GOTD – Solstice
Solstice – Puzzle (NES)
CSG Imagesoft / Software Creations
I usually don’t like puzzle games that much, but Solstice intrigued me – not only because of its name, but also its difficulty. The game is played in a 3-d isometric grid – sort of – and plays sort of like what Super Metroid would play like, if it were a puzzle platformer.
That is to say, as the game progresses you get the Winged Boots or the 5th Key that you need to get to the next area – which you may or may not have seen. This can make the game confusing, but it’s small enough that you can usually search out where you need to go next.
The game is light on plot, but considering it was made by 3 people (Graphic designer, programmer, and composer), that’s certainly forgivable. As is the music – surprisingly good considering you are unlikely to hear more than 3-4 tracks in an entire play-through.
Solstice can be incredibly hard, but the game is forgiving in some respects – there are certainly enough extra continues that you can play through the game in one go, and the puzzle fairies certainly can do good work.
It is a good thing it can be played through in one go, since the game has no save or password feature. The game in total can be done in 3-4 hours easily, though I hear speed runs are under an hour.
A solid puzzle game from a largely unknown company, Solstice holds its own despite an odd name and small staff. I recommend also checking out Equinox, the SNES sequel-in-spirit that adds some RPG elements, as well.
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