Valkyrie no Densetsu/Gameplay

Controls

 * Joystick: Use the 8-way joystick to direct Valkyrie (or Sandra if you're player 2) through the stages; as with Princess Ki in The Return of Ishtar, the screen will only scroll forward according to Valkyrie's location (unless, of course, she has just been "game-overed" and only Sandra is still present).
 * Firing Button: Use this button to make Valkyrie (or Sandra, if player 2) fire shots from her sword (or, in the case of Sandra, her trident) at enemies.
 * Jump Button: Use this button to make Valkyrie (or Sandra, if you're player 2) jump; press it lightly for a short hop, or hold it down for a longer leap.
 * 1 or 2 Player Buttons: Push these buttons to begin a 1 or 2 player game.

Valkyrie (ワルキューレ)
As mentioned upon the main page, this warrior maiden from the heavens first appeared in the 1986 Famicom game Valkyrie no Bōken: Toki no Kagi Densetsu and is not an actual Valkyrie from Norse mythology; she just happens to be named after them. She wields a sword, is controlled by that first player, and will leave a grave with her winged helmet and sword on it behind when killed (both player characters only have one life).

Sandra (サンドラ)
As mentioned upon the main page, this anthropomorphic green lizard-woman is Valkyrie's newly-introduced sidekick, although the fact that she is female is not immediately obvious; she wields a trident, is controlled by that second player, and can join in a game already in progress at any time (much like Sunday Chin in Namco's own Ordyne - another System 2 game). She will also leave a grave with her trident upon it behind when killed.

Babasama (ばばさま)
This elderly sorcerer is one of Valkyrie and Sandra's sort-of partners; he appears in preset locations throughout the game, to give his protégèes the power to cast magic spells in the form of bubbles that are utilized by holding down the Firing Button. Here is a list of them and what they do:


 * Option (分身の術): This magical spell will give Valkyrie and Sandra that power to create up to eight miniaturized clones of themselves on the screen simultaneously; their clones will follow them around the screen when they move, and those four Kanji/Hiragana characters read as bunshin no jutsu.
 * Cyclone (サイクロンの術): This magical spell will give Valkyrie and Sandra the power to create an enormous raging inferno on the screen for a short period of time; like the "Option" spell, it costs half a magic bubble when it is used and the Kanji character in its Japanese name again reads as jutsu.
 * Big (ビッグの術): This magical spell will give Valkyrie and Sandra the power to grow to an enormous size and cause tremors when they have landed after jumping (a distant precursor to "Mega Mario", in New Super Mario Bros.); however, it does not make them invulnerable to the enemies' attacks.
 * Hurricane (たつまきの術): This magical spell gives Valkyrie and Sandra the power to create an enormous raging hurricane on the screen for a short period of time; like that "Big" spell, it costs two magic bubbles whenever it is used, and the six Hiragana/Kanji characters read as tatsumaki no jutsu.
 * Chameleon (カメレオンの術): This magic spell will give Valkyrie and Sandra the power to transform all the enemies that are currently on screen into different ones; it costs one magic bubble to use, and sometimes it will change the enemies into ones that are easier to kill, but other times it will not.
 * Flyingsky (空とぶ術): This magical spell will give Valkyrie and Sandra the power to fly through the sky, for a short period of time; it costs two magic bubbles to use (but it may only be used once by each of the two player characters), and the four Kanji/Hiragana characters read as sora tobu jutsu.

Zoul (ズール)
This travelling salesman (whose full name is "Zouli Zurukobichi Kozuruinen", written out in Katakana as ズーリー・ズルコビッチ・コズルイネン), is another one of Valkyrie and Sandra's sort-of partners; like Babasama, he appears in preset locations throughout this game, to sell Valkyrie and Sandra special weapons in exchange for the coins they collect, and when one player should walk up to him and enters his realm, the second player will automatically be drawn into it as well and they will each be asked to choose one of the three items shown on the rug in front of them. Push your joystick into that "north-west" position to select the first item, that "north" position to select the second item, and that "north-east" position to select the third item, then press that Firing Button to confirm your choice - or just push it into that "south" position to exit Zoul's realm. Here is a list of them and what they do:


 * WD Wide Beam.gif Wide Beam (ワイドビーム): Having the appearance of a shield, it gives Valkyrie & Sandra the power to fire more powerful shots for 160 uses.


 * WD 3-Way Shot.gif 3-Way Shot (3方向ショット): Having the appearance of a sceptre, it will give Valkyrie & Sandra the power to fire shots in 3 ways for 160 uses; the two Kanji characters in its Japanese name read as hōkō, meaning "direction" and also appears in the Japanese name of the 4-Way Shot.


