The Crystal of Kings (2001)

The Crystal of Kings is an extremely rare arcade scrolling fighter developed by BrezzaSoft. It boasts very high-quality pre-rendered graphics, and a morality system that determines whether you get a good, neutral, or bad ending. Unfortunately, the gameplay is far behind the curve, resembling Golden Axe more than advanced brawlers such as Guardian Heroes or Gaia Crusaders.

Storyline

Once long ago, the land was governed by kings who wielded crystals, orbs of magic that rival the power of the gods. Amongst them was an ambitious man named Nightspirit, who grew corrupt with his crystal's power. Dubbing himself the Crystal of Kings, he unleashed a hellish army of monsters in an attempt to pillage the land's remaining crystals for himself. The just and elderly king of Estorea entrusted his country's crystal to his loyal knight, Cocco. He begs him to band together with the other kingdoms' warriors to destroy the evil tyrant.