HOW – TO – PLAY
Fantasm Soldier Valis II (1989, Japan Telenet/Reno)
Author: John Hassink (johnhassink@hotmail.com)
Date of creation: October 2006
This walkthrough and all facts stated herein have been quadruple-checked for your convenience.
Meaning, that I finished the game at least four times in a row, from the beginning to the end, all while following the instructions given in this document.
Doing so, I managed to eliminate all possible hogwash I would accidentally sell you. I fought each type of enemy and all the bosses with every weapon that I had at my disposal at that time. I tried all the suits. I scoured every pixel of every Act...
So here it is: The ultimate guide to beating this game!
Feel free to e-mail me with questions, remarks, supplementary information, thank-you´s, or whatever suits you. ;-)
I will seek to answer as fast and as best as I can. Which may not be too swiftly, mind you, because I´m one of those nearly extinct, barbaric cavemen without home access to the internet.
Ofcourse, you´re free to distribute this document as much as you can, but if you really have to modify anything in it, please contact me first, or state what you have changed in the text itself before copying it and giving it to someone else.
I´d like to thank:
* Japan Telenet/Reno, for creating this wonderful game.
* Frits Hilderink, for his great NLMSX emulator.
* Rieks Warendorp Torringa, for realtime translating part of the story for me, despite him suffering from a severe hangover.
* All places this document would appear on, for providing a platform for this walkthrough.
* You, for trusting me on this one.
General Advice
* Always seek to gather lots of special points. You need them to cast special powers (and to fly in Act 4 and 6). Often, when an enemy is destroyed, a red or a blue jewel appears. Red jewels count for 1 point, the blue ones count for 10.
There´s no merit in risking HP for a red jewel.
* Special powers are casted by pushing the [Z]-key or firebutton B, if you are using a joystick.
* When your special points are high and you find a blue jewel, cast Diff before taking it.
* There are two ways to “enter the select mode”;
(1) Push [F-1]
(2) Duck and push the [Z]-key. However, when you land from a jump or fall and you push the [Z]-key the moment you touch the ground, you will also enter select mode. A (minor) programming-flaw, I reckon.
* For navigation´s sake: When I say “leave to the left” or “leave right”, I am reffering to one of those situations where the screen stops scrolling and you are expected to leave the area.
* In order of beating the game, it´s not mandatory to collect: EVADE, INTEGRAL, CRASH, any DEFENSE-SUIT, REIKO-TYPE, HELP-ITEM and maybe even BULLET past level 2. You´re not likely to be using any of those things. But it´s nice to be complete, isn´t it.
In case you would follow this walkthrough completely, you will have everything that´s to be found at the end of the game.
* This game has a music mode. To enter it, press [F-5] at the title screen.
Weapons
Every time when you pick up a type of weapon you already have, its level will increase. Maximum of all weapons is level 4.
The level makes a huge difference; you will find that for instance Laser (stronger weapon) at level 1 is just about as strong as Bullet (weaker weapon) at level 2.
Most weapons allow to be fired through a wall, given that you stand close to it (which comes down to 8 or 0 pixels between you and the wall).
Each weapon is capable of negating enemy projectiles.
BULLET – Standard weapon. Always shoots in the direction you´re facing. Moderately powerful.
– Higher levels: First double bullets, then triple directions, then four.
LASER – Stronger weapon than bullet, but does not spread like it on higher levels.
– Higher levels: Gets more powerful. Rear shot added at level 4.
CLUSTER – Creates reasonably strong, moving orbs which float around you and follow your direction. Provides a wide range of shielding from attacks. The orbs will shoot away after a while. Will not pierce walls.
– Higher levels: Gets more powerful and creates more orbs.
EXPLODER – Fires multiple projectiles which exemplary offer a wide range damage-area (explosion) for enemies. Will not pierce (normal) walls.
– Higher levels: Power increases, explosion gets wider.
HUNTER – Basically a homing weapon with less strength than Bullet.