 * WD Bomb.gif Bomb (爆弾): Having the external appearance of not one, but three bombs, this one will give Valkyrie and Sandra the power to fire bombs at the enemies for 64 uses; the two Kanji characters in its Japanese name read as bakudan like the smallest type of enemy from Beraboh Man.


 * WD Homing Shot.gif Homing Shot (誘導弾): Having the external appearance of a crossbow, this one will give Valkyrie and Sandra the power to fire homing shots at the enemies for (once again) 160 uses; the three Kanji characters that make its Japanese name read as yūdō-dan, which means "missile".


 * WD 4-Way Shot.gif 4-Way Shot (4方向ショット): Having the external appearance of a peacock's tail feathers, this one will give Valkyrie and Sandra that power to fire shots in 4 directions for (yet again) 160 uses; the two Kanji characters in its Japanese name again read as hōkō which means "direction".


 * WD Through Shot.gif Through Shot (貫通弾): Having the external appearance of a spear, this one will give Valkyrie & Sandra the powers to fire penetrating shots at enemies for 128 uses; the three Kanji characters that make up its Japanese name also read as kantsū-dan, like the "Kantsūken" powerup.


 * [[File:WD Eternal Sword (1P).gif]] [[File:WD Eternal Sword (2P).gif]] Eternal Sword (永遠の剣): Having the external appearances of smaller sceptres, these two will give Valkyrie and Sandra the powers to fire an infinite number of powered-up shots on pickup; the four Kanji and Hiragana characters that make up their Japanese names also read as eien no ken.


 * WD Healing Herb.gif Healing Herb (回復剤): Having the external appearance of a Doku Plant from the original TMNT series, this one will restore one of Valkyrie's (or Sandra's) lost life-hearts on their life meters; the three Kanji characters that make up the Japanese name are also read out as kaifuku-zai.


 * WD Heart Plate.gif Heart Plate (ハートの器): Having the external appearance of a pink playing-card heart (as opposed to a real one), this one will grant Valkyrie (or Sandra) an additional life-heart on their life meters; the sole Kanji character in its Japanese name reads as utsuwa which means "vessel".


 * WD Sand Watch.gif Sand Watch (砂時計): Having the external appearance of an hourglass, this one will give Valkyrie and Sandra some extra time to clear their current stage before they will automatically lose a life-heart; the three Kanji characters that make up the Japanese name read as sunadokei.


 * [[File:WD Magic Ball.gif]] Magic Ball (魔法の素): Having the appearance of a magic bubble, this will restore one of Valkyrie's (or Sandra's) used-up "magic bubbles" on their magic meters; the four Kanji and Hiragana characters that make up its Japanese name also read as mahōnomoto, meaning "source of magic".


 * [[File:WD Magic Book.gif]] Magic Book (魔法の本): Having the external appearance of a spellbook, this one will have exactly the same effect on Valkyrie and Sandra as the Heart Plate does (one additional life-heart); the four Kanji and Hiragana characters that make up its Japanese name also read as mahō no hon.


 * [[File:WD Dress (1P).gif]] [[File:WD Dress (2P).gif]] Dress (ドレス): Having the external appearance of what the name implies, it restores half of one of Valkyrie and Sandra's lost life-hearts and "magic bubbles"; it also alters their colour palettes until the next time they take a hit, and as it turns Sandra pink it makes her femininity clearer.

Tatta (タッタ)
These bearded trolls appear on the first and eighth stages of the game and come in two different colours: brown with a black beard and gray with a purple beard; they'll attack by throwing their boomerangs at Valkyrie and Sandra, and will leave a small coin (worth 5 in gold) behind, when killed.

Fly Drills (フライドリルズ)
These winged monkeys appear on: the first, sixth, and eighth stages of this game, and come in two different colours: brown with white wings and black with yellow wings; they will attack by flying in curves towards Valkyrie and Sandra, and leave a small coin (worth 5 in gold) behind when killed.

Kamaelmen (カマエルメン)
These chameleon-like creatures only appear on the first stage of the game and only come in a single colour: green; they attack by jumping out of the first swamp to stick their punching fist-like tongues out at Valkyrie and Sandra, and are the first enemies in the game that will not leave anything behind when killed. Wallowing in the swamp, and waiting for them to jump out in order to shoot them is also not generally recommended.

