Solomon's Key

For other uses, see Key of Solomon (disambiguation).
Solomon's Key
NES cover art
Developer(s)Tecmo
Probe Software (computers)
Aisystem Tokyo (Master System)
Publisher(s)Tecmo
U.S. Gold (computers)
Designer(s)Michitaka Tsuruta
Platform(s)Arcade, NES, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Atari ST, IBM PC, Master System, PC Engine, Famicom Disk System, Game Boy, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch
Release
1986
  • Arcade
    1986
    NES/Famicom
    • EU: March 30, 1990
    C64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Atari ST
    IBM PC
    Master System
    PC Engine
    • JP: December 14, 1990
    Famicom Disk System
    • JP: January 25, 1991
    Game Boy
    • JP: April 5, 1991
    • NA: April 1991
    • EU: 1991
    Virtual Console
    Wii (NES)
    • AU: December 15, 2006
    Wii (Arcade)
    • JP: August 18, 2009
    • EU: September 11, 2009
    • NA: November 30, 2009[7]
    Nintendo 3DS (NES)
    Wii U (NES)
    Nintendo Switch Online (NES)
    • WW: October 10, 2018
    Arcade Archives
    PS4 (Arcade)
    • JP: September 4, 2014
    • NA: September 15, 2015
    Nintendo Switch (Arcade)
    • WW: June 6, 2019
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player

Solomon's Key (ソロモンの鍵, Soromon no Kagi) is a puzzle game developed by Tecmo in 1986 for an arcade release on custom hardware based on the Z80 chipset. It was ported to multiple systems including the Nintendo Entertainment System and Commodore 64. The PC Engine version was known as Zipang and the Game Boy version as Solomon's Club. A prequel, Solomon's Key 2, was released in 1992 for the NES. The NES version of the game was also released in emulated form on Virtual Console for the Wii in 2006, Nintendo 3DS and Wii U in 2013 and later to Nintendo Switch Online in 2018.

Gameplay

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Arcade gameplay

The player, controlling a sorcerer known only as Dana, must overcome unlimited enemy spawning, challenging level designs, a countdown timer, instant death from any physical contact with enemies, and limited ways to dispatch enemies.

Dana is sent to retrieve Solomon's Key to restore the world to light from demons that were accidentally released. The object of the game is to advance through the 50 rooms of "Constellation Space" by acquiring a key to the door that leads to the next room before a timer runs out. The game incorporates elements of the platform shooter genre. Dana can run, jump, create or destroy orange blocks adjacent to him as well as create fireballs to destroy demons. The orange blocks can also be destroyed by hitting them with the character's head twice. Along the way Dana can acquire items to upgrade his firepower and extra lives, as well as items that award bonus points and unlock hidden rooms. With certain items, Dana must make, then break blocks (sometimes in a certain manner) to make these appear.

In the NES version, a "GDV" (Game Deviation Value) score also appears at the game over screen. The score uses a weighted composite of several factors (like levels completed, items found, time and points) which gives the player a good idea of how well the last game was played. The higher the GDV, the better the game.

Solomon's Key has many hidden items and secret levels that are hard to find which enhances the reward for playing. The ending slightly changes depending on which secret levels, if any, the player finds and completes.

Levels

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For the NES version there are 64 levels in total, of which 15 are secret and one is the final level. The main 48 levels are divided into groups of 4 with one group for each of the 12 Zodiac constellation (in order, Aries, Taurus. Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces). The final level is called Solomon's room. Each constellation has a secret bonus room which can only be accessed by finding a seal for the constellation in the last room of the group. The other three levels are Page of Time, Page of Space and the Princess Room, which occur only if the player has acquired the hidden Seals of Solomon.

