| Graphics: |   4 |
| SFX: | 3 |
| Music: | 3 |
| Gameplay: |  3.5 |
| Challenge: | 4 |
| Replay: | 3.5 |
| Overall: | 3.5 |
| Genre: | Platformer |
| Reading ability: | US Release |
| Company: | Telenet Japan |
Background:
Scantily clad girls with swords. Ah, an otaku's dream come true. The Valis series of games has appeared on the MSX, Genesis, Turbografx 16, and now finally the SNES. This game was released domestically, but I used the Japanese version for screenshots. The two versions seem identical, except for the title screens and the corrections of some of the English.
The Game:
At the end of the century, Gallagher, the King of evil spirits, plans to destroy the Dreamworld. Yuko Ahsho, originally a schoolgirl from Japan and now the goddess of the Dreamworld, bequeaths the Valis sword to Leena, a young maiden from the Dreamworld who has the power to destroy Gallagher.
This is a basic platform game like the popular Castlevania series, with a touch of Strider swordplay. You control Leena and use your Valis sword to defeat evil. The magic spells from the Genesis games are gone, leaving you to your Valis sword and projectiles. I didn't really care much for the magic spells anyway. You collect powerups that you can scroll through with the R and L buttons, and select with the X button. Most of them are projectiles, but you can collect health powerups and another powerup that changes Leena from her regular miniskirt armor into a green bikini armor. This green bikini armor prevents you from taking damage from enemies. However, you can be hit only so many times before you lose this armor.
Secrets:
Easy difficulty:
Highlight the "Option Mode" selection on the title screen.
Press Left(2), Right(2), B(2), Y(2).
An "Easy" option will now be available on the option screen.
Level select:
Press [Up, Down, Left, Right] three times, followed by Select(2), Y, B, Start at the title screen.
(Taken from Nizetti's Sword of Valis Page)
The Good:
The graphics are much better than the Genesis predecessors, naturally. The girl you control is taller, better animated, and better looking. She isn't stocky like Yuko looked in the Genesis games. The control of this game is also much more polished than the Genesis games, and it's even more challenging. Better graphics and polished gameplay make this game enjoyable to play.
The Bad:
The thing that's really missing from this game is a strong plot. On top of that, there's no animated sequences between levels! The first Valis game for the Genesis had plenty both. It was full of dialogue and plot. Even though their mouths moved far more than what they were actually saying and the text scrolled too slowly, the animated sequences really drew me into the game. It showed Yuko's reluctance to accept her new identity as Valis Warrior, and her transformation into the Valis Warrior. Especially emotional was when Yuko was forced to duel her school friend Reiko to the death, who was possessed by the enemy.
Valis 4 has none of this. Due to its difficulty, I haven't played the game to the very end, but I've read that there isn't much of an ending to this game. You play Leena, who has taken up the Valis Sword to become the new Valis Warrior. Unfortunately, you do not get to know her personality. You visit some locations from the previous games, such as Vecanty and the Castle Vanity, to rid them from evil. But there really isn't much of a plot that binds the levels together.
You can read more about Telenet's bad transfer of this game from the PC Engine to the Super Famicom in the insightful article entitled: Super Valis IV: What Went Wrong?
Overall:
Valis is a cool fantasy series which has inspired a cult following on the Net and has even resulted in fanfic stories. Unfortunately, this port of Valis 4 for the SNES/SFC does nothing to convey the captivating storyline and emotions behind this fantasy series, as the PC Engine version of Valis 4 does. That aside, the gameplay is superior to the predecessors in the series on the Genesis/Megadrive and PC Engine. It's a shame that considering the Super Nintendo's otherwise outstanding graphics capabilities, this game has no animated cutscene sequences at all. The NEC PC Engine CD game is better. It is considerably different, especially since you can switch between three characters with different abilities. Plus, it includes the story element which was unfortunately removed from the Super Famciom version.
For what it's worth, this SNES/SFC port of Super Valis 4 is worth playing and is fairly decent as a stand-alone game, if you ignore the existence of the PC Engine version. It is certainly lacking what the Duo version excels at, but ignoring that, it is a decent game to play as it is.
Extra:
The Unofficial Valis Homepage is certainly worth your while to learn more about this game and others of the Valis series. Check out the links on this page as well.
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