Sorchikis (ソーチキス)
These alligator-like creatures only appear on the first stage of the game and only come in a single colour: blue; they attack by emerging from the bottoms of the first and second swamps to home in on Valkyrie and Sandra, if they wallow in them for too long, and will leave a small coin (worth 5 in gold) behind when killed. They are also the reason why wallowing in the swamp and waiting up for the Kamaelmen to jump out is not recommended.

Demons (デーモンズ)
These devil-like spirits appear on the first, second and eighth stages of the game and come in two different colours: red and blue; they attack by dancing around Valkyrie and Sandra in an anticlockwise direction (while spitting their fireballs at them) and will not leave anything behind when killed.

Goblins (ゴブリンズ)
These malevolent supernatural beings appear on: the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and eighth stages of this game, and come in three different colours: green, purple and gray; they attack by emerging from the ground to throw their spears (and from Stage 4 onwards, red bombs) at Valkyrie and Sandra, and will leave a small coin (worth 5 in gold) behind when killed. The gray ones also have the powers to throw three spears at once.

Tolento (トレント)
These tree-like creatures appear on the second and fifth stages of the game and come in two different colours: brown and green; they attack by running towards Valkyrie and Sandra, with their many tentacles waving around, and will leave a small coin (worth 5 in gold) behind when killed.

Rocks (岩)
These masses of consolidated mineral matter are on the first and third stages of the game and come in two sizes: small and large; they attack by bouncing towards Valkyrie and Sandra, to flatten them, and will leave a large coin (worth 20 in gold) behind, when killed. Their Kanji character is iwa.

Logs (丸太)
These fibrous substances of xylem tissue appear upon the first, fifth and sixth stages of the game and only come in a single colour: brown; they attack by either rolling or bouncing towards Valkyrie and Sandra to flatten them like Rocks, and will leave a large coin (worth 20 in gold) behind when killed. The two Kanji characters that make their Japanese naming also read as maruta, and the next enemy to be introduced is the first boss one.

Twin Girasu (ツインギラス)
This enormous two-headed creature is the boss of the first stage; it attacks by curling its left head into a fist-like ball and punching out at Valkyrie and Sandra while spitting out lightning bolts at them from its right head, and will leave ten small coins (worth 5 in gold) behind when killed. Several miniaturized (and seaborne) versions of the character also appear as regular enemies on the seventh stage, as you can see in that image to the right; they will also not leave anything behind.

Doragon (ドラゴン)
Looking somewhat like a Radon from Namco's own Phelios, two of these red-scaled serpents appear on the second stage of the game as "mini-bosses"; they'll attack by emerging from the depths of pits to curl their bodies (which are not shown in that image to the left) around Valkyrie and Sandra, while breathing flames at them when their heads are lined up with their current horizontal/vertical positions on the screen, and will leave ten small coins (worth 5 in gold) behind when killed. Their bodies will also explode into separate segments - which must be avoided if too close.

Scissors (シザーズ)
Three of these green tulip-like creatures appear upon the second and fourth stages of the game as "mini-bosses" (like the Doragon); they attack by appearing in the centres of whirlpools to draw Valkyrie and Sandra towards them, while firing brown balls which will leave a large coin (worth 20 in gold) behind when destroyed at them, and will leave twenty small coins (worth 5 in gold) and ten money bags (worth 50 in gold) behind once they have been killed themselves. Ironically, the money bags have dollar ($) signs on them - as opposed to yen (¥) ones.

Flames (炎の魂)
These luminous bodies of burning gas appear on the second and sixth stages of the game, and only come in one colour: orange; they attack by either flying or bouncing in straight lines towards Valkyrie and Sandra (much like the Logs) to burn them, and will leave a large coin (worth 20 in gold) behind when killed. The three Kanji/Hiragana characters that make up their Japanese name also read as honō no tamashī, meaning "soul of fire".

Boss Tolento (ボストレント)
Three of these enormous tree-like creatures are the bosses of that second stage (one brown, one gold, and one green); however, you will only have to fight one of them. They will all attack by spitting tiny versions of themselves from their mouths which will leave a small coin (worth 5 in gold) behind when killed at Valkyrie and Sandra while sticking their roots into the ground and feeling around with them - the brown one will leave ten small coins (worth 5 in gold) and ten money bags (worth 50 in gold) behind when killed, the gold one will leave ten small coins, ten money bags and a 3-Way Shot behind when killed, and that green one will leave ten small coins, ten "magic bubbles" and a Magic Book behind when killed. After the stage's ending cutscene has returned back to the gameplay, an old man with a white beard will appear in the centre of the boss platform behind a ladder which leads down to the third stage; you can talk to him before going down it.

