Tecmo's puzzle platformer on Famicom. Create and destroy blocks to navigate, collect bells, and find the hidden fairies.
Solomon's Key was developed by Tecmo and released for Famicom in August 1986 — a puzzle-platformer in which Dana, a wizard, created and destroyed blocks to navigate through fifty-two rooms, collecting keys to reach exit doors while fighting enemies. Creating a block could provide a platform, a barrier, or a weapon. Each room was a logic puzzle requiring the right block placement to reach the exit safely. The game included hidden rooms containing fairy dolls that unlocked a different ending. Solomon's Key sold approximately 500,000 copies.
About this game
Released in arcades and on Famicom in 1986, Solomon's Key is a puzzle-platformer designed by Michitaka Tsuruta at Tecmo that became a landmark of the 8-bit era. Wizard Dana must retrieve the Book of Solomon from the demon world by navigating single-screen puzzle rooms — creating and destroying brick tiles to open paths, reach keys, and avoid a relentless parade of monsters. Every screen is a logic puzzle dressed in action-game clothing: beautiful, ruthlessly demanding, and endlessly clever.
Key Features
Dana can create brick blocks in empty spaces and destroy them with a wand, transforming the terrain of each room. Keys must be collected to open the exit; hidden rooms contain bonus items and fairies that grant extra lives. Each of the 48 main stages escalates in complexity, demanding both fast reflexes and careful spatial planning. Monster behavior is varied and predictable — understanding how each enemy moves is essential for constructing safe paths.
Gallery
The Story Behind
Solomon's Key arrived in 1986 at a moment when the concept of 'puzzle game' was still being defined on home consoles. Its combination of action timing and genuine spatial logic — blocks must be placed thoughtfully, not randomly — set it apart from the shoot-first reflex games that dominated the era. The game's influence can be traced through countless single-screen puzzle-platformers. It sold well internationally, with Tecmo securing significant presence across arcades, Famicom, and NES markets in quick succession.
Tricks & Tales
Solomon's Key contains 49 secret rooms hidden within the main stages, discoverable only by destroying specific blocks in precise locations — a layer of depth that rewarded explorers and kept the game alive in magazines and schoolyards long after release. The designer Michitaka Tsuruta cited Lode Runner as a primary influence, then added the ability to both destroy and create tiles — the reverse of Lode Runner's design. A sequel, Solomon's Key 2 (Fire 'n Ice in North America), was released for NES in 1992.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
The Famicom version launched in Japan in July 1986. The NES version reached North America in 1987 published by Tecmo. A PAL NES version reached Europe as well. The Famicom Disk System version was a later re-release in 1991.
Maintenance Tips
Standard Famicom cartridge with no battery backup. Clean the 60-pin edge connector with isopropyl alcohol. The Famicom cart is relatively accessible; the Famicom Disk System version is rarer and sought by FDS completionists.
Going deeper
Explore the machine this game ran on, and what to check before you buy or care for one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Solomon's Key copies regularly.
Will this Japanese Famicom cartridge work on a North American Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)?
No, not without an adapter. The Famicom uses a 60-pin edge connector while the NES uses a 72-pin connector with a physically different form factor — the two are incompatible at the cartridge slot level. Third-party adapters exist that bridge the pin difference and allow Famicom cartridges to run in a NES. On a Japanese Famicom, NES cartridges face the same incompatibility in reverse. To play Japanese Famicom software, you need a Japanese Famicom, a Famicom-compatible clone console, or a NES fitted with an appropriate adapter.
How should I clean a Famicom cartridge to ensure reliable play?
Apply 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol to a cotton swab and gently wipe the gold-plated PCB edge contacts on the base of the cartridge. Never blow into the cartridge — breath moisture accelerates contact corrosion over time. If cleaning is needed inside, Famicom cartridges use 3.8mm security game bit screws (not standard Phillips); a security bit screwdriver is required to open the shell without damage. Note that most Famicom boot failures originate in the 60-pin console slot rather than the cartridge itself — cleaning the console slot contacts separately with a contact cleaning tool is often the more effective fix.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Solomon's Key
A short checklist for buying a used Famicom cartridge wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
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Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
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Make sure it fits your console
This is a Japanese Famicom cartridge with a 60-pin connector; a North American NES uses a 72-pin slot, so it will not fit directly.
Play it on a matching Japanese console or a region-free system, and confirm the listing states the region.
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If this title saves your progress, check the battery
Cartridges that save use a small coin-cell battery that fades over decades — a dead one wipes your save without warning.
Ask the seller whether the save function was tested. Replacing the battery is possible, but doing so erases any existing save.
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Check that the contacts are clean
Dirty edge contacts are the most common cause of startup and sound trouble in cartridges of this age.
Choose a seller who cleans the contacts before shipping. A note that it was tested and cleaned means the basics were handled.
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Confirm it is genuine, not a reproduction
Sought-after titles are targets for reproduction boards with replacement labels.
Ask for a photo of the circuit board and look for factory markings. Favour a shop with a licensed second-hand dealer permit (古物商) — by law its stock has a traceable origin, your simplest guard against fakes.
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Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
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