Solomon's Key is a puzzle-platformer from Tecmo. It reached Japanese arcades in July 1986, and the Famicom version followed on 30 July 1986. Hamster notes that the arcade and home versions were developed at the same time, which was unusual for the era. The player controls the sorcerer Dana, who must take the key in each room before time runs out, creating and destroying blocks and casting fireballs while enemies keep appearing.
Designer Michitaka Tsuruta took inspiration from Lode Runner and added the ability to both create and destroy blocks, while Tecmo's Kazutoshi Ueda suggested the puzzle elements. The name came from sales manager Harano after a developer explained that the star-like symbol in the levels was the seal of Solomon. The game sold 300,000 copies in Japan.
A prequel, Solomon's Key 2, came out on the NES in 1992 and was called Fire 'n Ice in North America. The NES original joined Nintendo Switch Online on 10 October 2018, and Hamster's Arcade Archives edition reached the Switch on 6 June 2019.12
Names and releases
| Region | Title on the box | Platform | Date | Publisher | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NA | Solomon's Key | Arcade | February 1987 | Tecmo | 1 |
| NA | Solomon's Key | NES | July 1987 | Tecmo | 1 |
| NA | Solomon's KeyVirtual Console (NES version) | Wii | Nov 19, 2006 | Tecmo | 1 |
| NA | Arcade Archives Solomon's KeyArcade Archives (arcade version) | PlayStation 4 | Sep 15, 2015 | Hamster | 2 |
| JP | ソロモンの鍵Soromon no KagiFamicom | NES | Jul 30, 1986 | Tecmo | 1 |
| JP | ソロモンの鍵Soromon no Kagi | Arcade | July 1986 | Tecmo | 1 |
| EU | Solomon's Keyported by Probe Software | Amstrad CPC | 1987 | U.S. Gold | 1 |
| EU | Solomon's Keyported by Probe Software | Commodore 64 | 1987 | U.S. Gold | 1 |
| EU | Solomon's Keyported by Probe Software, as were the C64, Amstrad CPC and Atari ST versions; ja.wikipedia gives 1988 for the computer ports | ZX Spectrum | 1987 | U.S. Gold | 1 |
| JP | ソロモンの鍵Mark III/Master System port by Aisystem Tokyo, based on the NES version | Master System | Apr 17, 1988 | — | 1 |
| EU | Solomon's Key | MS-DOS | 1988 | — | 1 |
| EU | Solomon's Key | NES | Mar 30, 1990 | Tecmo | 1 |
| JP | Zipangreworked tie-in with the film Zipang | TurboGrafx-16 | Dec 14, 1990 | Pack-In-Video | 1 |
| JP | ソロモンの鍵Famicom Disk System | Famicom Disk System | Jan 25, 1991 | — | 1 |
| JP | Solomon's ClubGame Boy version developed by Graphic Research, with new content | Game Boy | Apr 5, 1991 | — | 1 |
| EU | Solomon's KeyVirtual Console (NES version) | Wii | Dec 15, 2006 | Tecmo | 1 |
| JP | —Arcade Archives (arcade version) | PlayStation 4 | Sep 4, 2014 | Hamster | 3 |
| WW | Solomon's KeyNintendo Switch Online NES library | Switch | Oct 10, 2018 | Nintendo | 1 |
| WW | Arcade Archives Solomon's KeyArcade Archives (arcade version) | Switch | Jun 6, 2019 | Hamster | 2 |
Also known as: ソロモンの鍵 JP1Soromon no Kagi JP1Zipang JP1Solomon's Club WW1Arcade Archives Solomon's Key WW2
Box art by region
NA Solomon's Key 
EU Solomon's Key
Box art © its publishers, shown to identify each release. Scans: libretro-thumbnails.
Version differences
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GameplayNES/Famicom
The NES version shows a "GDV" (Game Deviation Value) on the game-over screen: a weighted rating based on levels cleared, items found, time and points.1
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ContentNES/Famicom
The NES version has 64 levels: 48 main levels in 12 constellation sets of four, each closed by a seal check, plus 15 secret levels and a final level. The ending changes slightly depending on which secret levels the player finds and clears.1
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ContentArcade
Some enemies, such as the Chimera, Wyvern and Slime, appear only in the arcade version.3
Where to play legally today
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Nintendo Switch Online Subscription
-
Arcade Archives Purchase
Reception
Game Machine listed the arcade game as Japan's 18th most successful table arcade unit of August 1986, and the game sold 300,000 copies in Japan. Famicom Magazine readers rated the Famicom version 20.84 out of 30.1
Sources
Checked: 2026-10-13Text reviewed: 2026-10-13
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