Today's theme is: Oversimplification.
Solomon's Key is a
puzzle game. It's a platform game too.
There's a clumsy magician who… well, you all already know
the story, because we
already have one published movie for this game.
An important aspect of this game is that you can create your own platforms,
and destroy existing platforms. Which makes route selections interesting.
This movie plays all the rooms of the game, including the hidden
rooms with Page of Time, Page of Space, and even a princess of some kind.
(Fairy collection rooms were not included.) No warps were used.
Due to those secrets, it accomplishes the best ending of the game.
I did not use death as shortcut this time. It raised some controversy
when the first movie was made, and although the practice is commonly approved
by now, this movie does not use it ― room 32 was affected most by this decision.
I started making this movie in November 2004, with Famtasia. I stopped it in February
2005 after temporarily losing the motivation, and the movie sat unfinished on the
disk for 13 months until I finally played the remaining 17 rooms in one night.
I have tried to convert it to a FCEU movie numerous times without great success.
I've even tried to begin it anew, but this game is a conundrum with its timings.
Try twice and you'll never get the same timer readings at the end of the room.
In other words, I can't reach my times in this movie when I try anew.
Therefore, I apologize but this is a Famtasia movie.
What I mean by oversimplification should become clear as soon as you see my
rooms 5, 39 or 42, for example. I have consulted a walkthrough regarding the
secret rooms of this game, but otherwise, I assert that my unique solutions
to some of the rooms are certainly not what the game authors intended.
(Movie categories indicated in bold.)
Room-by-room explanations
Room 1
Result: 9360
A simple room. The biggest challenge ended up being in the timer.
It is very easy to get 9340 in this stage, and moderately easy
to get 9350, but 9360 happens only if you have really good luck.
Room 2
Result: 9220
Another simple room. The winning strategy in this room is to collect
the key during a jump that leads to the door, without landing on the
platform.
Room 3
Result: 8070
This result is greatly faster than the previous movie, due to abusing
collision detection with the electron ball in a narrow hole.
The biggest challenge in this room is to avoid hitting the ghost when
coming down the hole on the right side.
I got a fairy accidentally from an enemy kill once, and when I rerecorded
that part after trying a couple of different paths, I ensured that I get
that fairy again.
Room 4
Result: 9330
The path was simplified from the previous movie.
Less magic, less jumping, more collision detection abuse.
Room 5
Result: 9230
This result is greatly faster than the previous, due to doing the jumps
perfectly. Dana has two types of jump: fast and slow. They differ in the
speed Dana lands on the upper platform. Accomplishing the fast jump is a
matter of frame-perfect timing as when to face the brick.
Room 6
Result: 8410
Nothing surprising here.
Room 7
Result: 9050
A new, daring, oversimplified strategy won greatly over the result from
last movie. Do not attempt this at home. You will fail. Thanks to the
faster jumps, I was able to make it.
Room 8
Result: 9210
Nothing surprising here.
Room 9
Result: 8860 (extra detour to collect a Solomon seal)
Straight into the dragon's mouth. The strategy is very oversimplified,
and relies on the exact behavior of the enemies and the time they selfdestruct.
Room 10
Result: 9290
I got 9300 in this room once, but I was not able to get it again.
The possible results seem to depend on the results of previous rooms.
The timer of this game is really awful.
Room 11
Result: 8730
Oversimplification strikes again. You are supposed to wait until all of the
sparkling balls exit the tunnel before going to get the key. But that would
have been too much of delay, so I decided to narrowly avoid death instead.
Also, in the beginning of this room, I jump from thin air.
Room 12
Result: 8840
Nothing surprising here.
Room 13
Result: 8760 (with extra detour to collect a Solomon Seal)
Result: 4710 (after halving the timer) (with extra detour to collect a fireball)
The beginning of this room was oversimplified. You'll notice that Dana can
fit nicely in the between of a dragon and his fire. In the end, you'll notice
that Dana can fit nicely in a narrow tunnel with a sparkling ball. The same
technique that was usde in room 11. (But Dana must be on the right side of
the tunnel and the enemy on the left side; it won't work the other way.)
