 I love looking at the recent resurgences of classic video game series in video gaming. You've seen arcade classics like Rygar and Shinobi resurrected for the PS2, and the Castlevania and Metal Gear series are still going strong. Yet I can't help but look back at those series from the olden days that remain forgotten, left to rot except in the minds of the few gamers that still hold them close to their heart. Valis is one of these series. Though reasonably unpopular in the States, all of the games made them outside of Japan in some form or another, although the best versions of the games were always on the Turbografx-16. However, it was fairly popular in Japan, mostly due to its attractive character designs.
 Valis is a side-scrolling action series that focuses on a young blue haired Japanese schoolgirl named Yuko Ahso. As the first tale begins, it's just not her day - it's rainy outside, she's late to school, and her best friend Reiko is all into this guy who's actually an evil warlord for another world. It just goes downhill when a sword falls into Yuko's hands and demons start invading. Yuko, it seems, is the prophesized savior of Vecanti, a fantasy dream world. It's up to her to wield the sacred Calis sword and save the land from the evil Rogles, which culminates in a battle with the love-stricken Reiko. Future episodes have Yuko returning to the land of Vecanti to liberate them from whatever troubles they happen to get into. In many ways, it's a predecessor to the popular anime/manga series Fushigi Yuugi, except with less bishounen and more T&A.
  Yes, just one gander at the screens on the right, and it's pretty obvious that Valis is all about hot anime chicks in bikinis and schoolgirl outfits destroying things. The detailed cinema scenes - which even looked great in the cartridge Genesis incarnations - were the main selling points of the series. I have a feeling that if anime were more popular in American when these came out in the mid-1990s, the series would've probably found more than just a cult following. Valis was published by Telenet Japan and their American subsidiary Renovation. The opening also seem to credit the company "Riot" as the creator behind the later versions of the games. Although there are only four actual Valis games, each has been ported to a variety of systems, and most versions are quite different from one another. Alas, the Valis games never quite shook off the reputation of being a second class side-scrolling series, and part of that is because most of them really lack the polish that are found in true classic games. Still, there are some high points that are definitely worth checking out.
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The original Valis first came out on the MSX and PC-88 home computers. The gameplay is mostly straightforward, although Yuko has to vaguely look through levels to find jewels strewn about the rather large landscape. Unfortunately, these computers were not very good at scrolling, sprites, or much of any of those little things that make a good action game, so the result is a nearly unplayable, uncontrollable mess. The Famicom version controls much better, but instead sends Yuko through a maze of a city as she fights the same monsters over and over. When you start going in circles the first few seconds of the game, you know something is wrong. You also only get one life, so it's back to the beginning of the level if you die. Both of these versions are utter garbage.
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 Valis MSX |
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American Genesis Cover |
Japanese Mega Drive Cover |
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| The Genesis remake of a Valis actually came out after Valis 2 but before Valis 3. The gameplay is much more straightforward, and it's more little bit more like a Castlevania title. Unfortunately, they neglected to put any effort into the programming. The animation is jerky, the hit detection is terrible, the scrolling awkward and the boss battles are ruined totally by slowdown. The level design, similarly, is often rather barren, and Yuko moves pretty slowly. The cinema scenes are great, but they don't save the game. It's at least playable, which is much more than can be said of the previous versions, but still pretty mediocre. |
 Valis Genesis |
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PC Engine Cover |
Valis PC Engine
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Valis PC Engine
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Now THIS is more like it. A COMPLETELY different remake of Valis 1 for the PC Engine was actually the last Valis game to be released, and not coincidentally, also the best. The graphics are gorgeous, the music rocking, and the control is spot on. Everything oozes the quality that one would expect from a high quality side-scrolling action game. The cutscenes are only a minor improvement over the Genesis version (other than a brand new intro) but they're still high quality. The only real problem is that it lacks some of the cooler aspects found later in the series - I understand they didn't want to mess with the plot, but playing as multiple characters was reasonably cool.
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 Valis PC Engine
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The appeal of Valis has always been the usual "hot babe in skimpy outfit fighting evil" formula we know and love, but the PC Engine version really drives this point home. The intro has plenty of lovely fan service, and the game makes sure you know what color panties Yuko is wearing every time she jumps. |
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MSX Cover |
Valis 2 MSX
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Valis 2 MSX
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The original version of Valis 2 was the first to have really good cutscenes, which were quite a technological achievement for the time, even if the character designs are a little freaky. Yuko's back in the real world, but the spirit of the slain Reiko appears to her in a dream. Apparently Vecanti is now torn between war after Yuko kicked Rogles' ass, so the blue haired savior must once again take up the Valis sword and save the day.
  Thankfully, the game plays much better than the original MSX, although the scrolling and animation is still pretty choppy. Even if the game hasn't aged very well, there are some pretty cool concepts. Yuko can change weapons and armor mid-game, giving you some control over Yuko's appearance. She also has the ability to fly, leading to some vaguely shooter-esque sections. The PC88 version is mostly the same, but the X68000 version has substantially better graphics.
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 Valis 2 MSX
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Turbografx-16 Cover |
PC Engine Cover |
Valis 2 TG16
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The first thing you notice about Valis 2 is how FAST it is - Yuko dashs forward and slashes like the wind. It feels cool at first, but then the major weakness sets in - the level designs. The first level is nothing but flat terrain filled with lots of enemies. Later stages pick up the pace, but parts of it are just too dull.
