~King's Knight~ vertical scrolling STG called "Formation RPG"

• King's Knight (1986) is a scrolling shooter by Square, uniquely marketed as a "Formation RPG" that blends action with character growth.

• In the Kingdom of Izander, four heroes must train individually and then unite to rescue Princess Claire from the evil dragon Tolfida.

• The party consists of Ray Jack (Knight), Kaliva (Wizard), Barusa (Monster), and Toby (Thief), each possessing distinct stats and weapons.

• Stages 1-4 are solo quests where players collect hidden "Ancient Treasures" to level up stats before the final team battle in Stage 5.

• The game is praised for its innovative structure and a memorable, epic soundtrack composed by the renowned Nobuo Uematsu.

• It is considered a difficult "memorization game"; missing essential hidden items can make the final stage nearly impossible to complete.

• Stage 5 is criticized for its large hit box and the inability to change character formations at will without specific items.

• This was the first Famicom game designed by Hironobu Sakaguchi. Early development plans reportedly included actual RPG dungeon exploration.