– Higher levels: Fires more homing bullets at once. Directional expansion resembling that of Bullet.
Suits
* Wearing Offense-Suit gives you a higher max HP. It will also increase your HP when you hadn´t put it on yet. When you put it off again, your HP will decrease.
* Wearing Defense-Suit seems to improve your strength somewhat, but offers you much less HP dan Offense-Suit does. Though any sustained damage will cost you less HP. The level of all your weapons is diminished when wearing this suit. If you´re low on HP, you cannot put on the Defense-Suit. To be honest, I always stick with the Offense-Suit and it suits me fine (har-dee-har).
* The Reiko-Type suit is like the Defense-Suit in the way in which it reduces your HP and max HP and the level of your weapons. Also, you can only take it off again after you have got the Help-Item.You can, however, put it on any time you like. Even if it means death.
Specials
DIFF – Uses 5 points. All enemies will be immobilized for a short time. Enemy bullets that have been fired will still move, and some enemies will still fire at you even when Diff is active.
EVADE – Uses 10 points. I haven´t the slightest clue what this does. For which I apologize.
INTEGRAL – Uses 15 points. You´ll be invulnerable for a very, very short time.
CRASH – Uses 20 points. Dispatches all enemies on the screen.
Only Diff is truly useful; the other specials are mostly a waste of special points, really.
Items
* The item I herein refer to as “Recover-Item” restores all your HP when taken. This particular item can be found on none other points in the game than at the end of every Act, right before the boss.
* The jump-item will appear 3 times in the game; in Act 2, where it will improve your jump, effectively until the very end, and in Act 4 and 6, where you´ll need it to fly. Flying takes special points, but this item will increase your special points with 50 units when taken.
Note: If you would run all out of special points in Act 4 or 6, the power to fly will be permanently gone for the entire Act, even after regaining fresh special points. Ain´t that harsh.
Walkthrough
Act 1
Stop to duck-attack each time one of these mini-dinosaurs approaches you, especially when you haven´t got Bullet yet.
Head right. Don´t stall; find the stairs and ascend as fast as possible, so that you might reach the top before the first red jumper comes tumbling down. Pick up BULLET. You will have it equipped automatically.
Proceed right, pick up the SAILOR-SUIT and put it on. Leave right.
Further to the right and down the stairs is a good place to build up special points, although the objects on the ground block your fire somewhat. Duck every time you fail to dispatch a low flying zigzag-thing. When you have collected a fair quota of special points (I advise to gather around 50), go right, up the stairs, pick up the BLAZER and put it on.
Head right. You reach the platforms above the water. Every single time before jumping to the next platform, you should wait for the flying red thing to appear. Shoot at it and do not make the jump before it´s gone, or when you´re certain that it will have died before it reaches you. Also make sure there will be no dinos or flying zigzag-things in the way when you proceed. If you happen to “miss-jump” to a platform, you might have a chance to get on one of the two laddersteps which are under every platform, in the middle.
Go right and pick up DIFF. You could equip it right now and use it 2 or 3 times, but it is best to go easy on the special points.
Proceed right. You will find another BULLET.
Go right. Soon enough, you will see the Recover-Item. Shoot everything on screen down, optionally use Diff, pick up the item and quicky leave to the right.
Boss: Zaluga
At the start, try to predict the path of the bursting rock. Stay calm, don´t jump and don´t run around like crazy. When the bigger rocks start to break through, don´t be at the right of the “playfield”, because then you will get pierced by a pair of horns when Zaluga himself emerges from the ground. When he finally does, wait for the last rocks to burst then run away to the left.
Now, the trick is to -each time- walk toward him (not too close), jump up and hit him in the face as many times as you can (for he will stop some of your bullets with his arm) before he can get back at you.
So, jump and shoot at him 1, 2 or 3 times, but be sure to run away immediately when, or better, before he begins to spit at you. Jump to avoid that last drop of spit that´s always aimed in a queer angle at you.
