is a 1990
action
Action may refer to:
* Action (narrative), a literary mode
* Action fiction, a type of genre fiction
* Action game, a genre of video game
Film
* Action film, a genre of film
* ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford
* ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
-
platform
Platform may refer to:
Technology
* Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run
* Platform game, a genre of video games
* Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models
* Weapons platform, a system or ...
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
originally developed by
Laser Soft, published by
Telenet Japan
was a Japanese video game and software developer founded in October 1983 by Kazuyuki Fukushima. The company had several video game divisions including: Wolf Team, Laser Soft, Reno, Renovation Products, Riot, Commseed, and Telenet Jr. Telenet J ...
and
NEC
is a Japanese multinational information technology and electronics corporation, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. The company was known as the Nippon Electric Company, Limited, before rebranding in 1983 as NEC. It provides IT and network soluti ...
for the
TurboGrafx-CD
The TurboGrafx-16, known as the outside North America, is a home video game console designed by Hudson Soft and sold by NEC Home Electronics. It was the first console marketed in the fourth generation, commonly known as the 16-bit era, thou ...
. A
Sega Genesis version was released in 1992. It is the third entry in the
''Valis'' series. It stars Yuko Asou, a Japanese teenage schoolgirl chosen as the Valis warrior and wielder of the mystical Valis sword after the events of ''
Valis II
is a 1989 Action game, action-Platform game, platform video game originally developed by Telenet Japan, Laser Soft, published by Telenet Japan and NEC for the TurboGrafx-16#TurboGrafx-CD/CD-ROM², PC Engine CD-ROM²/TurboGrafx-CD. A home computer ...
''. King Glames, wielder of the sword Leethus, leads denizens of the dark world to conquer both Vecanti and Earth, seeking refuge for his people amid the destruction of their planet. Together with the demon warrior-maiden Cham and her sister Valna, Yuko must prevent Glames from destroying both worlds. Through the journey, the player explores and searches for
item
Item may refer to:
Organizations
* ''Instituto del Tercer Mundo'' (ITeM), the Third World Institute
* ITEM club, an economic forecasting group based in the United Kingdom
Newspapers
* ''The Item'', an American independent, morning newspaper ...
s and
power-ups while fighting enemies and defeating
bosses.
''Valis III'' was created by most of the same staff members who worked on the previous entry at Laser Soft, an internal gaming division of Telenet. Masami Hanari and Fumiyuki Moriyama reprised their roles as director and producer, respectively. The TurboGrafx-CD version features animated cutscenes, similar to those initially introduced in ''Valis II''. The Genesis port was slated for a European release by
UbiSoft
Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Assassin's Creed'', ''Far Cry'', ...
as part of a multi-game licensing deal with Telenet's North American subsidiary
Renovation Products
was a Japanese video game and software developer founded in October 1983 by Kazuyuki Fukushima. The company had several video game divisions including: Wolf Team, Laser Soft, Reno, Renovation Products, Riot, Commseed, and Telenet Jr. Telenet J ...
, but it was never officially released in the region. Both versions of the game have since been re-released through download services for other
platform
Platform may refer to:
Technology
* Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run
* Platform game, a genre of video games
* Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models
* Weapons platform, a system or ...
s and
compilation
Compilation may refer to:
*In computer programming, the translation of source code into object code by a compiler
**Compilation error
**Compilation unit
*Product bundling, a marketing strategy used to sell multiple products
*Compilation thesis
M ...
s. The TurboGrafx-CD version garnered generally favorable reviews from critics, while the Genesis version carried similar reception as the original release. It was followed by ''
Valis IV
is a 1991 action-platform video game originally developed by Laser Soft and published by Telenet Japan for the PC Engine CD-ROM². A vastly different version titled was published in Japan by Telenet in 1992 and in North America by Atlus Softw ...
'' (1991).
