Whirlo

Overview & Gameplay

Xandra no Daibouken: Valkyrie to no Deai, known in Europe and Australia as Whirlo, is a spin-off of Namco's Legend of Valkyrie series and is directly connected to the NES game Valkyrie no Bouken: Toki no Kagi Densetsu, which featured Xandra/Whirlo as Valkyrie's companion.

The plot focuses on Whirlo's homeland after it is covered by ash from a nearby volcano and causes various citizens to fall ill and die. Whirlo's own child is endangered, so he leaves to search for a cure to save his son despite the many dangers in- and outside the village.

The game is a straightforward platformer with a high-jump mechanic. The player can charge a jump by crouching, allowing Whirlo to jump high distances. Whirlo also has his trusty pitchfork weapon, with which he can perform stabs, downward thrusts and spinning air dash moves - however, all but the basic stab will take Whirlo out of commission for a few seconds before he can recover, thus leaving an opening for enemy retaliation.