Valis III

~ VALIS III ~

Laser Soft / Telenet / NEC

CD-ROM

1992

Valis III is a truly fantastic action-platformer in the vein of 8-bit Castlevania. It features the finest set of playable characters in the series, a trio of heroines who rate as superior to the stars of Valis IV due to both their usefulness and their intangible "cool" factor. It also boasts great music; good graphics; controls that are much smoother than II's and give it a familiar old-school-Castlevania feel; and sophisticated, ingenious level design. While Valis II prides itself on its soundtrack and story and IV impresses players with its visuals and high level of challenge, III finds a way to succeed in just about every area, making it the strongest chapter in the series.

It's clear right from the get-go that this is a high-quality hack-and-slash title with appealing visuals.

Some of the later areas, especially the inundated temple (where you have to freeze enemies and leap atop and from their frozen forms to proceed from one water-enclosed slab of stone to the next) and the ice cavern (with its slippery surfaces and tricky platforming), pose extreme challenges; you'll feel great when you finally get through them. They're tough-but-rewarding stretches that you'll always remember.

Between those dreaded segments are "breathers" in the forms of graveyard and wasteland jaunts. The desert-stage tune is quite catchy and evokes fond memories of Valis II's legendary soundtrack.

Most of the other musical numbers are also very good, as are the cinemas. No more of that "tiny windows" bullshit here... well, not much of it, at least.

Many of the boss battles are conceptually interesting; you'll go from serpent slaying to bell battering.

Ascend through the final tower and take on the skilled combatant who awaits you at the top...

...and then witness Yuko's heroic fate.

Mugen Senshi Valis

~ VALIS ~

Riot / Telenet

Super CD-ROM

1992

Valis' opening episode was actually the last to be brought to the PC Engine and is by far the most forgettable of the bunch. A fairly straightforward hack-and-dash title, it's short, easy, and basically just okay in every respect. Among the PCE Valis games, it's most comparable to II in that it places much more emphasis on combat than on platforming, and its level design isn't as advanced as III's or IV's. Its decidedly unmemorable soundtrack doesn't even come close to II's; but its gameplay is a little more enjoyable, as it isn't as sloppy. Main-character Yuko "runs" quite slowly, but this becomes less of a pain as you get used to it.

I dig the visual style in this game; everything seems kind of small, but the animation is smooth, and the colors are appealing.

I've read some negative commentary on the cinemas, but aside from the "small windows" issue and Yuko's face looking a little weird here and there, they are actually pretty nice and feature some fairly dramatic moments.

The boss designs are interesting, and while the beasts here generally aren't as large as the lumbering heavyweights in II, they're definitely better fighters.

In fact, the last guy can be a bit of a challenge at first and is certainly a hardier warrior than the chump at the end of II (thank goodness).

Valis II

~ VALIS II ~

Laser Soft / Telenet / NEC

CD-ROM

1990

What I remember most about acquiring Valis II is that, well, I didn't really want to acquire it. It became a part of my collection simply because it was the only Turbo CD title that my local game shop happened to have in stock that day. Predictably, I didn't care much for it. I did love its music, and over the years, I've come to appreciate its story; but I must warn all prospective buyers that--though this isn't necessarily reflective of the game's worth to me--it is the worst of the PC Engine Valis episodes, an action-platformer that rates as acceptable--but just barely.

V2's levels are quite straightforward in design. There isn't much platforming or many tricky obstacles to deal with; subsequent Valis episodes demand far more in the ways of skill and strategy. II places its focus on hack-and-shoot action, and the little challenge it offers comes from enemies who take lots of hits or attack from advantageous positions. You need to figure out when it's best to combat your adversaries and when it's best to flee from them, and making those determinations isn't particularly difficult. The game is short, easy, and very generous: it doesn't penalize you much with its checkpoints or make you begin a whole new battle when you lose a life to a boss--both of which are fine with me.

Valis II disappoints when it comes to gameplay, graphics, and challenge, but its soundtrack is a rather compelling draw. Fast-paced tunes and sinister dirges keep the player motivated and alert when the action itself gets a little bland... which happens quite often.

You'll wind up in difficult situations like this only if you charge ahead recklessly. Proceed patiently and you'll be able to obliterate your foes with little hardship. Utilizing a stop-and-start approach really nullifies any feelings of intensity that the game begins to generate, but it's necessary in light of the clunky controls and Yuko's inflexibility.

