~ VALIS ~
RIOT / Telenet
Super CD-ROM
1992
A short and easy opening episode, Valis is basically just okay in every respect and is the most forgettable of the series's PCE entries. It is most comparable to Valis II in that it places much more emphasis on action than on platforming, and its level design isn't as advanced as III's or IV's. Its soundtrack doesn't even come close to II's, but its gameplay is a little more enjoyable because it isn't as sloppy. 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 color choices, appealing.
I've seen people rip on the cinemas, but aside from the whole "small windows" issue and Yuko's face looking a little weird here and there, they're 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).
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