Knights of Valour Longplay (Arcade) [4K]

Game Info
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Developer: IGS
Publisher: IGS
Year of Release: 1999

Game Review & Impressions
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The golden age of the arcade was definitely in the rear view mirror at the turn of the Millennium, but manufacturers were still developing and turning out new coin operated experiences to lure in the punters. Knights of Valour, a side-scrolling brawler from Taiwanese developer IGS, is one of the later tranche of releases; it's definitely quite the looker! This heavily inspired by Capcom's Dungeons & Dragons coin-ops, although the 14th Century Chinese mythos setting is clearly aping Dynasty Warriors, another Capcom arcade release.

Much like Capcom's DnD games, KoV features an RPG-lite mechanic where characters gain experience defeating enemies, eventually levelling-up to become more powerful. There's also a variety of ancillary weapons to collect, ranging from daggers to firecrackers, plus an assortment of magical items. When used, the latter can unleash powerful spells which damage, stun, or otherwise confound nearby enemies. Not all characters can use all weapons, however, which can be a consideration when it comes to both choosing which fighter to select, as well as which route to take through the game.

Speaking of routes, this is one of the game's major facets. Most of the levels feature branching paths through to the end boss, each featuring different encounters, sub-bosses, loot, and more besides. Searching for secret exits in the background of each area can take you well off the beaten track if found, providing the opportunity to gain more experience points and treasure, but at the risk of losing health or lives in the process. Some of these routes are exclusive to specific characters, so it's rare that any two playthroughs would ever be completely alike.

Of course, the core game is still a beat 'em up, and for a game of this considerable length the inherently repetitive cycle of fighting enemies until they fall over best be really good to keep players engaged. Each character can churn out a series of swipes and slashes with their weapon by tapping the attack buttons, even chaining in the occasional special with Street Fighter-esque directional input on the joystick. Defeating enemies gradually fills up a power meter which, when full, can be used to activate a power mode, enhancing all damage output and enabling the execution of screen-clearing super moves, provided you have enough gas in the tank. Unfortunately, the power gauge takes too long to fill up between uses, and because you'll want to keep it in reserve for bosses, it doesn't get whole lot of use. This means you'll be repeating the same combos time after time for the vast majority of the game, which makes for really dull experience. This would have been so much better if the game featured some form of grappling or throwing mechanic, but the final result is just utterly dull beyond the first 10 minutes or so.

This is a real disappointment because the game looks absolutely phenomenal. The artists at IGS did stellar work on this game, with beautifully animated sprites and highly detailed backdrops centre stage; the presentation is equal to the best from both Capcom and SNK in terms of pure pixel artistry and, in short, looks an absolute peach. It's just a shame the core game loop is so monotonous; with more variety, this could have been an absolutely killer title.

Video Notes
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- Audio is bugged from 58:50 to 1:04:21 (seems to be a common issue with the original version of the game)

Chapters
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0:00:00 Attract mode
0:00:45 Stage 1
0:08:50 Stage 2
0:23:20 Stage 3
0:39:54 Stage 4
0:52:42 Stage 5 (audio bugged)
1:04:32 Stage 6
1:14:20 Stage 7
1:31:32 Ending