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Mugen Senshi Valis/Phantasm Soldier Valis is the first game in the Valis series. In it, the heroine, Yuuko Asou, is chosen by Queen Valia (in reality her mother) to save the dream world kingdom of Vecanti from the tyranny of King Rogles, who has destroyed the "balance" of Vecanti. The game was first released in 1986 for the MSX and PC-88, with many other versions to follow later. Thusly, there are many different variations on the game (really, they're different games with the same cast of characters and story.)
The core characters found in every version of the game, and indeed in most of the Valis series.
A schoolgirl who is in reality a descendant of Queen Valia of the dreamworld. She is given the Valis sword and requested to return and save Vecanti from Rogles, who has thrown the world out of balance. She returns in all subsequent Valis games to save the dream world.
A Queen and Goddess-like figure of the Dreamworld, she is supposed to maintain the balance between light and dark. She selects Yuuko to be the next warrior of Valis. It is later revealed she is Yuuko's true mother.
Yuuko's friend from school, she has been tricked by Rogles in to becoming an evil warrior. Yuko is forced to kill her in battle, but she recovers as she is dying and forgives Yuuko.
The villain of the first Valis game, an evil king of monsters who desires to cover Vecanti and eventually all worlds in darkness. He returns in Valis 3 as a henchman for Emperor Grames, seeking revenge on Yuuko. He is possibly the most genuinely evil villain in the series, as he has little to no motivation beyond being "evil for the sake of it."
The final Valis game for the PC Engine, it is yet another retelling of the story of Yuko becoming the warrior of Valis. Upon being gifted with the Valis sword by Queen Valia, Yuko is attacked by monsters from Rogles' army who have invaded the human world. Yuko's friend, Reiko, is also brainwashed by Rogles in to becoming a dark soldier for his army, as "counter" to Valia's Yuko. As is typical of the PC-Engine Valis games, the game is voiced and has many cutscenes to help tell the story. Yuko can attack, jump, crouch and slide in this game. Yuko also has a number of special spells at her disposal which are obtained from bosses.
The game has a variety of different items Yuuko can pick up. Many of them change Yuuko's attacks. Most items are stored in boxes, which can be destroyed to reveal the item. Picking up multiple shot power ups of the same type increase the power of Yuuko's attack, up to three levels.
Immediately after being granted the Valis Sword, Yuuko is assaulted by numerous monsters. She has to fight her way to safety! The boss of this stage is Gaida. He curls in to a ball and bounces around the room, causes earthquakes, and fires smaller creatures out of his back. When he is defeated, Yuuko learns the magic "Earthquake".
Now in the dreamland of Vecanti, Yuuko must battle through a mountain of Ice. The boss is a bird-woman, Geeva. She fires feathers and divebombs. Yuuko learns "Ice Feather" when Geeva is defeated.
Cast in to a pit by Rogles, Yuuko encounters haunted swords and bouncing mouth creatures. The boss of this stage is Aizard, a wizard who turns out to not be genuinely evil. Yuuko learns "Rune Barrier" when Aizard is defeated.
Of course this area contains many fire-themed enemies, including wheels of fire that hug the terrain similar to many enemies from the "Metroid" series. The boss is a soldier of fire named Bennon. Yuuko learns the spell "Flame Ring" when he is defeated.
A castle full of monsters and fiercesome statuary. The boss is a two-headed dragon named Voldes. Yuuko learns "Giga Thunder" when he is defeated.
A surprisingly pleasant forest on the way to Rogles' castle, it is nevertheless full of monsters which attempt to kill Yuuko. Yuuko confronts Reiko here, unfortunately being forced to fatally wound her.
King Rogles' castle is full of traps, especially of the spikey variety. Rogles is the boss, and he has multiple forms. For his first form, he simply floats back and forth, periodically firing a number of beams from his fingertips. After this form is defeated, his discards his characteristic black robe and fights Yuuko wearing battle armor and wielding a ball and chain. He now moves around somewhat more erratically, attempts to strike Yuuko with his weapon, and fires exploding projectiles at Yuuko. After he is defeated, the ending cutscene is played. Enjoy!
The Famicom version of the game is significantly different from most other iterations. The game is free-roaming, with areas being set up as mazes with many items hidden throughout. Yuuko has to backtrack at several points to advance to the end of the game. The maze-like areas are also quite complex. The basic story is the same; however, the game also has multiple endings (4 possible, 5 if "game over" is included). The different endings are determined by some player choices and by whether the player defeats or loses to a particular opponent. All of the core characters, Yuuko, Reiko, Valia and Rogles are present.
ITEMS
There are a large number of items present in the game which serve a variety of purposes.
VALIS JEWELRY: Yuuko must collect all of these to complete the game. The first four are necessary to enter Rogles' castle.
BOSSES: The game contains several major bosses who need to be defeated in order for the player to advance the game.
AREAS
A city in the Human world (Tokyo) The game begins here. The mini-bosses Gaiomu and Gidral are first encountered here. This area leads to the ruins, the first area in the dream world.
The first area inside of the dream world. The complexity of the area has increased drastically from the city. The High Beam Saber is located here. The mini-bosses Gyanias and Skelton are first encountered here. Mezaak, one of the terrible monsters guarding a piece of the Valis Jewely, is also located in this area.
A forest full of monsters. The Wide Beam Saber and Valis boots are located here. The mini-boss Zoleid is first encountered here. The monster Hesgild, who guards a piece of the Valis Jewelry, is found in this area.
An icy mountain. The pot, laser saber, power boots and lamp are located here. Habish, a monster protecting one of the Valis Jewels, is located here. This is also the area where Reiko is fought.
Fiery caves accessed through the Jungle or World of Ice. Gelzebas, one of the monsters protecting a piece of the Valis Jewelry, is fought here. The Valis Sword is located in an area behind him.
A huge, extremely complex maze-like castle. The mini-boss edgetaim is encountered here. At the end of the area, Yuuko fights Rogles and then Queen Valia. Valia is fought AGAIN after she is beaten in Rogles' castle, at the fountain which brought Yuuko to the dream world. Depending on what happens in the fights with Queen Valia, the player gets different endings.