Solstice: The Quest for the Staff of Demnos
System: NES
Release Date: June 1990
Developer: Software Creations
Publisher: CSG Imagesoft
Genre: Puzzle
Stop Morbius the Malevolent from taking over the world in Solstice: The Quest for the Staff of Demnos. Take the role of Shadax, wise sorcerer and be the hero. The goal is to move through Kastlerock (I will not be adding umlauts…) to collect the pieces of the magic Staff of Demnos. Today is the only day they will be visible for the next 100 years and it’s necessary to stop Morbius’s evil plans. You’ll have to move through more than 250 rooms full of traps and enemies as you seek out your goal.
Shadax has no ability to attack, but instead must use his wits and agility to solve puzzles. He can jump with the A Button and pick up certain blocks with the B Button. Most puzzles revolve around putting the blocks down at the right spot so you can reach a higher platform. Sometimes, you need to press the A and B Buttons simultaneously to jump and grab the block you’re standing on. There are a lot of spiked floors that will kill you instantly. Luckily, you get multiple lives, indicated by the number of wizard hats you have. More can be found through your search.
Not everything in Kastlerock is unlocked for you at the start. There are four keys that will be found during your journey that open doors or spawn blocks to allow you to reach new areas. There are also the Magic Elfin Boots, which increase your jumping prowess. It’s best practice to keep an eye on where you are by pressing the Select Button to look at the Magic Map. You’ll be able to see where the exits of the room are and if there is movement possible up or down if the walls are highlighted.
In the pause screen, you can also choose to equip one of four magic potions which are activated by pressing the Start Button. The blue potion grants you invincibility while you stay in the room you quaff it in. The purple potion destroys all moving objects in a room. The yellow potion stops time, freezing all items in place. The green potion reveals all invisible objects in the room. Out of all the potions, I believe there is only one room you have to have a blue potion in order to jump on enemy heads to reach a high platform. You can hold up to four doses of each potion at any time and more can be found in the dungeon. These are finite resources, so you don’t want to rely on them too much.
The isometric view can take some time to get used to, as it can be difficult to figure out the Z-level of platforms. Platforms that disappear when you step on them can lead to some unfair deaths. Moving platforms may be at a different height than you think, leading to trial and error. There are a few coins that can be found that grant you a continue if you have too much trouble. There were many rooms that made me think deeply about how to complete it, but everything has a solution. Exiting and entering a room resets everything to its beginning state, so you won’t get stuck. I think I was expecting a puzzle boss battle at the end, but once you reach the final room, the game takes over for you.
Graphics: 3.0
The isometric view is novel. Though the colors of the scenery are of the monochrome variety, there is detail present.
Sound: 1.0
The song during play is atmospheric, but there’s no variety.
Gameplay: 2.5
There are some headache inducing puzzles, but their solutions come to you as you walk around elsewhere.
Difficulty: 3.0
You have all the ability you need shortly after you get the boots early on. After that it’s up to you to figure it out.
Fun Factor: 2.5
I had my ups and downs with how I felt as I was playing, but I had a good time overall.
Overall Grade: 2.4
Solstice: The Quest for the Staff of Demnos earns a C+. It’s a good game that was different than I expected, but probably for the better.