Valis: The Fantasm Soldier

Gameplay

In its original PC-88 and MSX version, Valis: The Fantasm Soldier is a side-scrolling platform game. Wielding the game's titular sword, the main character fights through each level's enemies while jumping across ledges, then confronts a boss at the end of each level. At certain points in the game, gameplay pauses, and cinematic cutscenes regarding the game's storyline play. There is also a gameplay-tweaked and content-cut version for the FM-7.

The Family Computer (Famicom) side-scrolling action role-playing game version of Valis differs considerably from the other versions of the game. While the basic plot remains the same, gameplay has moved from linear stage design to larger maze-style levels with multiple paths, often of a questionable design, resulting in a very high difficulty level especially since there is neither a password nor save system.

The Mega Drive/Genesis remake features gameplay system more similar to later games in the series, in particular Valis III. Like other side-scrolling games of the era, the four D-pad buttons move the character, and the three fire buttons perform three actions for the main character: sliding, jumping, and swinging her sword that can be upgraded in three stages and there are alternative firing modes. The player can also use magic spells, gaing them after defeating bosses.

The PC Engine remake features improvements in the gameplay system (such as single high jumps instead of two-phase jumps and the sliding move damaging enemies) and voiced cutscenes. The mobile remake further added new stages and alternate costumes.

Plot

Yuko Asou (麻生 優子, Asou Yūko) (voiced by Sumi Shimamoto) is a schoolgirl in late 1980s Japan who is fated to protect three different realms – our own Earth, the land of spirits, and Vecanti, the Dream World – by wielding a mystical sword known as Valis. Demon lord Rogles (ろぐれす, Roguresu) (voiced by Hideyuki Tanaka) extinguishes a light in Vecanti which functions as a source of power for those who live there, and in a desperate plea for salvation, its queen Valia ばりあ (Baria) (voiced by Yoshiko Sakakibara) reaches out for a brave soul who can help them in their time of despair. Yuko on Earth is the one who answers the call, being summoned by magical forces into Vecanti to liberate them from the evil of Rogles, who brainwashes Yūko's classmate and girlfriend Reiko Kirishima (きりしま 麗子, Kirishima Reiko) (voiced by Yūko Mita) into helping him try and put an end to the Valis warrior.

Against increasingly difficult odds, Yuko prevails. Although Reiko is killed in the process, her memory returns as she dies in Yuko's arms.

Release

The original PC-88 and MSX were all developed by Wolf Team and published by Telenet Japan. Tokuma Shoten would later develop and release an almost completely redone version for the Famicom in 1987 only in Japan.

In 1991, Telenet and Renovation (United States) released versions for the Mega Drive/Genesis, developed by Riot. An enhanced remake of the Mega Drive version was also developed by Riot and released by Telenet for the PC Engine's Super CD-ROM² add-on in 1992. In 2005-2006, Bandai Namco released another remake of the game, this time for mobile phone platforms in Japan.

Project EGG released various emulated versions of the game for Windows, along with the compilation Complete Plus that came with a soundtrack CD and a figure. The PC Engine version was released by Konami on the PlayStation Store in 2010, and in 2014 was given for free for the Japanese subscribers to the PlayStation Network service.

Other media

A short promotional anime by Sunrise, directed by Hideaki Anno and Katsuhiko Nishijima, featuring music by Kohei Tanaka, was released in 1987 on the VHD attached to an issue of Anime Vision magazine. The artist PiXEL who was responsible for the game's character design also published three doujinshi books. The orchestral arrangement of the game's soundtrack was released in 2011.

Reception

Sam Derboo from Hardcore Gaming 101 wrote the original versions "might be a horrible, unplayable mess, but its call to fame to begin with wasn't the gameplay, but the pioneering in cinematic cutscenes - two years even before Ninja Gaiden. (...) What's left is the quite excellent chiptune music, really the only part the original Valis is worth being remembered for." Derboo further described the Family Computer version as a "typical Famicom action RPG - competently executed, but super obfuscate and endlessly frustrating." Nevertheless, MSX Club "highly recommended" the MSX version as an "excellent" action game, even as Arcades gave it a score of only 9/20.

The Mega Drive / Genesis remake received rather mediocre but mostly positive review scores in the West, including 65% from Sega Visions, 76% from Consoles+, 65% from Joystick, and 5/10 from ASM. Hardcore Gaming 101's Derboo opined "Valis on the Genesis isn't a bad game, definitely leagues above the original, but still not particularly enjoyable. It's just so slow and boring." Sega Force bashed its "dull and repetitive" gameplay and declared: "High graphical content, low playability level. That's Valis in a nutshell."

On the other hand, the PC Engine / TurboGrafx version of Valis was acclaimed by critics. Its review scores included 81% from Consoles +, 78% from Génération 4, 77% from Joypad, and 83% from Joystick. According to Hardcore Gaming 101, "by its mechanics and level design, it is no doubt the most well-executed game in the entire series. It's still a bit too derivative and pedestrian to be counted among the genre greats like Castlevania and Ninja Gaiden, but at least very, very high second tier." Retro Gamer highlighted it as "arguable the best" entry in a "great series". Lucas M. Thomas from IGN included Valis among top ten unreleased TurboGrafx games: "If you're the kind of gamer who likes to know the exact color of panties being worn by your platforming hero girls, Valis is where you want to invest your time."

Legacy

The game was followed by three sequels (Valis II, Valis III, Valis IV), an eroge spin-off Valis X, and two manga series.