 It's also stripped down quite a bit from the MSX2 game - no longer can you switch weaponry or armor in the middle of the game. Unfortunately, the cutscenes aren't too hot, as they're in a not only in a small box on the screen, but poorly drawn as well. And the voice acting is, naturally, pretty bad, but there's some cool music that almost balances it out. It's a somewhat enjoyable game, although nothing special.
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 Valis 2 TG16
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Right before Yuko faces a boss, you're greeted with some kind of air-raid siren, along with an awkwardly translated message describing whatever useless statistics of the boss you're about to face. After the game is finished loading, you're treated to a terribly voiced dialogue of whatever bizarrely named strong warrior you have to fight. Enjoy these samples of Red Salamander Zaluga and Heisen the Ruthless.
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Genesis Cover |
Mega Drive Cover |
Syd of Valis
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Plotwise, this is a remake of Valis 2 featuring those goofy super-deformed character designs that make weird otaku types yell "KAWAII!!!" before they go back to cooing over Hello Kitty paraphanelia.
 The level designs are actually slightly more involved than Valis 2, although the gameplay is pretty simplistic, clumsy and not quite as fun as the happy graphics might lead you to believe. Still, it has the weapon and armor system that the TG16 version was lacking, so that has to count for something. Oddly enough, for the English version, Yuko was renamed to Syd to fit along with the title - although who only knows why that was changed in the first place.
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 Syd of Valis
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Genesis Cover |
Mega Drive Cover |
Valis 3 Genesis
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Yuko still can't get a decent night's sleep, as her sword is stolen under the cloak of darkness. As it turns out, the thief is really just the Vecanti warrior Cham, who wants to use it to fight evil herself, but Yuko decides to head back and save the fantasm world once again. In a move that aligns it even further with the Castlevania series, you get three playable characters.
 Yuko has a strong sword attack, but you have to wait a split second for it to charge up before you attack. Cham is a whip-wielding elf girl who would give any Belmont a run for their money, and Valna is a sorceress who shoots out magical bolts, making her play like a character from the first two games. While the control and scrolling still feels a little off, it's still a pretty decent entry all around, and the second best of the series.
  
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 Valis 3 Genesis
Valis 3 Genesis
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TG16 Cover |
PC Engine Cover |
Soundtrack Cover
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The Turbografx-16 CD counterpart of Valis 3 is almost exactly the same as the Genesis version, with some minor alterations. Although the graphics are nearly identical, the TG16 game has a few extra levels and cutscenes, which, as usual, are fully voiced. The music also benefits from the CD audio, although it's nothing spectacular. It's also a bit more difficult than the Genesis version, especially in the levels exclusive to this port. Cryptically, Cham is known as Char in this translation.
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 Valis 3 TG-16
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PC Engine Cover |
Valis 4 PCE |
Valis 4 PCE
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After the end of Valis 3, Yuko went to rest in the heavens and became a goddess, leaving
the mortal world behind. As a result, the Valis sword has been passed down to the fire-haired warrior Rena. But not only has Valna been kidnapped, but the evil lord Gallagher is up the usual evil shenigans. Rena, along with her boyish sister Amu and the demon Asfa, must stop him.
 Much like its predecessor, Valis 4 gives you control over all three of these characters, although their differences are even more pronounced. While Rena plays just like Yoko, Amu has a double jump that's useful for the platforming segments and Asfal is reasonably strong but slow. Each character also has a magic meter that builds up over time - the longer it's charged, the more powerful the spell, although you lose its power if you get hurt. Valis 4 isn't without some niggling problems - Amu's double jump is difficult to pull off and results in some cheap deaths, and Asfer, for being as awesome as he looks, controls too stubbornly to be much of any use. The music is also pretty forgettable. I'd venture to say that Valis 3 is also a bit better, if just for the fact that Cham was awesome to play as. It is cool to see how the characters from the other Valis games have aged though.
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 Valis 4 PC Engine
Valis 4 PC Engine
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| Critics of the Valis series (the few that still exist, anyway) like to point out that the focus was often more on the anime scenes and storyline rather than the actual gameplay, which is certainly true of some variations of the games. Further drilling in this concept, Lasersort actually released CD with all of the cutscenes from the PC Engine Valis 2-4 games, the second in its Visual Collection series (the first was from the RPG series Cosmic Fantasy) so you could watch them at any time. This is, naturally, entirely useless, unless you're a total whore for the series. |
 Valis Visual Collection
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Super Famicom Cover |
Super Nintendo Cover |
Super Valis SNES
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The Super Nintendo version of Valis 4 was, unfortunately, butchered pretty badly. While there's still an intro, almost all of the cutscenes have replaced with a simple still picture of Rena. If this was the only change they made, that wouldn't have been so bad - but it's not. Rena is the only playable character, as the others have been tossed out the window. Although it still controls well, the magic system has been completely overhauled. You know collect and stock up on various icons, and select them when you want to use them. Rena no longer shoots waves out of her sword, instead replacing it with a simple spell that shoots a bolt. This really isn't a bad change, but the other version worked pretty. The real kick in the fact is that Super Valis' stages are drawn out and extremely repetetive, even if some of them look like the PC Engine version. Another middling chapter in the series, alas.
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 Super Valis SNES
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