The King of Dragons

Draw your sword, raise your shield and step into a kingdom plagued by a red dragon – The King of Dragons by Capcom from 1991 is a fantasy brawler that brought a hefty dose of role-playing games and the adventurous spirit of Dungeons & Dragons into the genre. For fans of sword and magic it was a dream come true at a single machine.

Players choose from five archetypes – knight, dwarf, wizard, elf and cleric – each of whom has a different reach, strength and style of combat. Unlike a pure brawler, a simple experience system works here: your character gains levels, improves their equipment and grows stronger, so that progressing through the world has the flavor of an adventure. You fight through hordes of goblins, orcs and giants all the way to bosses torn from the bestiary of heroic fantasy.

Capcom built the game on its CPS hardware and bet on detailed, fairy-tale-flavored graphics with large enemy sprites and a fantasy aesthetic that it later developed further in other titles from the same mold. Multiplayer cooperation and the ability to strategize with different classes gave the game depth beyond the usual beating.

Culturally, The King of Dragons falls into the wave of fantasy beat 'em ups with which Capcom expanded the genre beyond urban brawls, and it foreshadows later, more elaborate titles with the Dungeons & Dragons license. It reached home players mainly thanks to conversions and later Capcom collectors' collections.

The combination of accessible action and light character development makes it a title that entertains both lovers of pure beating and those craving a pinch of fantasy adventure.

Why play: A fantasy brawler with a touch of role-playing games and a choice of heroic classes – sword and magic in splendid cooperative form.