So, I had once said, if you are going to play a #Valis game, play the #PCEngineCD version.

I stand by that, but, this is because I have a penchant for suffering and video game related masochism.

Valis 3 for the PCE is fantastic but can be absolutely brutal. It features additional levels to the Genesis version, and one of them is quite sadistic that it is borderline off-putting. Some enemies are tailor made and positioned to make you angry and the final boss is a cheap-ass sonnuva gun.

Something to note in this version as well, your slide move makes you invulnerable during the animation. This is vital information that makes the game a little fairer, but only fractionally. This all comes at a cost of a high jump move that was in the Genesis version now being almost non-existent.

I do find it a little weird that to pause the game you press the select button, as the start (Or "Run") button is tied into the control scheme. After a while, you'll get used to it.

Yes, yes, yes! #Valis 3's western box art is possibly the pinnacle of series

Let's start with that title. The faux metallic gradient with a sword woven between the letters. It screams metal band, and in fact, Valis might now be the name of my indie metal band.

Our protagonist on the box gives proto Xenia warrior princess vibes. Let's ignore the fact that Yuko is supposed to be 17 or 18. She is looking cool and serene against a backdrop of jagged mountains and lightning. Get a clean version of the image with the CD cinema screens and logos and I'd have that image on my wall somewhere.

The Japanese version is similar in nature to the Genesis box art. Our three playable characters all battle ready against a gradiented backdrop.
We can get a better look at Cham's design and her whip with her being in the foreground and the Sword of Valis this time is of indeterminate length.

Credit to the western cover art here, I honestly think they knocked it out of the park!

#PCEngineCD #TurboGrafx

So, I don't hate #Valis 2 for the #PCEngineCD

After the highs of Valis 1, this feels like a massive downgrade.
Magic, naff. Slide move, gone. Platforming, bland.

The voice acting and animated cutscenes are cool, but gameplay presentation falls short.

My understanding is the game had some troubles in development, being short staffed and combined with being made at the same time as the PC-8801 and MSX2 versions. I have sympathy for the game in that regard.

The flow is different as well, with a focus on fighting multiple mid-stage mini-bosses, usually in flat arenas with no room to dodge attacks. This means haemorrhaging health and lives, and lives are super important in this game. Dying in a boss fight lets you continue the fight for as many lives as you have left.

Infinite continues allows you to keep throwing yourself at stages, but it can put you in some rather hairy situations making it hard to carry those lives to the boss fights.

Honestly, you can afford to skip on this one.

God damn, #Valis 2's international release has such a bad cover.
It is so bad it is tragic.
In its defence, I will say that the red, satanic, demon goes quite hard. But the stylisation is just weak in my opinion.

Something I have noticed with the western box arts, such as the SNES Super Valis box art. They like to depict early game bosses, as if they are a bigger bad, whilst Japan has the imposing image of the final boss looming over Yuko.

I also like how most western depictions of the Valis sword show it as a short sword, whilst the Japanese depiction is like a claymore.

The western box art being bad is just my opinion, you might really gel with it, but I just find it kind of funny.

As for the Japanese cover. Yeah, I like it. It's much better than the cover for the first game. There is something about the confident look in Yuko's face that sells her as a badass, compared to the western one where she almost looks like she is cowering behind her sword.

#PCEngineCD #TurboGrafx

So, something that will become a trend when i talk Valis. If you are ever going to play a #Valis game, play the #PCEngineCD version of it.

Valis 1 is a fantastic variant compared to the Genesis version in my opinion. The franchise important slide move that Yuko has can actually damage enemies! More on that in later games.

The game itself is more challenging in places, with tougher pre-boss stages and also having a number of mini-bosses.

Bosses operate more fairly, with more discernible patterns, with the exception of the first form of the final boss.

It's not all rough and challenging. Similar to the Genesis game, you will obtain spells to help you throughout the game and the spell received from the third boss fight is a shield spell that absorbs several hits of damage. Super useful when certain sections of the game enjoys kicking you down a few pegs.

If you are going to play ANY Valis game, I honestly think this is best, most balanced experience of them all.

#RetroGames