In 1991 - Valis II and III had already been out at this point - Telenet apparently noticed that the first game hadn't aged too well, and retold the same story with a gameplay style more similar to the rest of the series. The story scenes are recreated rater faithfully, but it got an entirely new set of stages, which are not entirely linear, but definitely more along the lines of a classic Castlevania game. The dream world doesn't look as far out and borderline psychedelic as it used to - now all the stages are typical platformer staples like an ice stage, a lava stage, a castle stage and a forest stage.

Yuko controls very much like in Valis III, so she can jump higher by pressing up and jump at the same time, and she also got her slide move. Unfortunately, team Riot apparently forgot to build the levels around using it, and it doesn't even do any damage to the enemies. The heroine is also extremely slow, making the game more boring than it needed to be. The mechanics feel just as awkward as in the Genesis version of Valis III, and it just doesn't feel all that polished.

The Valis sword can now be upgraded in three stages, which subsequently enhances the power and reach of the projectiles. Of course there's also a bunch of alternative firing modes to be found in later stages, like homing arrows or a projectile that fires forward and backward at the same time. The Valis Jewels gained from the bosses are no longer useless ornaments, but grant spells to Yuko, which work a lot like the extra weapons in Castlevania or Ninja Gaiden. They are activated by pressing up and attack and draw from a pool of magic points gained by smashing floating capsules. Unlike in Konami's and Tecmo's series, though, they can be selected from a menu at any time. The spell usually mirrors a power of the defeated boss.

Valis on the Genesis isn't a bad game, definitely leagues above the original, but still not particularly enjoyable. It's just so slow and boring.

The PC Engine version of Mugen Senshi Valis is yet a different remake. Although it is clearly a variation of the Genesis game, the two are almost like games developed independently from separate teams following the same design document (which is at least somewhat accurate - both are labeled as created by Telenet's internal team Riot, but aside from using Tomoko Miura's concept, they don't share any other staff members).

The game has the same story, the same basic stage themes, many of the same bosses and the same core mechanics as the Genesis version, but in execution the two differ a lot. Most of the level layouts are completely new (they actually incorporate the ground slide this time). The first stage still seems like a more streamlined version of the original, but right after that the game introduces an entirely new sub stage with its own sub boss. Late in the game, Yuko faces a dragon. On the Genesis, she was standing on its back while its two heads attacked from the right, reaching over from off-screen. On the PC Engine, the entire dragon is seen in the background, with the heads hovering over Yuko and raining fire on her. In general the design is much more interesting, and even though the levels seem more streamlined at first, they have quite a few hidden areas.

But the biggest advantage this version has over its immediate predecessor are the much improved controls and mechanics. The awkward two-tiered jumping is gone, instead Yuko jumps extremely high by default, and the ground slide now doubles as an attack like in the other PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 titles. Yuko is still no Ryu Hayabusa, but at least the game is decently paced, the collisions are much more accurate and the controls feel tighter.

Compared to the other Valis games, this remake doesn't take too much advantage from being on a CD-ROM. Sure, it got a redbook soundtrack (with remixes based on the X6800 version of the Telenet Music Box) and the cinematic scenes are all voiced, but aside from an extended intro where Yuko is seen getting ready and on her way to school, the scenes are rather short and don't offer much beyond what the Genesis version had, aside from a few extra scenes here and there. The graphics are artistically superior and more coherent, but they also ramp up the cheesecake factor quite a bit - the camera in the intro follows Yuko very closely as she is getting dressed, and every jump in the game serves as a reminder of what color her panties are.

Yep!

Mugen Senshi Valis on the PC Engine does feel a little bare compared to Valis III and IV with their multiple characters and extensive story scenes. By its mechanics and level design, however, it is no doubt the most well-executed game in the entire series. It's still a bit too derivative and pedestrian to be counted among the genre greats like Castlevania and Ninja Gaiden, but at least very, very high second tier.