Valkyrie no Densetsu

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Valkyrie no Densetsu
Developer(s)	Namco
Publisher(s)	Namco
Platform(s)	Arcade, PC Engine, Virtual Console
Release date	1989
Genre(s)	Action
Mode(s)	2 players can play simultaneously
Input methods	8-way Joystick; 2 buttons
Cabinet	Upright, cabaret, and cocktail
Arcade system	Namco System 2
Display	Vertical orientation, Raster, 224 x 288

Valkyrie no Densetsu (ワルキューレの伝説, Warukyūre no Densetsu^?, lit. "The Legend of Valkyrie") was released by Namco in 1989 on Arcades and in 1990 on the PC Engine only in Japan. It is a sequel to a Japan-only 1986 NES game entitled Valkyrie no Bōken: Toki no Kagi Densetsu (The Adventures of Valkyrie: Legend of the Key of Time). Valkyrie no Densetsu, its downgraded PC Engine port, and Valkyrie no Bōken are available for download on the Wii's Virtual Console in Japan. The Legend of Valkyrie was only released outside of Japan in the Namco Museum Volume 5 compilation for the PlayStation.

[edit] Gameplay

Player one controls Valkyrie while player two controls Sandra (official Namco Museum romanization; has also been romanized as "Xandra"), a green creature who, despite the name is actually male. They fight enemies with their sword (Valkyrie) and trident (Sandra). The players can hold down the attack button to use magic.

[edit] Differences

• The PC Engine version of the game sports a big number of differences that almost make it a new game. The level design has been changed in the later levels, new stages have been added, you are given passwords save your progress, there's is an extra boss battle right before you fight the last boss, and the ending is completely different from the Arcade version.

[edit] Valkyrie in other games

Valkyrie makes numerous appearances in the Tales series of games, as well as other Namco titles:

• She appears in Tales of Phantasia as part of a storyline (although it's not known if she is the same character or just someone who looks like her) and a statue item featuring her can be found in the PSX and GBA versions of the game.
• An item which summons her in battle to attack all enemies can be found in Tales of Destiny.
• She can be confronted in a 1-vs-1 battle with the main hero at the end of Glimmer Spire, an optional dungeon in Tales of Eternia: this dungeon also features her music theme.
• In Tales of the World: Narikiri Dungeon 3, the player is at one point told to choose between a fire dungeon and an ice one: choosing the fire dungeon has the player fight Valkyrie at the end of it. By either stealing it from her, finding it from a chest in the ice stage or buying it from the store once the game is cleared, the player can obtain the Gungnir item that can be made into a Valkyrie costume that unlocks her as a playable character: her list of moves is based on her appearance in Tales of Eternia.
• In Tales of the Abyss, her helmet is available as a visible equip for Anise's Tokunaga doll.
• The Soul Calibur II character Cassandra Alexandra has a third costume based on Valkyrie. The same possibility applies to the character Aeon Calcos (Lizardman)
• Valkyrie, her sidekick (Kurino Xandra) and one of the NPCs in the original game (Sabiinu) are playable characters in Namco x Capcom. In addition another character, Zule, also appears in the game as a shopkeeper before you recruit Sylphie from Forgotten Worlds.
• In Soul Calibur III, all Valkyrie's equipment and items are available for Create-a-Soul where she can be "recreated".
• Valkyrie is a playable character in "Druaga Online: The Story of Aon".
• The "Taiko March" song in the Taiko no Tatsujin series features a rock version of the first level of Valkyrie no Densetsu. The recent Taiko no Tatsujin DS's "Namcot Medley" also features part of the overworld theme of Valkyrie no Boken, and also includes the Valkyrie jumping up and down in her 8-bit form (although she is in one of her alternate outfits), along with other Namco characters, if the player is playing the song well.