Note that he doesn´t actually has to be on screen to be hit by your bullets.
Act 2
In this act, be sure to always destroy all the snails in your way before proceeding, and always duck while attacking the jumping red beasts to avoid their bullets.
When there are a lot of snails on the ground, it´s better to jump over them, because you might not destroy all of them before they reach you.
Immediately descend. Once you reached the bottom, pick up the JUMP-ITEM. Your maximum jump will be much higher.
Cast Diff. Ascend to the top. Go right and follow the track down and left. Pick up LASER on your left. You don´t need to equip it right now, because at this point, Bullet (level 2) is equally strong and it will cover a slightly wider area.
Descend. Go right until you pick up EVADE. This is not, as one might expect, an item with an “E” in it, but it looks like, well, something blue. You´ll know when you see it.
Cast Diff and head up until you find the OFFENSE-SUIT at your left. Put it on. Leave right.
Cast Diff. Follow the path right, down, left, down, right, down, pick up CLUSTER and equip it.
Go left, down, and right until you pick up another CLUSTER.
Go up to find DEFENSE-SUIT.
Go right, down, left, down, right, down, left, down, right.
Get the Recover-Item and leave at the right before you get attacked again.
Boss: Sondern
The screen will scroll to the right, while from its long body, heads on necks that spit projectiles at you will stick out. Destroying one of the heads will decrease this enemy´s HP. Cannons which are placed either high, middle or low will fire lasers at you. These cannons can not be disposed of so ignore them, but mind their lasers.
Stick with Cluster. Build yourself a shield with the orbs and stay down, but get close to the nearest head when you fear it doesn´t die. Try to take on all the heads you see.
At the end of the “playfield”, you will be brought back to the front of the body. New heads for you to destroy will emerge; just one if you managed to destroy all the heads on your way hence, more than one in case he still got more HP left. If you destroyed a small amount of heads on your way to the right, the monster will regain all of its HP.
Act 3
In this act, a number of walls and floors can be removed by firing Exploder at them. They can be recognized by their lighter colour.
Also, once you got the Exploder, keep firing while running ahead, but duck and fire when you actually see snails coming too close. Doing so will create explosions right in front of you and thus allow you to get rid of most of them before they get to you.
Regarding the spears that fall from the ceiling; just wait for them to fall, destroy the one in your way (might leave special points for you) and proceed.
You can use Cluster while staying in place to slay lots of snails to collect special points.
The way to deal with the attached-to-the-walls, bullet spitting monsters is to wait for them have fired and then quickly blow them up. Usually, they fire 4 times, after which they take a pause.
Head right until you pick up EXPLODER. Equip it and use it to break the wall on your right. Head right and pick up OFFENSE-SUIT. Return left and back through the passage you´ve just exploded your way through. Break the light floor that you see. Descend and go right. Break the floor. On your right is a wall you can break. Remember it for now, but go left. Break the floor, descend, break the floor and leave left.
Descend, go right and pick up another OFFENSE-SUIT. Return left, up and leave right.
Go up, up, right and break the wall. Go right, then cast Diff and go up, left, descend and go right to pick up another EXPLODER.
Return and proceed right. Break the floor, descend and pick up LASER. Break the floor and descend. Leave at the left.
Descend and go left to pick up DEFENSE-SUIT.
Head right until you reach a light wall. Break the wall and proceed right until the end. Ascend and go left, ascend, go right, ascend and go left. Destroy all enemies that would block or endanger your way up, pick up the Recover-item and jump through the top of the field.
Boss: Gayus
Destroy the rock with the Exploder. The head and torso of King Rogles will appear and move left and right in your direction, while trying to locate you to shoot downwards. Cluster will harm him most of all your weapons. Aim for the ruby in his forehead, and avoid both ruby and his fire. When cornered, wait for him to lock unto you and to fire at you. Then run away and attack again.
Now Gayus himself will appear. His tactique: Each time he will appear above you, shoot lasers downwards and then bounce left or right only to disappear, then appear above you again and repeat the same strategy.
