Developer: Tecmo Publisher: Tecmo Release: 03/93 Genre: Puzzle
Solomon’s Key was one of the earliest NES games that taught me the limit of my gaming skills. I loved the gameplay and level design; the simplicity of the mechanics combined with the elaborate stage setups were far above most of the games I was playing at the time. But the difficulty curve was steep and I did not make it far. Still think the game is great though. Near the end of the NES life Tecmo graced us with a sequel that is as addicting as the original. Fire ‘n Ice is a fantastic game with mountains of content and a gradual curve that makes it more accessible.
Why Tecmo changed the name to Fire ‘n Ice instead of keeping the name Solomon’s Key 2 is a mystery. Sure it is very on the nose but it removes all association with the first game. It also has lame box art next to its Japanese and especially European counterpart. Fire ‘n Ice is a prequel and framed as a story being read by an elderly woman to her grandchildren. The story takes place on Coolmint Island, home to the winter fairies. One day the wizard Druidle invades and sends his flame demons to melt the island. The Queen Fairy summons Dana to defend them and gives him her ice wand to do so.
The object of each level is to extinguish all the flames. Flames can be destroyed two ways, by kicking an ice block in to them or by dropping ice on them. Dana can generate ice cubes but only diagonally beneath him. He cannot jump this time but can climb up one block which creates interesting situations. Later rocks are introduced that you can move one space but otherwise the base mechanics are very simple.
The quality of the puzzles is nothing short of brilliant. The game’s mechanics are simple yet the scenarios in which you must apply them are not. It is clever the number of steps you must take to complete a level with one flame. One misstep means you must start over. The game challenges you to use your observation skills before making a single move and I love it. I was constantly surprised at my ability to walk through complex labyrinths of pipes and holes in thirty seconds. And then spend five minutes on a simpler map that I wonder how I could not figure it out sooner. I think my enjoyment of Fire ‘n Ice is due to its difficulty curve. Solomon’s Key wasted no time throwing you to the wolves and the time limit was relentless. Tecmo manage the pacing better and it is great.
The gradual curve manifests in numerous ways. Fire ‘n Ice eases you in to its mechanics and only introduces more advanced ideas such as pipes and jars at the halfway point. Although the complexity of the puzzles increases it is not always linear. Sometimes you will have a few easy ones you can complete in less than a minute before running in to an intricate beast that takes five times as long. Tecmo have also made the game more accessible. Levels are not timed; the clock is there just to see how long it takes for completion. There are no lives and you can restart a level as much as you want. There are also unlimited continues and passwords after every stage. Most importantly you can choose any level at any time, letting you skip particularly troublesome stages and return later.
Fire ‘n Ice has ten worlds with ten levels each with the last being a boss battle. Mechanically these encounters are different as the enemies are more active and there are many of them. In addition some levels feature hazards like rising lava to raise the stakes. Trying to hit a moving target while the fire is rising is hectic to say the least. These are certainly not the most exciting but are a nice change of pace after bending your brain trying to solve the simplest map.
With one hundred levels Fire ‘n Ice is not suffering for content. The later worlds are particularly vicious and will make you question your thinking skills. But after you beat Druidle the game is not over. You receive a password that grants access to fifty more levels that make the main campaign seem like child’s play. I will freely admit I was only able to complete a few of these before tapping out. More than likely I could progress further with persistence but I got what I wanted out of the game. I tip my hat to the designers for creating some truly monstrous levels. If you want more there is a level designer but I never played around with it so I cannot comment.
In Closing
Fire ‘n Ice is a fantastic puzzle game that will make you think and has enough variety to keep it interesting until the credits roll. It will make you feel both smart one moment and stupid the next yet remains accessible at all times. I admit I was not sure if I had it in me to give this one a legitimate chance. As much as I like Solomon’s Key its crushing difficulty put me off. Fire ‘n Ice manages that a lot better and as such gets my full recommendation.
