2025 Special - Golvellius - Valley of Doom

One of the many games that I finally played through for the first time this year was The Guardian Legend. Let me just go ahead and say that it was really enjoyable. There is an inherent coziness to exploring a hostile facility in search of carnage and power-ups. The shmup stages were also totally Compile, with a wildly uneven level of difficulty. I was either drowning in health restoratives or clutching my nether regions trying to take down a boss with hardly a pixel of life. Still, it was a great time and by every metric a certified NES classic. Sadly, that's the closest to a review you'll get out of me, since this game doesn't meet the 2025 guidelines. The protagonist is a woman. Also, her main weapon is a gun...or is it an arm cannon? Whatever. It shoots bullets and isn't shaped like a sword. What a shame.

"Oh, if only Compile had made a game that fit my arbitrary criteria." I wonder aloud. Somewhere in the world, the finger of a monkey's paw curls in response. Compile did in fact develop an action-adventure that stars a guy with a sword. The only catch is that...well, it's a very individual game. I was originally planning on calling it unique, but individual sounds so much more exclusive. Here's the product of developer that clearly knows their stuff but played around with the rules to create a one-of-a-kind experience. There will be friction, and sometimes pain. Not too much pain, mind you. This is still one of the fluffier action-adventures out there. Deaths are expected, but not overly punishing. Still, you might become the butt of some practical joke.

Before going any further, I have to make a confession. I've been writing these reviews for a while, yet not once have I ever mentioned one of the titans of the genre: The Tower of Druaga. Namco's 1984 arcade hit spawned damn near every "guy-with-a-sword" adventure that I've so readily taken for granted. Seeing as how I'm now talking about two games that aren't the subject of this review, I'll try and keep this short. Basically, the player is tasked with climbing 60 floors to save a princess. Climbing floors is the easy part, since it's just a matter of grabbing the key and reaching the exit. The challenge - besides the monsters stalking the halls - is the fact that there are treasures you need to find. Each floor contains hidden treasure, but you aren't given any clues on how to find it. That's by design. Players are obligated to experiment, take notes, and share any information they've gathered with friends. This feature is likely what made The Tower of Druaga such a massive influence. Most other games expect you to know the answer, while this demands you to find the question. 

The PC-Engine version of The Tower of Druaga.

While I'm not particularly familiar with the game - though I spent a little time with the PC Engine version - understanding it is helping me see the genre in a new light. Everyone making action-adventures in the mid-to-late 80s had Druaga on the brain. Sure, they'll make concessions to attract a wider audience, but they intended for their games to have little to no clues, leaving players to figure everything out on their own. Now bear in mind, just because the player is thrown into the deep end, doesn't mean that they have to drown. There is a logical throughline that helps keep all of these games functional and entertaining. For example, in The Legend of Zelda, every screen contains one secret. In Neutopia, every screen contains one secret. Golden Axe Warrior? Yes, there is one secret in every screen. It is this logic that leads to the schoolyard conversations, the notes and maps shared between friends. One screen, one secret. 

Which finally brings us back to Golvellius - Valley of Doom. The goal is quite simple. There are seven crystals and a princess to find, so get to work. Where Compile's game sets itself apart is that it plays with expectations. Upon hitting the start button, the player is treated to an introductory dungeon, and it's a side-scroller. Kelesis, the hero, jumps and swings a sword. He'll make short work of everything that gets in his way, which is all well and good. However, the intro dungeon establishes more than just "stab anything that moves". Take note that Kelesis doesn't turn around when he moves to the left. The screen doesn't scroll left either. This will become important later.

Get used to farming mice for easy cash.

Upon reaching the overworld, players should quickly familiarize themselves with the "one screen, one secret" rule. Indeed, they have to adhere to it, because their life depends on it. Kelesis starts off incredibly squishy. Monsters spawn in almost every screen, and there is no end to them. The only way to survive is to obtain power, and to obtain it quickly. Naturally, power takes many forms, including potions that increase their maximum life. However, everything has a price. If you don't have enough gold, then you either have to kill baddies for a bit, or purchase bibles to increase the size of your wallet (which means killing more baddies to fill that wallet). A not insignificant chunk of this game is spent farming. Maybe it gets repetitive for some gamers, but I never had a problem with it. Then again, I'm also that guy who seeks out the best spots to efficiently hunt monsters for their rare drops in all those Igavanias. 

Most of the time, finding the one secret in a screen is a simple task. Many of them are uncovered just by killing a couple of nearby monsters. Keep in mind that the secrets unearthed through such a menial task are not often valuable. You might stumble upon a fairy chilling with a sno-cone. Another fairy might offer some encouraging words. A few just laugh and send you on your way. Though you'll never be robbed or attacked for finding a secret, your pride is sure to take a mild beating. Still, it pays to be thorough. Hints to the valuable treasures can be uncovered, even if a couple of them are... really not helpful at all.

If you've played through Golvellius - Valley of Doom, then you're familiar with the blue rock puzzle. For everyone else, take a gander at the following screenshot.

 

You can tell just by looking at this screen that there is an important secret. A nearby fairy says that you should "push the blue rock". Seems pretty simple, right? Just give these... 24 rocks a push in whatever direction while being endlessly swarmed by frogs and bats. Something good is bound to happen. Actually, that's a lie. I'm not sure if this was supposed to be a joke that got lost in translation, or it was a reference to the original MSX version of the game. In any case, what you're supposed to do is attack the rock with your sword. It's a pretty nasty bit of misdirection, especially since the game has only just started. If you didn't know that you're supposed to use your sword on anything suspicious, then you could end up stuck here. Then again, hitting up the internet for the answer only takes a second, but you get what I mean... I think. Anyway, this is the worst puzzle in the game for the wrong reason, the only blind spot in what is usually a very logical adventure.

The level of difficulty is also what I'd call very individual. The first several minutes will be rough. Kelesis is almost always getting hurt. He's a large target. You'll be guiding him on frequent trips to the friendly (but not free!) healers. Again, this is to emphasize the importance of grabbing every last health potion and equipment upgrade. Only a true maniac would dream of attempting a low% run. Given enough time, you'll no longer fear death, in the overworld at least. The bosses will remain a threat throughout your playthrough. Be patient and don't overextend yourself when fighting them.

Now I mentioned that an aspect of the introductory dungeon would become important later. That later is right now. When exploring dungeons, the fear of death will be replaced by the fear of setback. Basically, since you can only move forward, the chances of walking yourself into a corner are high. You never get stuck, because leaving the dungeon is as simple as walking backwards and offscreen. That of course means you have to start over, which is enough to strike fear in anyone's heart. If you miss a jump, accidentally set off a trap, or get pushed offscreen by an enemy, then that's a rude little setback, isn't it? The overhead dungeons aren't any less troublesome. They're auto-scrollers and not shy about presenting multiple routes where at least one leads to a dead-end. In fairness, none of the dungeons go on for an especially long time, and you're not expected to have super reflexes to avoid setbacks. Frankly, I applaud their inclusion. They're appropriately absurd, as fitting as anything else in this charming game.

One of the reasons why I never seem to get tired of action-adventures - despite playing through 30 of them in a row - is that there's always something intriguing to learn. Golvellius - Valley of Doom isn't nearly as polished as the best of the genre, but it is a special experience all the same. If any other game tried to pull off half the stuff that Compile did, I'd probably still be complaining about it. There's a lot of heart in this light-hearted take on an established genre. A fine piece of history. Recommended for anyone who isn't afraid of a few setbacks.