Angel_Arle Valis reviews
Part 1: Valis II for PC Engine CD
Bonus: Valis III for Mega Drive
Part 3: Valis IV for PC Engine CD
Part 4: SD Valis for Mega Drive
Part 5: Mugen Senshi Valis: The Legend of a Fantasm Soldier for PC Engine CD
Part 6: Super Valis: Akaki Tsuki no Otome for Super Famicom
Final Part: Mugen Senshi Valis for Famicom

So it’s been a while since the 2nd game’s review. Sorry about that everyone if you were actually waiting for this. Now I had played this one also in 2022 and honestly I thought it was good but was not as good as others say it is. Like some people would say it was like 9/10 good and I didn’t really see it at the time. I’ll also be reviewing the Mega Drive port for a few paragraphs near the end so that might be exciting.

Valis III tries to redo the game engine while keeping it the same gameplay as the last game, a lot has changed. Well you can still attack and jump but you may notice the attack is different now. Yuko only has one attack similar to that one I used a lot in Valis II but it’s the only one she has in the game. You also now have a bar that determines your power and can be upgraded (along with the weapon itself) with the help of a specific item. The bar works a lot like Legendary Axe if you have ever played that game, just let it go all the way up for the most power. Yuko can also now slide which is vital because it can do some damage to enemies, help with platforming, give you a small bit of more speed, gives i-frames during the animation and can get you into short spaces you normally can’t go under. Though for some reason it’s mapped to down + RUN (that’s basically the start button). You do get used to it at least. Yuko can even now use magic of the Fire, Ice, and Light variety. You do up + attack for this and you’ll have to keep in mind your magic points when using it but don’t worry it’s always easy to get refills throughout levels. Oh also Yuko can do a higher jump by holding up which is neat but it’s a little finicky at times.

Now that may sound like an awesome upgrade from the sequel but it gets even better. Yuko now has two other characters joining her. You get Cham after beating level 2 and she uses a whip that is basically at full power all the time but lacks range. Thankfully the hitbox is skewed more into your favor. Her magic is also her weakest aspect as it’s not very impressive but it can still work well at times. Once you get to the end of stage 4 you’ll unlock Yuko’s sister Valna. Valna is the one with weaker normal attacks but has the best magic of the bunch. She’s also got the best range in terms of her attack as she shoots three projectiles with one going above her. You’ll press the RUN button to swap between them, the order goes Yuko > Cham > Valna and then loops back. Be warned you can’t swap during bosses and some moments will have you forced to be a character like Yuko having to always fight two of the bosses.

This game also has more of that story but tbh I know I might lose everyone’s interest in this review saying this but I forgot what the story was. I guess that’s what happens when the last time you watched these cutscenes is what felt like a year ago. I actually skipped them in my playthrough this time because I thought I’d remember and I didn’t. I do remember them looking nice and I like how they give you a recap of the previous 2 games if you weren’t aware of what happened in them. Since this game has multiple characters, there are different dialogue exchanges depending who you chose meaning bosses have different exchanges. Unfortunately they still haven’t made them skippable with a button which can be a bit annoying on multiple playthroughs. I will say I like seeing more of the story progression happening in the levels themselves as now NPCs show up in them. They also got rid of that awful green border meaning the cutscenes look better which is a blessing. Though if I have one nitpick. How does Yuko fly at the beginning of Stage 1 and why does she never do it again?

The level design is sadly the one thing that keeps it from being great. Now while it is pretty fun to play through, there can be some rough patches. There’s one part in stage 5 that has you freezing enemies that can be a pain in the ass and you basically need Valna to complete it or get really lucky. The 2nd to last stage also has some obnoxious enemy placement making hard areas almost infuriating, you will die a bunch on this stage because of it. Now with that said, when it’s not being flawed, it’s being really fun. I love the engagement I get with this game at times. It just hits a flow that Valis II never really gave. There’s also a few ways to tackle any level which I really like and it makes replayability all the more better for it. There can be some challenging stuff at times especially when something like lightning can take half your health, it’s insane. It’s just god if only that 2nd half was a little better. It would be great but I can’t lie and say it is. I also want to point out that in stage 3 you ride this boat and you can actually fall off once the dialogue for the boss starts but instead of killing you, it will be actually unable to kill you and you have to wait for a time out. I even had one time I died but the dialogue kept going and then the stage played in silence. For the record, this isn’t a negative towards the game but I’m just shocked it was left in.

Bosses are actually pretty decent here having way more of a challenge here then in the last game. It helps that you also have to try now due to the game now making you redo the whole fight if you die. They can seem a little tough especially the 2nd to last one but it’s good to experiment if you can but again just make sure you choose who you want before going in unless you’re forced into that character. I do wish the final boss was harder, it basically becomes a battle of hoping you can dodge his dumb screen flash move and just living with barely any health. Thankfully none of them are frustrating which is a relief.

Graphically Valis III really is an improvement from before but still nothing mindblowing. I will say the game excels in environments at times. I really love the environment in stage 6 which can look moody and scary especially with all the dead stuff. A lot of the sprites feel pretty much like the previous game to me but are improved in spots and still have that iconic not giving the face any features whatsoever! The bosses are nice and big and the enemies still have their various themes and stuff going for them. Like I said earlier, the cutscenes were also improved a lot thanks to the removal of that awful border and just better sprite work and animation in general. The music is also pretty good too, with some like the 1st stage and 8th stage having my favorite songs in the game. They aren’t all winners because I really don’t like this song just because the bass synth sounds atrocious to me. Still it is mostly good and the voice acting sounds nice too from what I remember of it that is.

Replaying this game was a surprise for me because I like it more than I used to and now It’ll make my 2022 rankings age poorly which is unfortunate. But hey I like that I enjoyed it more. This is a really fun action game with some rough moments but I just think it’s an enjoyable romp that isn’t even like just from ironic or guilty pleasure feels. I didn’t hate Valis II but I could admit it was sort of bad especially in today’s viewpoint. I do think Valis III can stand on its two legs and is one of the more enjoyable games on the console. There’s a reason this game is well praised by PC Engine fans and personally it has me excited to try out Valis IV as while it has a new cast of characters, it still features the multiple characters style of game. Just don’t play that Mega Drive port, it sucks. I’d say it’s worth at least trying the PC Engine version if you haven’t yet. Just don’t buy it on Switch just please don’t because it's like $15, that's stupid. Oh wait here’s one more thing before I go! Did you know the sign at the end of Stage 1 changes a lot. In the original it says NEC, on the Mega Drive it says RENO, and on the Switch it says EDIA. Weird it just keeps changing, must be a copyright thing. Hope you enjoyed reading this and thank you for reading if you did, bye bye for now!