LogFAQs > #949283179

#85. Solstice (NES, 1990)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZW_IecPNYk

The game takes place in one giant maze of interconnected rooms, played at an isometric view. There's a nice amount of theming to the design of rooms, with a forest area, castle area, cave area, etc. The path through the game doesn't have to be done in a set order, and it's very easy to get lost and wander aimlessly. There is also a lot to figure out - some rooms have fake floors or invisible floors, teleporters swap you to another part of the map, some parts of a room can only be reached from a different entrance, and you can find keys that open new paths. You also can't directly fight enemies, but just pick up and set down blocks, and use a limited number of magic spells to alter the room. The above video shows the title screen music and the demo scenes, which shows off a variety of rooms you would find and how to get through them. Also, the title theme is one of the most technically impressive pieces of NES music, the rare Tim Follin soundtrack that's not on a lousy game.

Solstice has a unique distinction personally as being the game that took me the longest to beat. I received the game about 29 years ago, when I thought it was cool but I sucked at it. I would give it a shot every year or two, sometimes getting fairly far before becoming either tripped up on a puzzle over instant death spikes, or just plain hopelessly lost, and watching my remaining lives slip away. I finally beat it at the start of last year. The overall experience of Solstice is something I just haven't felt captured in too many other games, and definitely a great one if I've been plugging away at it for this many years.

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