climbs steadily, sustained by physical scarcity and by the cult arcade aura.
Better with friends
A medieval beat'em up where knights carve through enemy ranks sword in hand, in chivalrous, snappy co-op. Mutual aid shapes the advance: covering each other, parrying together and managing the shared level-ups gives real depth to two-player play. Stylish and tough at times, it rewards coordination and makes shared sessions a frenzied crusade you want to see through to the end.
Is Knights of the Round still worth playing in 2026?
Knights of the Round is the SNES adaptation of Capcom's medieval beat them up, namely a playable trio of Arthur, Lancelot and Percival, and a block and parry system more tactical than the genre standard. The port loses three player co op and shows some technical drops, but preserves the chains, the move reading and the Capcom arcade touch. Recommended to fans of Capcom beat them ups and Arthurian folklore, keeping in mind that an arcade board or a compilation is preferable.