When you see him appear above you, run far away and turn around to shoot at him. Laser works better at long range, but Cluster deals more damage to him.
Act 4
Pick up the JUMP-ITEM at the beginning. You will get the power of flying. Without it, this Act cannot be completed.
Cluster will protect you from a lot of enemy fire as well as attacks from above, but Laser stops bullets as well and gives you long range-advantage. You pick.
The first time when you have to choose between the upper or the lower part of the gamescreen, go to the upper part and collect an EXPLODER.
After that, keep on the upper part of the screen to get HUNTER. You could equip it now, depending on your playing style.
Soon, you see an up-down split in the screen again. Quickly go up and right to pick up another HUNTER, and then immediately return.
After that, keep down until you find another level for your DEFENSE-SUIT.
Follow the walls up-and-down (casting Diff once or twice is recommended) and leave right.
You get outside. This part is a typical section which justifies to use Diff frequently, but note that you also need the special points to fly.
Don´t touch the clouds at the bottom of the screen for they are harmful.
When you reached the end of the “outside”, the screen will stop scrolling. Cast Diff, dispatch of all enemies and leave right.
Inside again, immediately go up through the opening and left to pick up INTEGRAL, then leave before the lasers will burst out at you.
Down, you will find a BULLET.
Then, get down and right as fast as you can to get another level of CLUSTER.
Swiftly make your way up again. Now, just survive the (small) remaining section to the Recovery-Item and head right to face the boss.
Boss: Heizen
This boss will also go through two emanations.
Both are remarkably easy wiped out with Cluster. He will shoot some stuff at you, but simply keep attacking him, and he will be gone before your HP is even cut in half.
When he is defeated, some fireballs will appear which can harm you a little, but this shouldn´t be any problem.
Act 5
Equip Cluster, as it provides you a shield against close attacks as well as it removes bullets, and a lot of them will be fired at you in this act.
Stop running when you suspect one of those rifle-toting enemies not to be killed by the orbs before it can reach you.
This Act in comprised of two parts.
In the first one, you will proceed by climbing up stairs.
The second part is one big “playing-field” where you can travel by elevators, which can also instantly kill you.
Part 1
Note that you never need more than two jumps to get a story higher with the stairs. Jump diagonally.
Always jump to and walk on the platforms when there are pikes in the floor. When there are not, preferably stay on the ground.
Keep maintaining the Cluster-shield. Remember that you can direct the clusters left or right, so when you have reached the end of a floor you can safely get rid of bullets that have been chasing you as you ran.
Go right to the stairs and ascend to the 2nd floor. Go left, ascend to the 3rd floor. Go right, past the stairs, until you pick up CRASH.
Left again, ascend the stairs to the 4th floor. Go left to get the REIKO-TYPE suit. As stated before, there´s really no reason to put it on. Ever.
Head right and ascend to the 5th floor. Head left and ascend to the 6th floor. Head right and ascend to the 7th floor. Head right and pick up the HELP-ITEM.
Go left, past the stairs, and get another HUNTER.
Right again to ascend to the 8th floor. Go left and leave the screen.
Part 2
In the narrow passages, Cluster will give you a slight disadvantage because the orbs will continue to break on the ceiling. Laser is the best weapon to equip in the tubes, but Cluster is the better weapon in the “open” parts. You could do well by just using Cluster.
Be patient. Don´t get stuck between elevators and walls.
A lot of Diff usage is justified, especially while in a tube, but strive to maintain 50 special points.
At the beginning, get past the timed lasers by waiting and then running ahead. Ignore the first elevator and head right. Let yourself fall down, take the left elevator up and enter the tube at your left to collect BULLET.
Leave and head right or down-right. Ignore the tube at your right. Get up two (!) stories using the right elevator (“right” as in “not left”). Go left and enter the tube at your left to pick up CLUSTER.
