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"), is another of Valkyrie and Sandra's sort-of partners. Like Babasama, he appears in preset locations throughout the game to sell Valkyrie and Sandra special weapons inn exchange for the coins they collect - and when one player walks up to him and enters his realm, the other player will automatically be drawn inn as well and they will each be asked to choose one of the three items shown on the rug inn front of them. Push the joystick into the "north-west" position to select the first item, the "north" position to select the second item and the "north-east" position to select the third item, then press the Firing Button to confirm your choice - or just push the joystick into the "south" position to exit Zoul's realm. Here is a list of them and what they do:
 * Wide Beam (ワイドビーム): Having the external appearance of a shield, this one will give Valkyrie and Sandra the power to fire more powwerful shots for 160 uses.
 * 3-Way Shot (3方向ショット): Having the external appearance of a sceptre, this one will give Valkyrie and Sandra the power to fire shots in 3 directions for 160 uses.
 * 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.
 * 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 enemies for 160 uses.
 * 4-Way Shot (4方向ショット): Having the external appearance of a feather, this one will give Valkyrie and Sandra the power to fire shots in 4 directions for 160 uses.
 * Through Shot (貫通弾): Having the external appearance of a spear, this one will give Valkyrie and Sandra the power to fire penetrating shots at enemies for 128 uses.
 * Eternal Sword (永遠の剣): Having the external appearance of a small sceptre, this one will give Valkyrie and Sandra the power to fire an infinite number of super shots.
 * Healing Herb (回復剤): Having the external appearance of a Doku or Gasai Plant, this one will restore one of Valkyrie's (or Sandra's) lost life-hearts on their life meters.
 * Heart Plate (ハートの器): Having the external appearance of a pink playing-card heart, this one will give Valkyrie (or Sandra) an additional life-heart on their life meters.
 * Sand Watch (砂時計): Having the external appearance of an hourglass, this one will give Valkyrie and Sandra an unnspecified amount of extra time to clear the stage.
 * Magic Ball (魔法の素): Having the external appearance of a bubble, this one will restore one of Valkyrie's (or Sandra's) used-up "magic bubbles" on their magic meters.
 * Magic Book (魔法の本): Having the external appearance of a spellbook, this last one will have exactly the same effect on Valkyrie and Sandra as the Heart Plate does.
 * Dress (ドレス): Having the external appearance of what its name suggests, this one merely changes the palettes of Valkyrie and Sandra for a short period of time.

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 (left) and gray with a purple beard (right). They attack by throwing their red 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 the game and come in two different colours - brown with white wings (left) and black with yellow wings (right). They attack by flying in curved lines towards Valkyrie and Sandra, and will leave a small coin (worth 5 in gold) behind when killed.

Kamaeru Men (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 tongues out at Valkyrie and Sandra, and are the first enemies in the game that will not leave anything behind when killed.

Sochikisu (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.

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 (left) and blue (right). They attack by dancing around Valkyrie and Sandra in an anticlockwise direction while spitting out coloured 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 the game and come in three different colours - green (left), purple (centre) and gray (right). They attack by emerging from the ground to throw their spears (and from the 4th stage 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 power to throw three spears at once.

Torento (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 (left) and green (right). They attack by running towards Valkyrie and Sandra with their tentacles waving around, and will leave a small coin (worth 5 in gold) behind when killed.

Rocks (岩)
These masses of consolidated mineral matter appear on the first and third stages of the game and come in two different sizes - small (left) and large (right). They attack by bouncing in straight lines towards Valkyrie and Sandra to squash them flat, and will leave a large coin (worth 20 in gold) behind when killed.

Logs (丸太)
These fibrous substances of xylem tissue appear on the first, fifth and sixth stages of the game and only come in a single colour - brown. They attack by either rolling or bouncing in straight lines towards Valkyrie and Sandra to squash them flat like Rocks, and will leave a large coin (worth 20 in gold) behind when killed.

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 lightning bolts at them from its right head, and will leave ten small coins (worth 5 in gold) behind when killed. Several miniaturized versions of it also appear as regular enemies on the seventh stage (as you can see in the image to the right).

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 attack by emerging from the depths of pits to curl their bodies (which are not shown in the image to the left) around Valkyrie and Sandra while breathing flames at them when their heads are lined up with their current horizontal/vertical position on the screen, and will leave ten small coins (worth 5 in gold) behind when killed.

Scissors (シザーズ)
Three of these green tulip-like creatures appear on 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.

Flames (炎の魂)
These luminous bodies of burning gas appear on the second and sixth stages of the game and only come in a single colour - orange. They attack by either flying or bouncing in straight lines towards Valkyrie and Sandra much like the Logs to burn them to a crisp, and will leave a large coin (worth 20 in gold) behind when killed.

Boss Torento (ボストレント)
Three of these enormous tree-like creatures are the bosses of the second stage (one brown, one gold and one green); however, you will only have to fight one of them. They 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 (worth 5 in gold), ten money bags (worth 50 in gold) and a 3-Way Shot behind when killed, and the green one will leave ten small coins (worth 5 in gold), ten "magic bubbles" and a Magic Book behind when killed. An old man with a white beard will thenn appear in the centre of the boss platform behind a ladder which leads to the third stage.

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 a single 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.

Magma Hands (マグマハンドズ)
These five-fingered appendages only appear on the third stage of the game and only come in a single colour - orange. They 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 will drop down to 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 from one floating platform to another, and are the second enemies in the game that cannot be killed (much like the Masks).

Honorians (ホノーリアンズ)
These anthropomorphic flames appear on the third and fifth stages of the game and come in two different colours - orange (left) and blue (right). 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 when killed.

Kaokkusu (カオックス)
These anthropomorphic masks appear on the fourth and sixth stages of the game and come in two different colours - red (left) and blue (right). They attack by homing in on Valkyrie and Sandra to bite them once they have seen them, and will leave a total of four small coins (worth 5 in gold) behind when killed.

Maguma 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 have entered its cavern to account for its size. It attacks by breathing flames from its mouth 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 that 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 has zoomed back in to make up for this 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 is nothing to stop one player from opening both of them before the 3rd cutscene).

Tarosu (タロス)
One of these bull-like creatures appears onn 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 onn the fourth stage cannot 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.

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 wish to answer it correctly. Push the joystick into the "north-west" position to select answer A, the "north" 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 you.

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 both 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 (their heads) are destroyed.

Robotians (ロボティアンズ)
These soldier-like robots appear on the fourth, sixth and eighth stages of the game and come in two different colours - silver (left) and gold (right). 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 when killed.

Dadatta (ダダッタ)
These helmet-wearing warriors appear on the fourth and eighth stages of the game and only come in a single colour - brown armour with red lining. They 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.

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 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".

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 given many MAME users the idea that they are the third and final enemies in the game that 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 attack by emerging from the ground to slowly make their way towards Valkyrie and Sandra and jump onto them once they get close enough, and will leave a small coin (worth 5 inn 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 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 inn the sixth stage of game.

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 who possesses the ability to fly. He attacks by dropping 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 in 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 game.

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 inn 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.