a more mixed reaction by contrast. Several critics agreed that the gameplay was fun and offered variety, but was too difficult and lacked replay value. German publications ASM and Power Play both found the gameplay to be entertaining yet overly simplistic, with Power Play adding that its short play time made it difficult going back to, in contrast to similar games for the PC Engine that offered much longer gameplay experiences. Japanese magazines PC Engine FAN and Maru PC Engine liked the gameplay for being fun and energetic, although PC Engine FAN argued that it was too difficult to appeal to newer players. ASM in contrast stated the game was welcoming to newer players, appreciating that it became gradually difficult as it progresses. Several publications liked the graphics; ASM called them "sweet" and colorful, while Maru PC Engine liked them for being bright and detailed. PC Engine FAN said the graphics were good but not as "impressive" as the arcade original. While Maru PC Engine liked the game's storyline and fictional world, Power Play disagreed, finding both of them lackluster and feeling like the story was simply a tacked-on extra. Reviewing the Wii Virtual Console port of the PC Engine version, Rroyd-Y of Jeuxvideo argued the shift from the traditional RPG format of Boken to the more hack'n slash gameplay of Densetsu was somewhat "inappropriate", disliking its storyline and jumping physics. He liked the game's graphics for being colorful, the music for being catchy, and the gameplay itself for being fun and entertaining. In their review of Namco Museum Vol. 5, IGN said that the cartoony artstyle and scaling effects made Valkyrie no Densetsu the stand-out game of the compilation. In a 2015 retrospective review, Kurt Kalata of Hardcore Gaming 101 labeled the game as a classic. Comparing the game favorably to Wonder Boy in Monster Land with its similar action-adventure gameplay, he greatly applauded Densetsus two-player mode, graphics and soundtrack, alongside its well-designed mechanics and storyline. Kalata stated the game's usage of puzzle-solving and adventure elements made it stand out from other games, alongside its "impressive" graphical effects such as sprite scaling and rotation. Kalata concluded his review by expressing disappointment that Namco chose not to widely localize the game outside Japan, instead choosing to export rushed translations of titles such as the Tekken series. Notes References External links 1989 video games Arcade video games Fantasy video games Namco