Solomon's Key (US) - MAME machine

Arcade Video game published 38 years ago:

Solomon no Kagi © 1986 Tecmo.

Solomon no Kagi is a single player platform/puzzle game in which the wizard Dana is on a quest to retrieve Solomon's key and vanquish the demon hordes that have broken through into his world. To achieve this Dana must advance through the fifty rooms of 'Constellation Space', before finally reaching the magical key.

Dana is armed with a magic wand that can be used to both destroy and create granite blocks, while blocks situated directly above Dana's head can be destroyed by repeatedly jumping up into them until they shatter. The blocks act as platforms, as well as barriers to defend Dana from the numerous patrolling enemies. Each room contains a golden key, retrieving this automatically opens the room's exit door and players must then try to find/create a safe route past the constantly spawning demons to reach the exit and progress to the next room.

Bonus Items - some hidden inside pre-existing granite blocks - are scattered throughout each room. Collecting these earns the player extra points. Power-ups can also be found, these appear as potion bottles with a flame emblazoned on them and a maximum of three can be carried at any one time. When a potion is used, Dana shoots a fireball which will move along the walls and platforms until it hits and kills the first demon it comes into contact with.

As well as bonus items and power-ups, each room also contains a hand-bell. When collected this triggers the release of a trapped fairy, the fairy will then slowly fly around the room and can be rescued for bonus points. An extra life is awarded for every ten fairies rescued.

The game's levels are based on Zodiac star constellations. The main levels are divided into groups of four - making a total of forty-eight standard rooms - with each group representing a separate constellation. In addition to the standard rooms, each constellation also has a secret bonus room that can only be accessed by finding the given constellation's 'Seal', which is located in the last room of each group. There are three further secret rooms - 'Page of Time', 'The Page of Space' and the 'Princess Room' - that are only accessible if the player has found the 'Hidden Seals of Solomon'.

The four room groups are:
1-4 Aries 5-8 Taurus 9-12 Gemini
13-16 Cancer 17-20 Leo 21-24 Scorpio
25-28 Libra 29-32 Virgo 33-36 Sagittarius
37-40 Capricorn 41-44 Aquarius 45-48 Pisces

TECHNICAL
Main CPU: Zilog Z80 (@ 4 Mhz)
Sound CPU: Zilog Z80 (@ 3.072 Mhz)
Sound Chips: (3x) General Instrument AY8910 (@ 1.5 Mhz)

Players: 2
Control: 8-way joystick
Buttons: 2 (CREATE BLOCK/DESTROY BLOCK/SWAP KEY, MAGIC)

TRIVIA
Released in July 1986.

The subtitle of this game translates from Japanese as 'Solomon's Key'.

SCORING
Blue bag I: 100 points.
Blue bag II: 200 points.
Blue bag V: 500 points.
Red bag I: 1,000 points.
Red bag II: 2,000 points.
Red bag V: 5,000 points.
Green bag I: 10,000 points.
Green bag II: 20,000 points.
Blue gem: 500 points.
Red gem: 5,000 points.
Coin: 1,000 points.
Double coin: 2,000 points.
Star coin: 10,000 points.
Double star coin: 20,000 points.
Gold bar: 100 points.
Gold ruby: 200 points.
Green cross: 50,000 points.
Question mark: 100,000~1,000,000 points.

TIPS AND TRICKS

• Secret rooms: shoot the key to change its color...

Room 3-3: Red Key -> Room 4-1 (normal), Blue Key -> Room 3-4 (secret room)
Room 5-6: Red Key -> Room 6-1 (normal), Blue Key -> Room 5-7 (secret room)
Room 6-6: Red Key -> Room 7-1 (normal), Blue Key -> Room 6-7 (secret room)
Room 7-2: Green Key -> Room 7-4 (normal), Blue Key -> Room 7-3 (secret room)
Room 8-6: Red Key -> Room 9-1 (normal), Blue Key -> 8-7 (secret room)
Room 9-6: Red Key -> Room 10-2 (normal), Blue Key -> Room 9-7 (secret room)

SERIES

• Solomon's Key - Solomon no Kagi (1986)
• Solomon's Club (1991, Nintendo Game Boy)
• Solomon no Kagi 2 - Coolmin Tou Kyuushutsu Sakusen (1993, Nintendo Famicom)
• Solomon - Cox Adventure of the White Tower (2000, Nintendo Game Boy)

STAFF
Music by: Michiharu Hasutani

PORTS

• CONSOLES:

[JP] Nintendo Famicom (jul.30, 1986) "Solomon no Kagi [Model TCF-SK]"
[US] Nintendo NES (jul.1987) "Solomon's Key [Model NES-KE-USA]"
[EU] Nintendo NES (mar.30, 1990) "Solomon's Key [Model NES-KE-EEC]"
[JP] Sega Master System (apr.17, 1988) "Solomon no Kagi - Oujo Rihita no Namida [Model S-002]"
[JP] Nintendo Famicom Disk (jan.25, 1991) "Solomon no Kagi [Model TCF-SKD]"
[JP] Sony PS2 (nov.25, 2004) "Tecmo Hit Parade [Model SLPS-20401]"
[US] Microsoft XBOX (sept.14, 2005) "Tecmo Classic Arcade"
[EU] Microsoft XBOX (oct.21, 2005) "Tecmo Classic Arcade"
[JP] Microsoft XBOX (oct.27, 2005) "Tecmo Classic Arcade [Model C6E-0001]"
[JP] Sony PlayStation 4 [PSN] (sept.4, 2014) "Arcade Archives - Solomon no Kagi [Model CUSA-00650]"
[US] Sony PlayStation 4 [PSN] (sept.15, 2015) "Arcade Archives - Solomon's Key[Model CUSA-00979]"

• COMPUTERS:

[EU] Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1987)
[US] [EU] Commodore C64 (1987)
[EU] Amstrad CPC (1987)
PC [Booter] (1988)
PC [MS-DOS] (1988)
Atari ST

CONTRIBUTE
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