Super Valis IV
Valis IV (SNES release titled Super Valis IV) is a 1992 action-platformer developed by Telenet Japan, part of the Valis series. The plot: after the villain Galgear escapes imprisonment, he kidnaps Valna; protagonist Lena and her sister journey to retrieve the Valis sword to defeat him, ultimately receiving it from the goddess Yuko.
Availability: Nintendo Switch Online — Super Nintendo Entertainment System app (Nintendo Classics)
This guide documents the game's main progression and structure; some specific details are still being verified and are noted where relevant.
Controls
Players dash, jump, and use collected items to traverse levels. An up-plus-attack input normally triggers a sword-beam attack, which certain pickup weapons replace with alternate beam types: a homing beam, a wider beam, or a spread beam.
Playable Characters
Each of the three playable characters wields a unique weapon and has access to their own elemental spell, upgradeable up to three levels, charged via a "weapon power" meter. On PC Engine, the roster is Lena (can slide), Amu (can double-jump), and Asfal (invincible against certain stage hazards). The SNES version significantly alters this roster: Amu and Asfal were replaced, with Yuko accessible only via a cheat code in the SNES version.
Levels / Structure
The PC Engine version has nine 2D levels; the SNES adaptation removed several of these levels but added one new stage, "Castle Vanity." Each level proceeds from a starting point to an end-of-level boss fight.
Bosses
A distinctive mechanic: the longer the player takes to reach a level's end boss, the more hit points that boss accrues — incentivizing faster play. Individual boss names were not confirmed from the source accessed in this pass.
Platform Differences (SNES vs. PC Engine)
The SNES version made extensive changes versus the PC Engine original: the magic system was replaced with special items/weapons, animated cutscenes were removed, and the character roster was altered (with Yuko demoted to a cheat-code-only character).
Trouble Spots
The boss-HP-scales-with-time mechanic means overly cautious or exploratory play is directly punished at every boss fight — a structural pressure valve rather than a specific level trouble spot, but one that meaningfully shapes strategy throughout the whole game.
Still confirming
- Individual boss names and attack patterns.
- Exact number of levels in the SNES version (only "PC Engine had nine, SNES removed some and added Castle Vanity" is confirmed — the resulting SNES total was not independently stated in the source).
- Full weapon upgrade path names for each of the three playable characters.