Play Valis - The Fantastic Soldier (Japan) Online

Valis: The Fantastic Soldier came out on the NES in 1987, developed by Telenet Japan. It was part of that wave of action-platformers that tried to do something a little different, often with a distinct anime style that set it apart from more straightforward titles of the era.

You control Yuko Asou, a high school girl chosen to wield the sword Valis, fighting through a series of side-scrolling stages to stop the invasion of the dark world Vecanti. The gameplay involves moving screen by screen, using your sword to attack a variety of strange enemies, from flying skulls to bouncing blobs. You also collect orbs to power up your weapon and find hidden items that grant new abilities, like a screen-clearing bomb. The pacing is deliberate, and the platforming demands precision, especially with jumps that have very little margin for error. It feels like navigating a challenging, slightly off-kilter dream.