[Image] ~ VALIS III ~Laser Soft / Telenet / NECCD-ROM1992 Valis III is a truly fantastic action-platformer in the vein of 8-bit Castlevania. It features the finest set of playable characters in the series, a trio of heroines who rate as superior to the stars of Valis IV due to both their usefulness and their intangible "cool" factor. It also boasts great music; good graphics; controls that are much smoother than II's and give it a familiar old-school-Castlevania feel; and sophisticated, ingenious level design. While Valis II prides itself on its soundtrack and story and IV impresses players with its visuals and high level of challenge, III finds a way to succeed in just about every area, making it the strongest chapter in the series. [Image][Image] It's clear right from the get-go that this is a high-quality hack-and-slash title with appealing visuals. [Image][Image] Some of the later areas, especially the inundated temple (where you have to freeze enemies and leap atop and from their frozen forms to proceed from one water-enclosed slab of stone to the next) and the ice cavern (with its slippery surfaces and tricky platforming), pose extreme challenges; you'll feel great when you finally get through them. They're tough-but-rewarding stretches that you'll always remember. [Image][Image] Between those dreaded segments are "breathers" in the forms of graveyard and wasteland jaunts. The desert-stage tune is quite catchy and evokes fond memories of Valis II's legendary soundtrack. [Image][Image][Image] Most of the other musical numbers are also very good, as are the cinemas. No more of that "tiny windows" bullshit here... well, not much of it, at least. [Image][Image] Many of the boss battles are conceptually interesting; you'll go from serpent slaying to bell battering. [Image][Image] Ascend through the final tower and take on the skilled combatant who awaits you at the top... [Image] ...and then witness Yuko's heroic fate.
"Valis III"
No comments yet. -