Together Retro: Solomon's Key

[ExedExes]

Well done!

I played some over the weekend, on Room 11.

In the NES version at least, the astrological signs are your keys to getting into bonus rooms. Just pick them up!

The blue gems, the diamond shaped ones can turn into fireball jars if you use your wand on them. That comes in handy.

There's just so much fun in this game, keep playing!

[J T]

Well, I finally did it. I beat Solomon's Key. I kept playing while trying to distract from the stress of election results pouring in. A game that has hung over my head for decades is now completed. Unfortunately, this personal win is tainted by how upset I am about this election. It's hard to care about winning a video game while my political ideals are up in flames.

[ChrisHaha2049]

Solomon's Key! I think this was the first video game I ever rented (or was it Double Dribble...probably both together)... Anyway, been in love with the game ever since. Very challenging, and a surprising amount of depth to it for its age. I've beaten the NES version several times over the years, though I don't think I ever found all the astrology signs. I was always under the impression that there was a different (true) ending or something for finding them all, but maybe that's a myth. If I remember right, they're in every 4th room. Easy to find early on, but very well hidden in later rooms (as you'd expect). But yeah, they grant access to the 'hidden' bonus rooms where you can stock up on fireballs and fairies. And Fairies are good. Getting extra lives early is very helpful to beating the game without continuing.

Regarding some items: The Grey potion does increase life meter...and there are actually two types; either filled halfway or filled to the top... Half-full doubles the life meter. Full triples it. (I think.) Whereas the Hourglass puts the meter at either 5,000 or 10,000 (depending on the color hourglass) regardless of how much life meter you have when you grab it. So you need to be careful.

Also in addition to the blue diamond shaped gems that you can turn into fireball jars, there are also orange ones too. Those change into a Mega Fireball jar, an scroll extension, or a fairy bell.

Some enemies can be killed by making them fall. And sometimes, they'll turn into a fairy...

For some hidden items, sometimes you have to first create a block then destroy it to make the item appear. For example, in the 1st room (NES version): create a block in the lower left-most corner (past the door), then destroy it. A bell will then be there! This is how the last few astrology signs are hidden (pretty sure), and why I never could find them. =( ...Been too long since I played the NES version.


I never knew there was an arcade version of Solomon's Key until I learned about MAME. Quite different it is. And a quite more difficult. Fairies are not as abundant, and I can't seem to find a scroll extension at all! And there are some (annoying) enemies the don't appear in the NES version. I think I'll try to complete the arcade version. Probably going to have to credit feed like crazy...

[ExedExes]

StrategyWiki has all the room layouts for arcade and console versions, including hidden item locations.

[BoneSnapDeez]

StrategyWiki rules. I'm always shocked and amazed by how in-depth their walkthroughs for simple repetitive arcade games (like this) are.

[chupon]

To you guys who are into Solomon's Key like me - do you have a similar love for Mighty Bomb Jack?

Some day I'll have to post about my history with MBJ and my time spent in the torture rooms. Yes - there are torture rooms in MBJ on Nintendo.

[ExedExes]

Mighty Bomb Jack is hidden in the NES version of Solomon's Key. Enough said!

[J T]

Yes, I also like Mighty Bomb Jack, but that is more because it was one of the few games I owned in the 80s, so I played it a lot. I am aware of the torture rooms, very much so. Indie game designer Auntie Pixelante took that to the next level with her game Mighty Jill Off, wherein you must play a Mighty Bomb Jack clone as Jill, who must appease her dominatrix queen.

http://mightyjilloff.dessgeega.com/


I didn't know that Mighty Bomb Jack was hidden in Solomon's Key though. How do you unlock that?!

[ExedExes]

Mighty Bomb Jack is in Room 17 and Room 39. I remember room 17 being a Classified Information tip in Nintendo Power.

[chupon]

Amazing! Everyone should watch those links. Esp the stage 39!