Unbeknownst2U Well, it’s certainly Valis! Only the PC Engine versions though, which is fine because they’re certainly the most playable (compared to something like Cotton Reboot, which has both the remaster and the original X68000 version - they’re different enough to warrant playing both, but IMO the old PC Valis games are simply obsolete compared to their PC Engine remakes). Nothing at all of Valis IV though; my assumptions is that there may have been some trouble with the SNES version already being on Switch Online, despite the fact they almost certainly would have used the PC Engine version for the collection. It’s a shame, because I think the PCE Valis IV is at least the second best (alternatively, tied for first) Valis game, with the first game being in that top spot. All this to say: for a “Valis Collection,” it’s missing any version of Valis IV, which is definitely a loss, as well as any older versions of the three included, which I don’t see as a problem but someone else might.
That said, for the games that are included, there’s a lot of love I didn’t expect! Even on the box you can tell this is more of a historical preservation effort than a cash grab of just tossing some old games on a Switch cartridge. For all three of the games is their full, high-res scanned manuals, a sound test mode to hear every track in the game, a menu to watch every cutscene, and some quality of life features like save states and a rewind functionality. Which is really nice!! Valis games are a lot like Castlevania (or perhaps the other way around…), where they feel really tough the first couple times, but after learning enemy patterns and level layouts it feels great to breeze through. The rewind and save states makes this a much more streamlined effort, since you can just focus on individual parts giving you any particular trouble. I think all retro games benefit from this to varying effect, but it’s especially nice for Valis.
This would be a straight recommendation from me if not for exactly one thing: Valis Complete, a previous port job done in 2006, is perfectly available online as abandonware. This is all four PCE Valis games running natively on PC, no emulation, including scans of all their manuals as with the Switch port. The question then becomes how much you’re willing to pay for convenience; there are no save states or rewind features here, and mapping a controller is annoying because in my experience it doesn’t seem to accept d-pads (Valis with an analogue stick is gross!!). Personally, I know I enjoy the first three Valis games enough to warrant paying for a solid, convenient, easily accessible way to play them, but I’ll always recommend Valis Complete to someone just trying them out for the first time. The Valis Collection on the Switch is a great way to play, but if you don’t need to pay, why bother!