A year before Final Fantasy, Sakaguchi and Uematsu were already here — on a Famicom shooter, still finding their voice.
In 1986, Nobuo Uematsu was a new employee at Square — a small publisher releasing a series of diverse titles while searching for its identity. King's Knight was his third video game music composition. The game itself was a vertical shooter with an unusual structure: four characters completing their own stages independently before converging for a final combined level. Square would not find what it was looking for until the following year, when it released Final Fantasy — and Uematsu composed the soundtrack that gave the company its sound. That score introduced melodies that have been rearranged and performed in concert halls for the four decades since. King's Knight is what came just before. It is evidence that even composers of enduring work had a moment when they were simply working on the next assignment, and the assignment was a Famicom shooter.
— inspired by Nobuo Uematsu
About this game
King's Knight is a 1986 vertical-scrolling action game published by Square for the Famicom — one of the company's earliest releases, arriving just over a year before Final Fantasy transformed Square into an RPG powerhouse. Developed by Bits Laboratory, the game has players control four characters — a warrior, a wizard, a monster, and a thief — each navigating their own individual stage through bullet-heavy vertical-scrolling gameplay before all four converge in a final combined run. The music was composed by Nobuo Uematsu in what was one of his earliest game music compositions.
Gallery
The Story Behind
King's Knight shipped on the Family Computer on 18 September 1986 — the same month Square Co., Ltd. was spun off from its parent, a power-line construction firm, to stand as an independent game company. It was the first Famicom game designed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and Nobuo Uematsu's third score. The year after, the two would make Final Fantasy together. Square in 1986 was still a small publisher searching for its genre, and King's Knight shows it: a vertically scrolling shooter laced with RPG elements — power-ups, levelling, and four heroes who each grow over the course of a run. For collectors, the cartridge is a visible trace of Square's pre-Final Fantasy history: the before-picture of a company, a designer, and a composer who were all still finding their voice.
Tricks & Tales
King's Knight was Nobuo Uematsu's third video game music composition, following two earlier works. The game's structure — four characters completing individual stages before joining forces — was an unusual design for a vertical shooter, giving it a mild RPG-like flavour that may reflect Square's interests even before Final Fantasy. The four characters (Ray Jack the warrior, Kaliva the wizard, Barusa the monster, and Toby the thief) each have different movement speeds and shot patterns, effectively giving the game four different playstyles within a single title. The year after King's Knight, Uematsu wrote Final Fantasy. As for the game's North American release: in September 1989, King's Knight became the first title published under the Squaresoft name — Square's newly established U.S. subsidiary. Two Square-developed games had reached North America earlier (3-D WorldRunner and Rad Racer, both 1987), but through Acclaim and Nintendo respectively, before Square had its own publishing arm.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
Released in Japan (September 1986) and North America (September 1989). The North American NES version was published by SquareSoft and is equivalent in content to the Japanese version. The three-year gap between releases reflects the uneven pace of Famicom-to-NES localization in the late 1980s.
Maintenance Tips
The gold-plated edge connectors on Famicom and NES cartridges pick up skin oils and oxidation over decades — a gentle wipe with a cotton swab dampened in 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol, stroking along the length of the pins rather than across them, is the accepted standard. Let the alcohol fully evaporate before reinserting. The old habit of blowing into a cartridge is folklore: the moisture in breath causes slow corrosion of the contacts over time, and any improvement you felt came from the act of re-seating the cart, not from the breath itself. Nintendo eventually updated its own troubleshooting guidance to say explicitly: do not blow into your Game Paks.
Going deeper
Explore the machine this game ran on, and what to check before you buy or care for one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese King's Knight copies regularly.
Will this Japanese Famicom cartridge work on a North American Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)?
No, not without an adapter. The Famicom uses a 60-pin edge connector while the NES uses a 72-pin connector with a physically different form factor — the two are incompatible at the cartridge slot level. Third-party adapters exist that bridge the pin difference and allow Famicom cartridges to run in a NES. On a Japanese Famicom, NES cartridges face the same incompatibility in reverse. To play Japanese Famicom software, you need a Japanese Famicom, a Famicom-compatible clone console, or a NES fitted with an appropriate adapter.
How should I clean a Famicom cartridge to ensure reliable play?
Apply 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol to a cotton swab and gently wipe the gold-plated PCB edge contacts on the base of the cartridge. Never blow into the cartridge — breath moisture accelerates contact corrosion over time. If cleaning is needed inside, Famicom cartridges use 3.8mm security game bit screws (not standard Phillips); a security bit screwdriver is required to open the shell without damage. Note that most Famicom boot failures originate in the 60-pin console slot rather than the cartridge itself — cleaning the console slot contacts separately with a contact cleaning tool is often the more effective fix.
Does King's Knight have battery-backup saves or a password system?
Neither. King's Knight has no battery-backed save and no password system — the game is designed to be completed in a single session, and the NES manual documents only a Continue Mode (press Start after game over to resume the current stage). If the console is powered off, all progress is lost. Plan your session accordingly, or use save states on emulation hardware if session length is a concern.
Is there an English version of King's Knight I could play instead of the Japanese original?
Yes. King's Knight was released in North America in September 1989 by Squaresoft, making it Square's first North American release under that name. The NES and Famicom versions are functionally identical; the NES cartridge uses a 72-pin connector and plays on a standard North American NES without an adapter. If you are purchasing for historical or collector value, the Japanese Famicom SQF-KG edition is the original 1986 release. A 2017 mobile remake (King's Knight: Wrath of the Dark Dragon) existed but ended service in June 2018 and is no longer available.
How do I verify that a King's Knight Famicom cartridge is authentic?
The Japanese Famicom release carries product code SQF-KG, stamped on the cartridge label. No documented board revisions or re-presses are confirmed in collector databases. Verify the label reads スクウェア (Square) and shows code SQF-KG. Counterfeit copies are rare for this title, but bulk lots occasionally contain mislabeled or swapped-PCB copies — the most practical test is to confirm the game boots correctly on Japanese Famicom hardware.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy King's Knight
A short checklist for buying a used Famicom cartridge wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
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Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
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Make sure it fits your console
This is a Japanese Famicom cartridge with a 60-pin connector; a North American NES uses a 72-pin slot, so it will not fit directly.
Play it on a matching Japanese console or a region-free system, and confirm the listing states the region.
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If this title saves your progress, check the battery
Cartridges that save use a small coin-cell battery that fades over decades — a dead one wipes your save without warning.
Ask the seller whether the save function was tested. Replacing the battery is possible, but doing so erases any existing save.
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Check that the contacts are clean
Dirty edge contacts are the most common cause of startup and sound trouble in cartridges of this age.
Choose a seller who cleans the contacts before shipping. A note that it was tested and cleaned means the basics were handled.
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Confirm it is genuine, not a reproduction
Sought-after titles are targets for reproduction boards with replacement labels.
Ask for a photo of the circuit board and look for factory markings. Favour a shop with a licensed second-hand dealer permit (古物商) — by law its stock has a traceable origin, your simplest guard against fakes.
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Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
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Rooms this game lives in
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