Development

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Solomon's Key was designed by Michitaka Tsuruta, who took inspiration from Lode Runner and added the ability to both destroy and create tiles. The initial game design leaned towards being more of an action title until Tsuruta's boss at Tecmo, Kazutoshi Ueda, suggested it incorporate puzzle elements. Tsuruta took inspiration from Greek mythology as well as the film Jason and the Argonauts for the visual aesthetic of the game. The title of the game itself came from the sales manager, Harano, after one of the developers explained that the star-like symbol throughout the levels was the seal of Solomon and that there was a book called the Key of Solomon. Harano stated that he liked it, at which point it got its title.[12]

Ports

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In 1988, a port of the NES Solomon's Key was released for the Master System in Japan.[13]

In 1990, Pack-In-Video converted the game for the PC Engine under the title Zipang.[14]

In April 1991, a Game Boy version was released under the title Solomon's Club.[15][16] It was developed by Graphic Research.

The Arcade version of the game was released for PlayStation 4 in September 2014 for Japan, and September 2015 for North America, as part of the Arcade Archives series.[17] This was rereleased for the Nintendo Switch, worldwide, in July 2019.[18]

Reception

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In Japan, Game Machine listed Solomon's Key on their September 1, 1986 issue as being the eighteenth most-successful table arcade unit of the month.[19] Solomon's Key sold 300,000 copies in Japan.[20]

Legacy

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The NES version of the game was released for the Wii Virtual Console on November 19, 2006 in North America[21] and on December 15 in Europe and Australia.[22] Later, it was also released on the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U Virtual Console. Since then, it has been released as part of the Nintendo Switch Online: Nintendo Entertainment System games. A "reverse engineered" port from the Atari ST version was released for the Commodore Amiga in 2013.[23]

In 1992, a prequel was released for the NES named Solomon's Key 2 (called Fire 'n Ice in North America).

Monster Rancher Explorer (Solomon in Japan), also released by Tecmo, features the same gameplay but with Monster Rancher characters.

References

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  1. ^ "Game List « Famicom World".
  2. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). www.nintendo.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2008. Retrieved 12 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ "Software List (Released by Sega)". セガ 製品情報サイト (in Japanese). Sega. Archived from the original on 2019-06-21. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  4. ^ "Nintendo - Official Site - Video Game Consoles, Games - Nintendo - Official Site". Archived from the original on 2018-01-08.
  5. ^ "Vcソロモンの鍵".
  6. ^ a b c "Solomon's Key".
  7. ^ "Nintendo Offers 10 Downloads to Help You Recover from Your Holiday Weekend". Nintendo of America. 30 November 2009. Archived from the original on 30 September 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2009.
  8. ^ "ソロモンの鍵 | ニンテンドー3Ds | 任天堂".
  9. ^ "Solomon's Key for Nintendo 3DS - Nintendo Game Details".
  10. ^ "Solomon's Key for Wii U - Nintendo Game Details".
  11. ^ "ソロモンの鍵 | Wii U | 任天堂".
  12. ^ "The Story Behind Solomon's Key, One Of The Most Challenging NES Games". Kotaku. 31 December 2019. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  13. ^ Purcaru, Bogdan Ion (2014-03-13). Games vs. Hardware. The History of PC video games: The 80's. Purcaru Ion Bogdan. p. 447.
  14. ^ "Zipang - the PC Engine Software Bible".
  15. ^ "Solomon's Club for Game Boy (1991)". MobyGames. Blue Flame Labs. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  16. ^ "Solomon's Key (Spinoffs / Ripoffs)". Hardcore Gaming 101. 27 November 2019. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
  17. ^ アーケードアーカイブス ソロモンの鍵. store.playstation.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  18. ^ "Arcade Archives Solomon's Key for Nintendo Switch - Nintendo Official Site". www.nintendo.com. Archived from the original on 2022-02-27. Retrieved 2023-02-25.
  19. ^ "Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 - テーブル型TVゲーム機 (Table Videos)". Game Machine (in Japanese). No. 291. Amusement Press, Inc. 1 September 1986. p. 23.
  20. ^ John Szczepaniak (2016), The Untold History Of Japanese Game Developers, Volume 2, page 205
  21. ^ Parish, Jeremy (2006-10-31). "Wii Virtual Console Lineup Unveiled". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 2013-05-11. Retrieved 2006-11-01.
  22. ^ "Euro VC updates for tomorrow". gonintendo.com. 15 December 2006.
  23. ^ http://hol.abime.net/6009 Details of Amiga version on Hall Of Light
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