Solstice (1990 video game)

Solstice
Cover art by Mike Winterbauer
Developer(s)Software Creations
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Richard Kay
Designer(s)Mike Webb
Mark Wilson
Programmer(s)Mike Webb
Artist(s)Mark Wilson
Composer(s)Tim Follin
Platform(s)Nintendo Entertainment System
Release
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player

Solstice: The Quest for the Staff of Demnos, or simply Solstice, is a 1990 puzzle video game developed by Software Creations. It was published by CSG Imagesoft in North America and Nintendo in Europe, for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game focuses on the wizard Shadax's bid to defeat the evil baron Morbius and rescue Princess Eleanor, whom Morbius plans to sacrifice. Shadax aims to gather the six pieces of the titular Staff of Demnos hidden within the fortress of Kâstleröck. The game's setting is non-linear, and consists of 250 rooms, each with a particular puzzle to solve.

Solstice is the first original game to be developed by Software Creations, which had previously only worked on converted titles between 8-bit consoles. The game features a musical score by Tim Follin, who has named the game's title track as his favourite among his compositions. It became one of his best-known tracks. Solstice was received positively by critics for its puzzles and graphics, and the audio was singled out for praise. A sequel, titled Equinox, was released for the Super NES in 1993.

  1. ^ Steve Harris, Ed Semrad, Martin Alessi and Ken "Sushi-X" Williams (August 1990). "Solstice" (PDF). Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 13. p. 18. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2019-04-03.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ "NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: ソルスティス 三次元迷宮の狂獣". Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 106. ASCII Corporation. August 3, 1990. p. 17.
  3. ^ Julian Rignall and Matt Regan (June 1991). "Solstice" (PDF). Mean Machines. No. 9. pp. 38–40. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-05-19. Retrieved 2019-04-03.