Gameplay
Like its predecessors, ''Valis III'' is an action-platform game starring Yuko Asou, wielder of the mystical Valis sword, and is set after the events of ''
Valis II
is a 1989 Action game, action-Platform game, platform video game originally developed by Telenet Japan, Laser Soft, published by Telenet Japan and NEC for the TurboGrafx-16#TurboGrafx-CD/CD-ROM², PC Engine CD-ROM²/TurboGrafx-CD. A home computer ...
''.
Together with her two allies, Valna and Cham, Yuko must prevent the Dark World's king, Glames, from destroying Vecanti and Earth, who, in turn, is wielding the sword Leethus.
[''Valis III'' manual (TurboGrafx-CD, US)][''Valis III'' instruction manual (Sega Genesis, US)] The player controls Yuko through two-dimensional
levels, battling enemies, jumping from ledge to ledge, and running until the player faces a
boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, ...
at the end of each level.
At certain points in the game, gameplay pauses, and a cinematic
cutscene
A cutscene or event scene (sometimes in-game cinematic or in-game movie) is a sequence in a video game that is not interactive, interrupting the gameplay. Such scenes are used to show conversations between characters, set the mood, reward th ...
plays regarding the game's storyline.
The main difference between ''Valis III'' and previous games in the ''
Valis
''Valis'' (stylized as ''VALIS'') is a 1981 science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick, intended to be the first book of a three-part series. The title is an acronym for ''Vast Active Living Intelligence System'', Dick's gnostic vis ...
'' series is that the player is now in control of multiple characters that can be switched at any time (reminiscent of ''
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse''). Each character uses different upgradable weapons (Yuko has a chargeable energy wave, Cham has a whip, and Valna shoots magical blasts from her wand) and spells (of lightning, fire, and ice variety). The characters cannot be switched during boss fights, where the choice of the character also results in a different cutscene. Some stages also force the player to play as a particular character, usually the main heroine Yuko. Another feature new to the series is a ground slide move which can double as an attack.
The
Sega Genesis port has most of the cinematic cutscenes removed. Several levels were removed as well, and a new one was added to this version, while the remaining levels are more similar to each other. However, boss fights and
parallax scrolling
Parallax scrolling is a technique in computer graphics where background images move past the camera more slowly than foreground images, creating an illusion of depth in a 2D scene of distance. The technique grew out of the multiplane camera tec ...
were improved.
Plot
Story
King Glames leads denizens of the Dark World to conquer both Vecanti and Earth, seeking a home for his people before the destruction of his planet. Against this common foe, Yuko Asou fights together with Cham and Valna. Furthermore, the mystical Valis sword wielded by Yuko Asou is shown to be capable of more than what Yuko has accomplished with it thus far.
During the course of the game, Yuko rescues Cham from kidnapped and Valna from captivity.
Later, they visit the ruler of Vecanti, Nizetti, and unleashes the Valis blade's full potential, which culminates in a climactic battle between the three girls and Glames as well the returning antagonist from the first game, Rogles.
Yuko defeats them both, and for her dutiful and unwavering service, she is permitted to step down from being a guardian and become a goddess in Vecanti, leaving Earth behind forever. The Valis sword retires to the heavens, and Vecanti prepares itself for prosperity, while Cham and Valna wave goodbye to Yuko as she departs to take on her new role.
Characters
Yuko Asou is the main character of ''Valis'' ''III'', a Japanese teenage schoolgirl chosen as the Valis warrior and keeper of the Valis sword. Of the three playable characters, she is the one with the most fighting strength, but is little weak in her magical abilities.
Cham is the game's second character, a demon warrior-maiden born in the Dark World who wields a deadly whip. Her father, Lada, a baron of the Dark World, was killed by Glames for standing against the plan to invade Dreamland. Faced with this fact, she seeks revenge and initially tries to steal the Valis sword from Yuko. However, Cham and Yuko decide to fight together.