I deliberately collected a red timeglass in this room in order to halve the timer.
This resulted in a faster thank-you screen.
Room 14
Result: 8650
A straightforward room with a hidden key. My faster jumping method wins much time
here over the previous movie.
Room 15
Result: 8730
I was totally dumbfounded by this result. My previous movie had 8560 here, and I had
great troubles in accomplishing that result two times. Now I drew a big marginal to
that result. I'm not sure what made it so. An important part in this room is to
manipulate the enemies so that they stay nicely out of my way.
Room 16
Result: 9300
Lots of close calls. Otherwise just accomplishing the goal in the straightest way
possible -- i.e. oversimplification.
Room 17
Result: 8980
Result: 4340 (after halving the timer) (with extra detour to collect a Solomon Seal)
This room is fun to play, because it looks so impossible in the beginning. Fortunately
I had some fireballs in store, which oversimplified the room greatly. The improvement
in this room comes from realizing a faster way to break through the ceiling. Again,
I took a red timeglass intentionally to make the timer shorter. I also luckmanipulated
the enemy drops in this room so that I have now a super fireball in store for some later room.
Room 18
Result: 8950
Nothing surprising here. The perfect jumps made the result half a second faster
than in the previous movie.
Room 19
Result: 8950 (with extra detour to collect a Solomon Seal)
Making fools of the dragons.
Room 20
Result: 8150 (with extra detour to collect a Constellation symbol)
It's a puzzle. You can't create bricks where the mirrors are.
Secret room
Result: 9200 (with extra detour to collect the Page of Time)
To reach this room, you need all the Solomon's Seals from previous rooms and
the Constellation symbol from room 20.
Room 21
Result: 9000 (with extra detour to collect a Solomon Seal)
This is an oversimplified solution. You are supposed to go through the left edge
of the screen, but instead I chose to slip between those blue torches.
Room 22
Result: 45450 (with extra detour to collect a super fireball)
This too is an oversimplified solution. I don't really know what the right solution
is, but I am quite certain you aren't supposed to acrobate between those fires --
at least not without flattening them with the magic first.
I collected a milk bottle in this room. It multiplies the timer by 5, but it was
unavoidable. After this room, I have two superfireballs in store.
Room 23
Result: 8750
Oversimplified solution again. The two mirrors below the key are there to prevent
Dana from climbing up the tunnel. Didn't prevent me.
Room 24
Result: 8990
Result: 4700 (after halving the timer)
I do not know how this room is supposed to be played, but I get the feeling that
my route was not the intended one. Also, I took a red timeglass intentionally to
make the timer shorter.
Room 25
Result: 9350
No surprises here. Optimized with jump precision.
Room 26
Result: 9560
Result: 4720 (after halving the timer)
My route is simple. Also, I took a red timeglass intentionally to make the timer shorter.
Room 27
Result: 8640
Super speed sparkballs. I used a super fireball in this room, although I didn't like to.
Room 28
Result: 7580
Unless you count my sketchy maneuvers around the blue torches, there's nothing surprising
in my route in this stage.
Room 29
Result: 8960 (with extra detour to collect a Solomon Seal)
Quite straightforward route, with many close calls with enemies.
Room 30
Result: 8120
Result: 3490 (after halving the timer)
I hate this room. You see, Solomon can't jump over a 1-block hole if there's a ceiling
right above that hole. But, he can't create bridge there if there's an item in that hole.
So he has to collect the item before he can create a bridge. I skipped all jewels that
I could, but this is still a long and boring room, and very tedious to play.
I took a red timeglass, which halves the timer, intentionally to make the
thank-you screen last shorter time.
Room 31
Result: 8760
A torch puzzle combined with super speed demon faces. Except for a certain really close
call, there are no surprises in this stage that I can think of.
Room 32
Result: 9180
Oversimplification strikes again. Last time I used death in this stage as a shortcut, but
not this time. But I managed to create another not-quite-right solution for it anyway.
As usual, I don't quite know what is the right solution after all, but I think it involves
the right side and bottom of the map, which I did not visit.
