The King of Dragons (1991)

Another game I played via the Capcom Beat 'em Up collection.

I like this one because of the high fantasy setting and RPG mechanics. Pretty nifty having a progression system in a beat 'em up. I only played as the elf, so I didn't try out the other 4 classes, but it would've been dope to try them out. And the fact that this is 3 player instead of just 2 is also a plus. Also pretty neat having the option of using ranged attacks in a beat 'em up.

Beat on Expert difficulty, though it took a lot of save state scumming. This is by far the best 2D brawler I have ever played and I love the old school dungeons and dragons feel. I was a little disappointed by the lack of variety between the classes, mainly with respect to the ultimate attacks.

First played as the cleric. My kind of character overall with a focus on defense, though the time limit was a bit of a problem

Then I played fighter as far as the 2nd last boss. I liked the fighter better because his advantages in speed and damage made him more effective and enjoyable. I did not feel like slogging through the end of the game again though.

Next the dwarf, though only the first level; just enough to get a feel for him. Least liked character.

Then I beat the entire game as the elf, and this is by far the best character. Every part that gave the melee trouble, this guy did with ease and nothing was overly difficult.

Last I tried the wizard and got about half way through. Not sure whether or not I like him better than the fighter. I might continue him later.

King of Dragons is a true classic on the Snes and the best brawler i played so far on the system. The game leads you trough 16 (short) levels full of orks, fishmen, black knights, minotaurs, cyclops and of course dragons. You can choose out of 5 classes elf, dwarf, cleric, warrior and wizard have different stats of stamina, mana and attack, i finished the game with the tanky cleric.

What i really liked about the game is that you can level up your armor, your weapon and your level singularity. They integrated some rpg elements, though the game felt a little bit more like a classic Dungeons & Dragons adventure. Mentioning Dungeons & Dragons the games biggest negative point is its generic build. The bosses dont even have own names they just called the wraith or the black knight. The Story is very thin (like in every brawler) and the enviroment is beautiful but generic too (the woods, the Dungeons, the mountains).

The game is too hard for my taste (like most brawlers) but its possible and its not unfair like the final fight series. The Game was released in 1991 so the grafics can be considered as very good look at these:

I completed the game alone, i think with a friend its even more awesome, give it a try!