Valna is Yuko's sister who grew up within Vecanti and the game's third character. She became strong in the ways of magic and carries with her a powerful magic staff. Valna has the most powerful magic of the three character, but it is the one with the least attack strength.
Development and release
''Valis III'' was developed by
Laser Soft, an internal gaming division of Telenet, previously responsible for ''
Valis II
is a 1989 Action game, action-Platform game, platform video game originally developed by Telenet Japan, Laser Soft, published by Telenet Japan and NEC for the TurboGrafx-16#TurboGrafx-CD/CD-ROM², PC Engine CD-ROM²/TurboGrafx-CD. A home computer ...
'' (1989).
It was created by most of the same staff members who worked on the previous entry, with both Masami Hanari and Fumiyuki Moriyama reprising their roles as director and producer respectively, while animator Osamu Nabeshima returned as one of the game's artists.
Because of being released on CD-ROM, the team was able to include animated cutscenes into the game as they had done before with ''Valis II''.
''Valis III'' was first released for the
PC Engine CD-ROM²
The TurboGrafx-16, known as the outside North America, is a home video game console designed by Hudson Soft and sold by NEC Home Electronics. It was the first console marketed in the fourth generation, commonly known as the 16-bit era, thou ...
(the Japanese iteration of the
TurboGrafx-CD
The TurboGrafx-16, known as the outside North America, is a home video game console designed by Hudson Soft and sold by NEC Home Electronics. It was the first console marketed in the fourth generation, commonly known as the 16-bit era, thou ...
) by Telenet on September 7, 1990.
The game was shown off at the 1991
Summer Consumer Electronics Show
CES (; formerly an initialism for Consumer Electronics Show) is an annual trade show organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). Held in January at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Winchester, Nevada, United States, the event typi ...
and originally slated for a January 1992 launch in North America, before being eventually published by
NEC
is a Japanese multinational information technology and electronics corporation, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. The company was known as the Nippon Electric Company, Limited, before rebranding in 1983 as NEC. It provides IT and network soluti ...
in March 1992 for the TurboGrafx-CD. The game was then ported to the
Sega Genesis, published by
Renovation Game (Reno) in Japan on March 22, 1991. Telenet also released the Genesis version through its subsidiary
Renovation Products
was a Japanese video game and software developer founded in October 1983 by Kazuyuki Fukushima. The company had several video game divisions including: Wolf Team, Laser Soft, Reno, Renovation Products, Riot, Commseed, and Telenet Jr. Telenet J ...
in North America in June 1991.
A European release was planned by
UbiSoft
Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Assassin's Creed'', ''Far Cry'', ...
, as part of a multi-game licensing deal with Renovation, but it was never officially released in the region for unknown reasons.
The Genesis conversion was co-programmed by Yoshiki "UAI" Yamauchi and Masayasu Yamamoto, who had prior involvement with the
series
Series may refer to:
People with the name
* Caroline Series (born 1951), English mathematician, daughter of George Series
* George Series (1920–1995), English physicist
Arts, entertainment, and media
Music
* Series, the ordered sets used in ...
since ''
Valis: The Fantasm Soldier''.
Translation
by Shmuplations. ). Michiko Naruke
(born August 13, 1967) is a Japanese video game music composer, well known for her work in the '' Wild Arms'' series.
Composing career
She used to work for Telenet Japan and Riot, but many people who worked for these two companies left, and ...
, best known for her work on the ''
Wild Arms
, also written as ''Wild ARMs'', is a media franchise developed by Media.Vision and owned by Sony Computer Entertainment. The franchise consists of several role-playing video games and related media. Since the launch of the original ''Wild Ar ...
'' series, was involved in the Genesis adaptation as one of three composers under late sound director Shinobu Ogawa.
A new stage was introduced for the port, but most of the cutscenes and multiple stages were removed due to cartridge size limitations.