Masks (マスクス)
These likenesses of human faces initially appear to be carved into the walls, on the third stage of the game, and only come in one colour: brown; they attack by revealing their true forms to Valkyrie and Sandra when they get too close and breathe flames at them, and are the first enemies in the game that cannot be killed. If one is breathing flames when you have to jump onto a moving platform, wait for it to stop it, before attempting the jump.

Magma Hands (マグマハンドズ)
These five-fingered appendages only appear upon the third stage of the game and only come in one colour: orange; they will attack by emerging from the bottom of the pool of lava you will have to cross if you chose to go through the double doors at the top of the introductory cavern (rather than turn to the right, destroy five Small Rocks, that'll drop down onto the ground from their hanging platforms, and blast a hole in the wall to find Babasama for a third time and learn the "Big" spell) to grab Valkyrie and Sandra as they try to jump up from one floating platform to another and are the second enemies in the game that cannot be killed (much like the Masks). If one grabs Valkyrie or Sandra it will not drown her in the lava.

Honorians (ホノーリアンズ)
These anthropomorphic flames appear upon the third and fifth stages of the game, and come in two different colours: orange and blue; they attack by flying in curved lines towards Valkyrie and Sandra in a manner similar to that of Fly Drills, and will leave a large coin (worth 20 in gold) behind.

Kaoxes (カオックシズ)
These anthropomorphic masks appear on the fourth and sixth stages of the game, and come in two different colours: red and blue; they will attack by homing in on Valkyrie and Sandra to bite them after seeing them, and will leave a total of four small coins (worth 5 in gold) behind when killed.

Magma Dokusasu (マグマドクサス)
This enormous scorpion-like creature is the boss of the third stage, and the camera will zoom out once you go into its cavern to account for its giant size; it attacks by breathing flames at Valkyrie and Sandra while shooting sixteen small fireballs at them from both of its crab-like claws, and is the first boss in the game which will not leave anything behind when it has been killed. However, two red chests containing a randomly-generated amount of gold will appear on the floating platforms on the left and right sides of the screen once the camera zooms back in to make up for the fact (the one on the left is intended for the first player and the one on the right is intended for the second player, but there was nothing to stop one player from opening both of them for double the gold before the screen fades out for a third time).

Talos (タロス)
One of these bull-like creatures appears on the fourth stage of the game charging in place and will pose no threat to Valkyrie and Sandra when they speak to it - however, several others appear on the fifth stage of the game charging randomly around, and will cause injury to Valkyrie and Sandra if they butt them. The one on the fourth stage can't be killed (due to the fact that it is not an enemy character) but the ones on the fifth stage will leave a small coin (worth 5 in gold) behind when killed; the one on that fourth stage will also revolve to face Valkyrie and Sandra as they walk around it.

Nazonazo Phantom (なぞなぞ怪人)
This mask-wearing centaur appears on the fourth stage of the game to ask Valkyrie and Sandra a multiple-choice question with three possible answers - and a knowledge of both main Japanese syllabic writing systems (Hiragana and Katakana) is essential if you're wishing to answer it correctly. Push the joystick into the "north-west" position to select answer A, the "northern" position to select answer B and the "north-east" position to select answer C, then press the Firing Button to confirm your choice; if your guess was correct, the Nazonazo Phantom will give you a "magic bubble". However, if your guess was incorrect, he will take a full life-heart from the answering player - and the two Kanji characters in his naming read as kaijin.

Statues (石像)
Two of these enormous stone monuments appear on the fourth stage of the game, shortly after your encounter with the Nazonazo Phantom (regardless of whether you answered his question correctly or not), and only come in a single colour: blue; they'll attack by spitting medium-sized fireballs from their mouths, at Valkyrie and Sandra, and will both leave a small coin (worth 5 in gold) behind when their only vulnerable points (which are their heads) have been destroyed. The two Kanji characters that make their Japanese naming are also read out as sekizō.

Robotians (ロボティアンズ)
These soldier-like robots appear upon the fourth, sixth and eighth stages of the game and come in two different colours: silver and gold; they attack by firing lasers from their heads (which are hovering through air on top of their bodies) at Valkyrie and Sandra, and will not leave anything behind.

Dadatta (ダダッタ)
These helmet-wearing warriors appear on the fourth and eighth stages of this game, and only come in one colour: brown armour with red lining; they will attack by swinging their black maces around in circles before throwing them directly at Valkyrie and Sandra, and will leave a small coin (worth 5 in gold) behind when killed. If one of them should throw his mace at Valkyrie and Sandra just before he dies, they can still get injured by it.

