Play Valis IV - The Fantasm Soldier Online

Summary

Valis IV – The Fantasm Soldier feels like a love letter to the CD‑based era of the PC Engine. The game lets you hop between three distinct heroines—Lena, Amu and Asfal—each with a signature weapon, an elemental spell that can be powered up three times, and a quirky ability that changes how you tackle the nine side‑scrolling stages. Lena slides, Amu double‑jumps, and Asfal can breeze past certain hazards, which adds a subtle puzzle layer to the classic run‑and‑gun formula.

What really stands out is the CD‑quality soundtrack, a collaborative effort by Shingo Murakami and the mysterious "Junta" and "Kawame" duo, which still holds up when you hear it on modern re‑releases. The visuals are crisp, the character animations fluid, and the cinematic cut‑scenes, though occasionally slowed by loading, give the game a cinematic flair that was rare for its time.

Developed by Laser Soft’s veteran team—director Mitsuo Nakamura, producer Masami Hanari, and designer Haruyuki Nishida—the title never saw an official Western launch, but it resurfaced on Windows, Switch and various compilations, letting new fans finally experience the series’ final main entry. Critics praised its audiovisual polish and responsive controls, even if some felt the story didn’t break new ground. All in all, Valis IV remains a solid, if slightly underrated, showcase of early ’90s action‑platform design.

Storyline

Valis IV – The Fantasm Soldier picks up after Valis III, with Yuko now a goddess watching over the world of Vecanti. The peace is shattered when the Dark World prince Galgear, driven mad by a magical ring that amplifies his power, is sealed in a crystal beneath the ocean by the gods. Fifteen years later he shatters his prison, kidnaps the former heroine Valna and draws the pursuit of Cham’s troops. Lena Brande, a member of Cham’s band, convinces her leader to let her and her twin sister Amu infiltrate Galgear’s stronghold, only to be whisked away by Asfal, Galgear’s father, who reveals that only the legendary Valis sword—now absent from this world—can stop the rogue prince. Yuko bestows the blessed blade upon the sisters, who ascend to the heavens of Vecanti, claim the sword and return to defeat Galgear once and for all.