Room 33
Result: 8180
This result is greatly different than in my last movie. It might look trivial,
but it really took some work to find it. This puzzle is complicated, because
the spark balls usually travel exactly where you don't want them to be, and
thus you must be avoiding or locking them away most of the time.
Room 34
Result: 8510
The plot of this room: Try not to die while the ghosts break through a way for you.
Of course, I did not die, but I sure made it look like I could at any moment.
The improvement consisted of destroying two diagonally unaccessible blocks
in the center and better timing of the jump curve.
Room 35
Result: 8790
I actually got the result 8840 once in this room, but after I fixed something in room 33
and came back to this room, I was not able to get that same result again. It has something
to do with the demon faces appearing from the mirror and not appearing. So this is almost
the same result as in the previous movie, now.
Room 36
Result: 7400
A straightforward room not as straightforward as it looks. I used my last super fireball
in this stage to clear the way, and I was supposed to get another super fireball in return
from an enemy (the blue vase), but for some reason, it didn't register.
Room 37
Result: 9290
Oversimplification.
Room 38
Result: 7670
Making things fluent was the key to ~4 second improvement in this room.
Room 39
Result: 8870
Without using fireballs, this room is probably impossible to play in real time.
This room has more close calls than all of the rooms together before this.
Room 40
Result: 9240
The first room I had never seen before. It's technically a very simple room, which
however requires fast reflexes and good planning.
Room 41
Result: 8750
I compared a few paths and chose the fastest. Upon reviewing, I'm
not 100% certain whether this is the fastest possible path after all.
Room 42
Result: 8720
A greatly oversimplified result. In the beginning of this room, I jumped from thin
air (glitch), which allowed me to drop the two torches that would otherwise have
required me long detours to accomplish the same thing.
Room 43
Result: 8570
A straightforward solution.
Room 44
Result: 6060 (with extra detour to collect a Constellation symbol)
This puzzle required some thinking. I think my solution to this room is fairly
normal, if you don't count my sketchy maneuvers around the blue torches.
Secret room
Result: 8770 (with extra detour to collect the Page of Space)
To reach this room, you need all the Solomon's Seals from previous
rooms and the Constellation symbol from room 44.
Finishing this room is simple. It is the Page of Space that is tricky.
In order to be able to break the lower brick of the triangle, you need to
powerup your magic wand at the door. Otherwise, when you break the top of
the triangle, you can't get out. Only the top and bottom bricks of the
triangle are breakable.
Room 45
Result: 7960
An oversimplified solution with lots of close calls.
Room 46
Result: 8600 (with extra detour to collect a Solomon seal)
Nothing mentionable in the strategy.
Note that I must collect the Solomon seal before the door is opened.
Otherwise I can't get on the top of the door.
Room 47
Result: 7640 (with extra detour to collect a Solomon seal)
Sketchy oversimplified maneuvers with the blue torches. I don't know
what the right solution to this room is, but I'm fairly certain this wasn't it.
Room 48
Result: 7020
Same comments as in room 47. I suppose the middle of the room
was supposed to be visited, but it wasn't needed in my path.
Princess room
Result: 8760
To reach this room, you need all the eight Solomon's Seals.
Finishing this room is tricky. First. you must cast a magic at both of
the guardians (the red flames). Then you can break the exterior of the
cage.
To break the interior, you need to cast a brick (or at least attempt)
into the inside of cage. After you do that, you can break the left edge
of the cage. The room ends when you hug the princess.
Solomon room
Result: 8900
Last room of the game. It's difficult. To break the last wall, you need
to cast a magic at the mirror. To open the book, cast a magic at it.
It is not possible to cross it by jumping. Many of the puzzles rely on this fact, and I could not break this rule no matter how much I liked.
You can only cross it by bridging the hole by creating a block there. However, if the hole contains a jewel or other item, you have to collect the jewel before you can create a block there. You cannot collect the jewel without falling through the hole. That's why I had to collect so many jewels in room 30. I skipped all jewels that I could, though.
[Edit: Replaced ascii graph with an image one.]
