Valis, known in Japan as Mugen Senshi Valis (夢幻戦士ヴァリス Mugen Senshi Varisu, lit."Valis: The Fantasm Soldier"), is a Japanese platform game series developed by Telenet Japan. The original game was developed in 1986 for the MSX, and its popularity has spanned 4 sequels, a spin-off, and remakes across several platforms, notably the TurboGrafx-16 and Sega Mega Drive until the early 90s, in which it was quietly retired. The Genesis entries were published in North America by Renovation Products. Later, Telenet sold the series' rights to a company known as Eants, which re-tooled the series as hentai games[1]. After Telenet shut down in 2007. The series has formed 2 Mobile Phone games released by Bandai Namco Games in Japan and a manga by Kill Time Communications.
The Valis games (as they were known in America) tell the story of Yūko Asō (麻生 優子 Asō Yūko), a schoolgirl in late 1980s Japan who is fated to protect three different realms -- our own Earth, the land of spirits, and Vecanti (ヴェカンティ Vekanti), the Dream World -- by wielding a mystical sword known as Valis.
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Main article: Valis: The Fantasm Soldier
Vecanti's first foe comes in the form of a warlord named Rogles. He extinguishes a light in Vecanti which functions as a source of power for those who live there, and in a desperate plea for salvation, its citizens reach out for a brave soul who can help them in their time of despair. Yūko on Earth is the one who answers the call, being summoned by magical forces into Vecanti to liberate them from the evil of Rogles, who brainwashes Yūko's best friend Reiko into helping him try and put an end to the Valis warrior. Against increasingly difficult odds, Yūko prevails and destroys Rogles. Although Reiko is killed in the process, her memory returns as she dies in her friend's arms.
Main article: Valis II
Time passes, and Vecanti is set to rule under its next emperor after Rogles, a man named Megas who wishes to stamp out any trace of the former tyrant, to the point of murdering any supporters Rogles might have had. Furthermore, his bloodthirsty tendencies recognize Yūko and the Valis sword as viable threats to his claim of the throne, and he orders his minions to eliminate her first before she has the chance to thwart him. Megas had underestimated the Valis maiden, and he, too, falls to her magical blade, and peace once more comes to the dream world, as Yūko again returns home to resume an otherwise ordinary human life.
Main article: Valis III
As all of these focused attempts on conquest have so far centered on Vecanti, activity in the spiritual planes has gone undetected, and a figure named Glames has arisen, hellbent on destroying both Earth and Vecanti to lead his fellow spirits in an uprise of domination. Against this common foe, Yūko has found help -- a warrior-maiden named Cham, who uses a deadly whip; and her own twin sister Valna, who grew up within Vecanti and became strong in the ways of magic.
Furthermore, the Valis sword is shown to be capable of more than what Yūko has accomplished with it thus far, and a visit to the ruler of Vecanti, a wizened gentleman named Nizetti, unleashes the blade's full potential, which culminates in a climactic battle with Glames, who has used his own magic to resurrect Rogles. The Valis warrior is triumphant, and for her dutiful and unwavering service, Yūko is permitted to step down from her role as guardian and become a goddess in Vecanti, leaving Earth behind forever. The Valis sword retires to the heavens as well, as the dream world prepares itself for prosperity. Cham and Valna wave good-bye to their sister and comrade as she departs to take on her new role.
Main article: Valis IV
Peace would not last long for the citizens of Vecanti. A king named Asfal had a son, Galgear, who grew up with great ambitions that arose from the acquisition of a magic ring. This ring increases his powers, but to the loss of control he could have maintained under its effects, and the gods of Vecanti recognize this and enslave the reckless prince inside a crystal, its mass sinking into the ocean. Fifteen years pass, and Galgear manages to break out of his prison, kidnapping the former heroine Valna, and he is pursued by troops led by Cham. A member of her party, Lena Brande, requests permission to infiltrate Galgear's stronghold and free Valna on her own; Cham initially disagrees, but a disembodied voice convinces her to allow this, and Rena brings her twin sister Amu with her.
They both succeed in reaching Galgear's inner sanctum, but are stopped by the prince and his ring, and he is about to obliterate them when they are teleported away by a magic force -- that of Asfal, the prince's father, who tells them that only the Valis sword, no longer in this world, can stop him. Both girls journey day and night to reach the heavens of Vecanti and claim the sword, which is bequeathed onto them by Yūko herself(who is now a goddess), with her blessings in stopping the power-hungry prince. They return to Vecanti and use the mystic blade to defeat Galgear.
Valis X (Valis Cross) was a hentai attempt to resurrect the series. There are five Valis X titles that retell the stories of the first four games containing copious amounts of lesbian acts and tentacle sex. The game was developed by Eants but was published by Telenet Japan. This was also the last game published by Telenet Japan.
The game was released to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the series however, the game was poorly received by critics and fans of the series.
Japan Release Date:
Mugen Senshi Valis - Legend Of A Fantasm Soldier:
1986: MSX, PC/88
1987: Nintendo Famicom/NES
1991: Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
1992: NEC PC Engine Super CD-ROM²
Mugen Senshi Valis 2 - Legend Of A Fantasm Soldier:
1989: MSX, PC88, X68000, NEC PC Engine CD-ROM²
1992: Sega Mega Drive/Genesis (as SD Valis/Syd of Valis)
Mugen Senshi Valis 3 - Legend Of A Fantasm Soldier:
1990: NEC PC Engine CD-ROM²
1991: Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
Mugen Senshi Valis 4 - Legend Of A Fantasm Soldier:
1991: NEC PC Engine CD-ROM²
1992: Nintendo Super Famicom/SNES
Mugen Senshi Valis Complete - Legend Of A Fantasm Soldier:
2004 (24.06): PC CD ROM Windows (98/XP compatible Vista & 7)
Mugen Senshi Valis Complete Plus - Legend Of A Fantasm Soldier:
2011 (24.11): PC CD ROM Windows (98/XP compatible Vista & 7)
A manga series for Valis was released in 2008 by Kill Time Communications and featured in the seinen manga magazine Comic Valkyrie.
As of December 2009, video game publisher Sunsoft has acquired the entire catalog of Telenet, which has led to speculation of a revival of the Valis series, as well as other franchises.