Solomon’s Club is a port of Solomon’s Key. I’m not sure why the name was changed, and I can only guess that it was an attempt to create the illusion of a sequel. Solomon’s Key was ported to almost everything after its release in 1986.
The Game Boy game was released in 1991 and is a good port of the game. It plays like the original and is fun to play on the Game Boy.
TLDR: A Fun Puzzle Platformer with Decent Graphics and Good Controls.
Narrative
There is no story for this game. It might have been better if there was one. Because this is an arcade game, the gameplay is what mattered back in the 80s, while the story was either nonexistent or unimportant.
I don’t have the manual for the game, so I could be missing the story. There is a chance that a brief story was in the manual or the NES game. There is a sequel on the NES, and that one might explain what is going on and why.
The developers could have added a brief story for the game, but they often times don’t. Knowing what was happening in the game and why would have been nice. This is something that I have a problem with when it comes to ports of 80s arcade games.
Gameplay
Solomon’s Club is a single-screen puzzle platformer. You have to avoid enemies, find keys, and make it to the exit. There are normally multiple ways to get through the game, and part of the fun is to find the one that works for you.
You get one big ability in this game. You can make and break blocks that you use to reach platforms, kill enemies, and get items. You need to learn how to best use this ability to beat the levels as they get more complex as the game goes on.
There are a few items you can get while playing. Some are needed to progress, and others give you money that can be used in the shop:
- Key – Needed to advance to the next level
- Bell – Releases a fairy
- Fairy – Gives you money
- Shop – Sells you other power-ups
- Door – Let’s you advance to the next level. It is opened by getting the key.
There are Five levels, each has Ten rooms. There are also a number of hidden rooms. Your starting point can be selected when you begin the game, or you can enter a password to pick up where you left off.
The controls are very good. Moving, jumping, and attacking were good and the button presses were very responsive. It didn’t feel like the controls were slippery or stiff. If you made a mistake, it was your fault and not the game.
Visuals
The graphics were fine. They didn’t stand out as being detailed or terrible. It was an average looking game.
The enemies look okay. Like everything else, they get the job done by looking different and a little threatening. When they start shooting at you, it is easy to see their fire balls. There are also visual ques to let you know when a shot is coming. They also don’t move too fast and are easy to avoid.
Background graphics are probably the worst part of the visuals. They’re rather boring. There is something good about this. When a switch appears, they stand out from the otherwise boring background.
Overall, it isn’t a very interesting game to look at. Some of that has to do with the Game Boy’s hardware. Other systems could display colors and make the game more interesting.
7/10. It is a fun little game that I could see being fun back in the late 80s and early 90s. Looking at it today, it is lacking the depth that you might expect from other games in this genre.
Pros
- Pick-up and Play
- Good controls
- You can start anywhere in the game
Cons
- No story
- Not a lot of replayability
- A little boing to look at
Conclusion
Solomon’s Club is a fun little game. It is one of the many games that I didn’t know anything about before I started play. I thought it was a sequel to Solomon’s Key, and as I read up on it, I was surprised that it was just a port.
Games like this work well on the Game Boy. While you might want to see more of a story from todays games, it wasn’t as necessary back in the 80s.
This was a fun game to discover and play. I love finding games like this, and it is something that I miss about going out and hunting for games. If you get a chance to play either Solomon’s Key or Solomon’s Club, then give it a chance.