A special visual compendium CD-ROM released in 1993 for the PC Engine, ''Valis Visual Collection'', features the cutscenes from the game along with those of ''Valis II'' and its follow-up ''
Valis IV
is a 1991 action-platform video game originally developed by Laser Soft and published by Telenet Japan for the PC Engine CD-ROM². A vastly different version titled was published in Japan by Telenet in 1992 and in North America by Atlus Softw ...
''. ''Valis III'' was included as part of the ''Valis: The Fantasm Soldier Complete'' compilation for
Microsoft Windows, published by Telenet in 2004 under a limited run of 2000 copies, which came bundled with a bonus CD and a figure.
In 2011, D4 Enterprise re-released the compilation again with ''
SD Valis'' and ''
Super Valis'' as ''Valis: The Fantasm Soldier Complete Plus'', which came bundled with a CD soundtrack instead.
In 2021, the media company Edia announced a reprint of the PC Engine version to commemorate the series' 35th anniversary. The PC Engine version was included in the ''Valis: The Fantasm Soldier Collection'' compilation for the
Nintendo Switch in Japan by Edia on December 9, 2021. The physical edition of the collection is also planned for a western release by Limited Run Games. It was re-released separately through the
Nintendo eShop by Edia first in Japan on February 10, 2022, and later in Europe and North America in March 2022. The Genesis port was included as part of the ''Renovation Collection 1'' compilation for
Evercade
The Evercade is a handheld game console developed and manufactured by UK company Blaze Entertainment. It focuses on retrogaming with ROM cartridges that each contain a number of emulated games. Development began in 2018, and the console was rel ...
, launched in 2022 by Blaze Entertainment.
Reception
''Valis III'' on the TurboGrafx-CD garnered generally favorable reviews from critics, some of which reviewed it as an
import title.
Readers of ''
PC Engine Fan
PC Engine Fan was a Japanese magazine dedicated to the PC Engine, published by Tokuma Shoten. It ran from 1988 to 1996.
History
The first issue of ''PC Engine Fan'' was published in late 1988. The magazine originated as a section in ''Family Compu ...
'' voted to give the game a 24.02 out of 30 score, ranking at the number 30 spot in a 1992 public poll.
''
Joystick''s Jean-Marc Demoly applauded the title's gameplay and audiovisual improvements compared to ''
Valis II
is a 1989 Action game, action-Platform game, platform video game originally developed by Telenet Japan, Laser Soft, published by Telenet Japan and NEC for the TurboGrafx-16#TurboGrafx-CD/CD-ROM², PC Engine CD-ROM²/TurboGrafx-CD. A home computer ...
''.
''
Aktueller Software Markt
''Aktueller Software Markt'' (literally ''Current Software Market''), commonly known by its acronym, ''ASM'', was a German multi-platform video game magazine that was published by Tronic-Verlag from 1986 until 1995. It was one of the first magazine ...
''s Sandra Alter also commended the graphics, sound and gameplay, but criticized its animated cutscenes between stages for their length.
''
Electronic Gaming Monthly
''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews.
History
The m ...
''s four reviewers felt that the TurboGrafx-CD version was superior, but they disliked its overall audio design and low difficulty.
''
TurboPlay
''TurboPlay Magazine'' is a bi-monthly, U.S.-based video game magazine which was published by L.F.P. from June/July 1990 through August/September 1992. It was available via subscription only (US$9.95 per year). A total of 14 issues were release ...
''s Donn Nauert stated that the game's multiple characters offered enough challenge for players.
''
Hardcore Gaming 101
''Hardcore Gaming 101'' is an online video game magazine founded by Kurt Kalata. Kalata established the site after graduating college, when he noticed the overabundance of game strategy guides, and felt that someone should create more books abou ...
''s Kurt Kalata wrote that "At the time of its release, ''Valis III'' was by far the most versatile, fun and best-looking game in the series."