Erekiman (エレキマン)
This lookalike of Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (the original 1982 film, not the 1983 Atari 2600 game) is the boss of the fourth stage; he attacks by firing off balls of electricity at Valkyrie and Sandra while banging his staff against the floor to electrify all the tiles of one colour (black or white) around him. He will leave ten small coins (worth 5 in gold) behind when killed, and two red chests will also appear at the top and bottom of the screen, once he has gone - the one at the top of the screen contains a randomly-generated amount of gold, while the one at the bottom of the screen contains five "magic bubbles" (which will be worth half a circle upon your magic meters when collected).

Kumo (くも)
These thunderous clouds appear on the fifth and eighth stages of the game and only come in a single colour: gray; they attack by dropping bolts of lightning (which are similar to those spat by the Twin Girasu's right head on the first stage) at Valkyrie and Sandra, and will leave a large coin (worth 20 in gold) behind when killed. However, their first impressions have may give players the idea that they cannot be killed.

Mimizu (ミミズ)
These worm-like creatures only appear on the fifth stage of the game and only come in a single colour: pink; they'll attack by emerging from the ground to slowly crawl towards Valkyrie and Sandra and jump on top of them, and will leave a small coin (worth five in gold) behind when killed.

Ice Blockers (アイスブロッカーズ)
Eighteen of these frozen cubes are the bosses of the fifth stage; they'll attack by breaking free from their allocated positions in the blockade they are forming to slide their way towards Valkyrie and Sandra and will not leave anything behind when killed. Several others also appear as regular enemies in the sixth stage of the game - and will attack by sliding back and forth in given areas, while trying to knock Valkyrie and Sandra down.

Snow Bird (スノーバード)
This enormous, warm-blooded, egg-laying vertebrate is the boss of the sixth stage, and the only boss in the game with the ability to fly; he attacks by dropping huge spinning purple spikes on Valkyrie and Sandra, while spitting rings of electricity from his beak at them, and will leave ten small coins (worth 5 in gold) and ten money bags (worth 50 in gold) behind when killed. He is also the last regular boss you will have to fight for the game - because the boss of the seventh stage, Sphinmoth (see the section below), will ask Valkyrie and Sandra a multiple-choice question (in a manner similar to that of the Nazonazo Phantom), while the boss of the eighth stage, Kamuzu, is the main antagonist (and final boss of) the game (taking more hits to defeat than any of the others).

Sphinmoth (スフィンモス)
This enormous elephant-like creature is the boss of the seventh stage. As mentioned in the section above, he will merely ask Valkyrie and Sandra a multiple-choice question in a manner similar to that of the Nazonazo Phantom - and once again, a knowledge of both main Japanese syllabic writing systems is essential if you wish to answer it correctly. Push the joystick into the "north-west" position to select the answer A, the "north" position to select the answer B and the "north-east" position to select the answer C, then press the Firing Button to confirm your choice. If you selected answer A, Sphinmoth will lift his left leg up to reveal a staircase leading to a secret room where you will have to kill two Purple Goblins, two Blue Kaokkusu and two red versions of the Tarosu before proceeding to the eighth stage; however, if you selected answer B, Sphinmoth will lift his right leg up to reveal another staircase leading directly to the eighth stage. But if you selected answer C, Sphinmoth will not lift either of his legs up and you'll have to replay the entire stage again.

Eater Plants (食虫植物)
These carnivorous flowers only appear on the eighth stage of the game and only come in a single colour - green with yellpink petals. They attack by bouncing towards Valkyrie and Sandra in a manner similar to that of the Rocks and Logs, and are the only enemies that will leave a "magic bubble" behind when killed.

Kamuzu (カムーズ)
This enormous four-armed demon is the main antagonist of the game and the boss of the eighth stage. He attacks by throwing medium-sized fireballs at Valkyrie and Sandra from his top-left arm, throwing big red boomerangs at them from his top-right arm, punching out at them with his bottom-left arm and shielding himself with his bottom-right arm. Once Valkyrie and Sandra have fired enough shots at him, his head will change into that of a goat and he will start throwing more medium-sized fireballs and big red boomerangs at Valkyrie and Sandra while punching out at them and shielding himself more frequently. He will also leave ten small coins (worth 5 in gold) and ten money bags (worth 50 in gold) behind when killed. You will then be free to sit back and enjoy the ending, which features a montage of all the game's cutscenes in their inverted order.