The fourth zone, with its blob-and-dragon army, and the fifth, with its deadly obstacle courses, seemed quite difficult to me when I was younger. Now I realize I was just an awful player back then.

Zone 3 is my favorite due to its nice colors, strange enemies, and incredibly sweet music.

The in-game visuals are crude for the most part, and the cinemas are typically of the miniature-window variety.

The plot those cinemas relay, however, has some surprising depth to it and concludes in brilliant fashion. Unfortunately, if you aren't familiar with the preceding episode's story, you'll find yourself baffled by the tale that's told here. I had no idea what the hell was going on back when I first played the game, and it really pissed me off.

Don't worry; this is no Gogan-vs.-the-Punjabbis sort of spectacle. The bosses are large and look pretty cool but put up little resistance.

The platform ride in the final zone can make for a challenging sequence, but you can make life very easy on yourself by holding on to the powered-up wave weapon. The multiform Megas at the end is a pushover, easier to defeat than the third-stage boss in Valis IV (to put matters in perspective).

Last Alert

~ LAST ALERT ~

Laser Soft / Telenet / NEC

CD-ROM

1990

I've been praising Last Alert for years, and every now and then I decide to take my own advice and revisit it. I inevitably roar right through the game, as I can't stop playing once I've started, and I'm always left wanting more despite the impressive number of stages (over twenty). It's an elite "run-and-gun-and-explore," proving time and time again to be worthy of the lavish praise I afford it.

It's just one positive after another with this title...

The hero, Guy Kazama, is a true badass who goes from exploring jungles in a Rambo outfit to wrecking ocean liners in a tux. He gains access to powerful brands of weaponry as he earns experience points and advances in rank.

The gameplay is much deeper and more exciting than what can be found in many similar games, including the Turbo's own Final Zone 2 and Bloody Wolf. There are lots of different missions to complete, with plenty of variety in mission objectives. For some levels, a time limit is imposed; for others, you have to achieve your goals surreptitiously, as utilizing powerful weaponry causes enough of a disturbance to draw enemy soldiers to your location.

Of course, there are also straight-up, kick-ass action boards that simply ask you to plow through enemy lines and defeat big, tough boss characters.

The stages look nice and are, at times, expansive. You may have to conduct a fair amount of exploration as you attempt to rescue hostages, place bombs, or garner intelligence about the enemy.

The cinemas are extremely well done (who could ever forget burning Kazama?), especially compared with those in most other early Turbo CD games. Plus, the music rocks, particularly the urgent boss-fight track that has an alarm sound mixed in.

Last Alert's only possible weakness (as I don't give a damn about the famously goofy voice acting and can't see it being a true deterrent for anyone) is that it's pretty darn easy. But I can easily forgive it for that since it's so enjoyable, and rather than an increase in difficulty, I'd like a few dozen more stages--perhaps then I'd get my fill. Alternatively, a sequel would have been nice!

Gotzendiener

~ GOTZENDIENER ~

GAINAX / NEC Home Electronics

Super CD-ROM

1994

Coming in, I expected Gotzendiener to deliver an isometric blend of Brandish and Prince of Persia. That was probably unfair of me, considering that most players don't like the game very much. High expectations aside, Gotzendiener's gameplay is slow and horrible and gives the player hardly anything to do--hardly any fighting and hardly any puzzle solving. You simply stumble around ugly mazelike environments, and before you know it, the whole thing is over. The music and sound effects are horrendous, so the game falters even where many other mediocre Turbo CDs shine (though I will say that the few cinemas do look somewhat nice). Whether Gotzendiener was released unfinished or merely unpolished, it comes off as an incomplete effort, an empty, glitch-plagued husk of a puzzle-based adventure.

It starts off in a cool and unusual way. A good guy and a bad guy fight it out for a girl; the two idiots end up killing each other, leaving the princess to find her way on her own.

The game does have its moments of intrigue as well as a few areas that actually don't let us down graphically. Most of the decent material is presented early in the quest.

Later levels have you wander around dull, empty, ugly environments.

Half of the interesting objects you come across end up serving no purpose whatsoever. It makes you wonder if the designers intended to do more with these "red herrings" but weren't granted enough time to complete their project.

Combat unfolds as slowly and choppily as you might expect, but defeating the lumbering monsters isn't difficult at all.

Even your final foes fall easily and make little impact during their brief onscreen appearances. They're fitting representatives of the game on the whole.