Leave and get on the elevator from where you stand. Get right when the ceiling comes in sight. Ignore the pipe on your right, but go one story up with the elevator and go left, in the tube, to pick up LASER.
Leave and get on the elevator up, go right, enter the tube. Make a big jump to the tube on your right. Cast Diff, get the Recover-item, kill everything and leave to the right.
Boss: Bazoon
Equip Exploder (other weapons will allow it to recover too fast).
Run to the right of the screen until you can´t go further.
It appears. Don´t waste time on the larvae that it poops out, just jump a bit if you have to. Keep blasting the orifice (yes, I´m deliberately staying away from the subject “which one it is”) and it dies much sooner than you will. You could mind the stuff that flies at you when it explodes, but probably your HP can still take it.
Act 6
This act consists of 3 parts, with a boss at the end of each one. Seek to defeat the first two bosses as fast as you can, because your special points will also decrease while fighting them.
You will automatically be wearing the HYPER-SUIT. There´s no need to change; this suit is the best one there is.
Always avoid being on the same horizontal line as the big fireballs are, because not all their bullets may be destroyed before they reach you. However, don´t allow the walls to block your fire.
When there are a lot of enemies and you see a blue jewel, cast Diff, then take it.
Red jewels are not worth risking your HP for, ignore them when it appears dangerous to get them.
Mind the white-red fire above and below in between the green parts. It appears to be only decoration, but it does harm you.
You don´t want to miss any of the warps; if you do, you will return at the beginning of the part.
Part 1
Don´t move until you get the JUMP-ITEM. Don´t use Diff too much as you will need to fly until the end.
I recommend equipping Hunter, but Exploder works okay too.
Soon, you will see an EXPLODER along the way.
Then a warp will appear, immediately equip Laser and enter it.
Small fireballs will fly horizontally at you. Stay on the straight platforms in the floor, keep firing, both ducking and standing, and stay down. Every time a new straight part comes in sight and reaches the middle of the screen, quickly run on it while firing.
When the screen stops scrolling, leave at the right.
Subboss 1: Fireball-spitting thing
Equip Hunter. There´s no way to predict the next place a pillar of fire will appear, so just stay left. If you must dodge a bullet or fireball, do it by going up or down. Keep firing until you drained all the enemy´s HP.
Enter the warp that appears.
Part 2
Big fireballs will attack you again. You´ll find a LASER soon.
After that, you´ll find another HUNTER.
Now all your weapons are at their maximum, that is, if you did pick up all of them, of course.
A warp appears that will take you to a horrible section. Equip Laser. Big fireballs attack you from up and down and the small ones will also come to bother you again. Try to stay in the middle of the screen. Use Diff wisely.
Another warp will appear after this.
Subboss 2: Traveling worm
Equip Hunter and fire all the time. And I really mean, all the time. There are five fireballs on screen through which he travels. Its weak spot is its tail. Do not wait too close at them for the monster to come out; stay under the fireball in the centre (but not when he´s coming you way, ofcourse). When it appears, watch where it´s going. This way you should have enough time to either dodge, or to get behind it and shoot the hell out of its tail.
The middle fireball will transform to a warp.
Part 3
It only gets worse. Again, stay mostly in the middle of the screen. Mind that the small fireballs will explode in 4 diagonally directed bullets when destroyed.
It´s okay to use Diff a lot, because it´s not really necessary to fly while fighting Megas.
Get the Recover-Item and leave at the right.
Boss: Megas
Equip Exploder.
Megas will attack you in three forms, of which the last two suffer obscene damage from Exploder.
Dragons – Simply shoot them down as fast as possible.
Warrior – Shoot at him when he walks towards you. Walk away when he gets too close. Wait for him to jump, run under and past him, turn around and repeat.
Big Warrior – I can´t think of any cunning strategy, just kill him before he does you. He is only vulnerable when he fires at you, so keep shooting him, and -given that you can still fly- go up and down to try and avoid his laser.
That´s it. I hope this walkthrough has been of any help to you.
