Thread by @Baust528

The Valis Collection is out today! Here's a thread to go over the significance of the series, & why you might want to check them out. I feel these games quietly influenced several creators/companies in the 80s/90s, though they aren't properly recognized outside of Japan.

Please note that this collection contains the PC Engine CD versions of Valis 1-3. Much of what I plan on talking about is in reference to the original, 1986 release of Valis 1 on the PC-88, which is NOT in the collection. Despite that, much of these pts live on in the remake.

The series is known for its cutscenes, especially Valis 1's intro. Valis 1 featured detailed scenes with eye blinks & beeps corresponding to speech. While common today, this was considered groundbreaking back in 1986, leading to many others to attempt to imitate its success.

In fact, Tomō Yamane has specifically name dropped Valis as a driving force that led to the creation of Ys II's iconic opening cutscene in 1988! (Source: highriskrevolution.com/gamelife/index…)

In OG Valis 1, you could save your game after clearing a stage! At the time, this was a rarity for an action game like Valis. Because of the game's difficulty, this REALLY helped players progress through the game.

Some consider Valis 1 to be the origin of the「ギャルゲー」or "Gal Game", a game that leverages the power of technology & interactivity to express/feature attractive women. Bikini armor? It helped popularize this trend from 80s OVAs in games, along with others like SNK's Athena.

*This next two tweets contains major spoilers for the first Valis game! I feel that it's worth mentioning, but if you'd rather go in blind, feel free to jump past them!*

Valis 1 provides an early example of a game story where players are driven to feel sympathetic about killing a boss. At the end of the game, players fight Reiko, a former classmate & friend of Yuko's.

Rather than just defeating Reiko & advancing to the next stage, you have to watch a scene where she dies in Yuko's arms. Reiko talks about her motivations for fighting against you, & how she wishes to be Yuko's friend.

Ever heard of Hideaki Anno? The "Neon Genesis Evangelion" guy? His directorial debut was on an animated commercial for the NES port of the original Valis in 1987!

So anyway, that's about all I wanted to share! I hope you found this thread informative! I'd love it if you'd consider supporting the Valis games. The collection is out today on Switch digitally: nintendo.com/games/detail/v…

If you do decide to check this collection out, I'd recommend using the rewind feature if you find their difficulty to be a little overwhelming! I'd describe the platforming as very "precise" and a little unpolished, which may not be everyone's cup of tea.