The city of Egvard, capital of Bretwalde, has been overrun during the funeral for the late king. Prince Serdic is killed in the resulting battle, but not before he gives his legendary sword to his body double. Now, "Prince Serdic" and his followers must retake the kingdom.

The battles in Rondo of Swords use the unusual Route Maneuver System. Instead of walking up to an enemy and attacking, you will run through enemies to attack. This adds tactical considerations; you can easily attack multiple enemies in a turn, you can run through allies to get bonuses to your attack, and you can attack from the sides or behind to get an advantage.