DoDonPachi and Valis are back

September 28 2022

DoDonPachi and Valis are back

Jared Petty

Two takes on venerable Japanese classics await intrepid players at Limited Run Games!

If you regularly read the LRG blog, you know we’re big fans of classic-style shumps at Limited Run. Few vertical shooters draw more doki-dokis from the hearts of gamers than DoDonPachi, and we’re pleased as punch to be offering DoDonPachi Resurrection in Standard, Steelbook, and fabulous Collector’s Editions!

Created by CAVE, the kings of bullet hell, Resurrection is a sublime refinement of a masterpiece formula. At a glance, it’s about blowing things up. But like many other shooters of its ilk, it has as much in common with pinball as it does video games: its scoring system is built on a series of subtle methods and multipliers. True mastery requires learning to play the game like a finely-tuned musical instrument, and a sort of synesthesia loop builds when you’re in the groove, the enemy patterns and responsive controls blending with the skyrocketing point tallies to create something artful. It’s a masterwork.

That doesn’t mean you have to understand all this to get started. DoDonPachi grows with you and allows plenty of leeway to master basics while having a blast. It’s a layered game experience like few others, a masterful revision of a true classic.

Make sure you reserve your copy (or our super-neat DodonPachi-branded Switch arcade cabinet) today! Pre-orders end Sunday.

Run and Stab

Also waiting in the wings is a different kind of resurrection: the second collection of classic Valis games released through Limited Run: Valis, The Fantasm Soldier Collection II. If you’ve read our blog about the first collection, you know what makes these games notable and enjoyable. If you haven’t, that’s what hyperlinks are for!

This collection includes the venerable Valis IV, an immense adventure with switchable characters, each wielding distinctive powers. The classic PC Engine version of Valis IV never came to the US back in the day, so for a lot of you, this will likely be your first chance to get your hands on a piece of Nihon Telenet history.

Also, the wonderfully kawaii Syd of Valis cutes its way into this new collection, If you’re not in the know, Syd of Valis is a Genesis game that suffered from some… questionable translation problems back in the day, with its Valis SD (Super-Deformed Valis) title roots getting lost in localization and somehow being corrupted into Syd. Weird title aside, it’s a really beat game, a truly adorable take on superpowered schoolgirls with swords. The varied and colorful sprite art alone is worth the journey.

Rounding out the pack is the original Valis for Genesis, a refined take on the Valis that started it all. All three games are packaged together in standard or Collector’s Editions. And for you audiophiles, there’s also a Valis: The Fantasm Soldier Collection II 3 LP vinyl soundtrack in the works too, also on sale at LRG.

That’s a LOT of Japantastic gaming to grab at Limited Run right now. Don’t miss it!