According to programmer Masayasu Yamamoto in a 2007 interview, the PC Engine version sold better compared to the
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master System. Sega released it in 1988 in Japan as ...
release.
The Sega Genesis version of ''Valis III'' carried similar reception as the original TurboGrafx-CD release,
most of which also reviewed it as an import title. Readers of the Japanese ''
Sega Saturn Magazine
''Sega Saturn Magazine'' was a monthly UK magazine covering the Sega Saturn, a home video game console. It held the official Saturn magazine license for the UK, and some issues included a demo CD created by Sega, ''Sega Flash'', which included ...
'' voted to give the title a 6.029 out of 10 score, ranking among Mega Drive games at the number 396 spot in a 1995 public poll.
The four reviewers at ''EGM'' stated that it "has all of the qualities of a good game; cool graphics, control, music, and cinema displays."
''
Games-X
''Games-X'' was a multi-format weekly computer and video game magazine published in the United Kingdom. It was launched in May 1991. The publisher was Europress. Editor Hugh Gollner later described it "a big mistake" in terms of finances.
See al ...
'' highlighted its cinematic cutscenes and sliding technique.
''
GamePro''s Doctor Dave praised the conversion for its visuals, sound, gameplay, fun factor and challenge.
''
Raze'' compared the title with ''
Strider'' but praised its attention to detail, depth and visuals.
''
Tilt
Tilt may refer to:
Music
* Tilt (American band), a punk rock group, formed in 1992
* Tilt (British band), an electronic music group, formed in 1993
* Tilt (Polish band), a rock band, formed in 1979
Albums
* ''Tilt'' (Cozy Powell album), 1981
* ...
''s Jacques Harbonn criticized the port for its repetitive action.
''
Sega Power
''Sega Power'', initially known as ''S: The Sega Magazine'', was a Future publication aimed at the Sega range of consoles, including the Master System, Mega Drive, Game Gear and later on the Mega-CD, 32X and Saturn. The magazine was later re ...
''s Steve Jarratt lauded its music for being "astounding".
''
Sega Pro
''Sega Pro'' was the first publication from Paragon Publishing and catered for the Sega consoles: the Master System, Game Gear and the Mega Drive. Early editorial staff included Dominic Handy (editor), Les Ellis (games editor), Dave Perry (de ...
''s Damian Butt opined that it "lacks the edge-of-the-seat gameplay that made ''
El Viento'' the winner".
''
Console XS
Paragon Publishing Ltd (or Paragon for short) was a magazine publisher in the UK, which published computer games and other entertainment titles from 1991 to 2003.
Brief history
Paragon Publishing Ltd was formed in a small office in Trowbridge, ...
'' felt that the game was monotonous.
''
Mega Drive Advanced Gaming
''Mega Drive Advanced Gaming'' was a magazine that focused on the Sega Mega Drive video game console, but would also cover the Mega-CD and 32X. Launched by Maverick Magazines around the same time as Future's ''MEGA'' in August 1992, with issue ...
'' noted the overall presentation but found it occasionally difficult.
Kalata of ''Hardcore Gaming 101'' commended the Genesis release for its improved boss encounters.
Complex
Complex commonly refers to:
* Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe
** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
selected it as the 61st best game on the Sega Genesis in a list originally published in 2016.
Notes
References
External links
''Valis III''at
GameFAQs
''Valis III''at
Giant Bomb
''Giant Bomb'' is an American video game website and wiki that includes personality-driven gaming videos, commentary, news, and reviews, created by former ''GameSpot'' editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis. The website was voted by '' Time' ...
''Valis III''at
MobyGames
{{DEFAULTSORT:Valis 03
1990 video games
Action video games
Nintendo Switch games
Sega Genesis games
Side-scrolling platform games
Single-player video games
Telenet Japan games
TurboGrafx-CD games
Valis (video game series)
Video game sequels
Video games developed in Japan
Video games featuring female protagonists
Video games scored by Michiko Naruke