Solomon's Key was developed by Tecmo in 1986, and ported to home consoles the following year. It's now been released through Hamster's Arcade Archives Series on the ps4. The object of the game is to grab the key and get to the door, while avoiding enemies and solving block puzzles. Different items are scattered or hidden across the levels that offer extra lives, extra time, instant kills, fireballs, and more.Since ammunition is limited, it's best to use the fireballs only in dire situations. This game is considerably difficult, so get comfortable with the mechanics of creating and destroying blocks to hinder enemies. Ducking to make blocks appear below you is vital, as is jumping.

Speaking of jumping, your character's jump is performed by pushing up; not by pressing a button like contemporary platformers. I found it natural and fitting for an action-puzzle game like this, but it's bound to turn off a few people. Once you get used to it, it becomes easier to maneuver quickly through the mazes.

The game looks good, and there's a lot of stuff going on, but some of the sound effects are way too loud. I actually had to go into the sound settings and adjust the balance to prevent myself from going crazy because of this one fire breathing wall monster. There's about 50 different rooms, some hidden, and you can continue up to level 31 so you don't have to complete it all in one session, which will require you to really plan out what you do and where you go for during your adventure. Overall, Solomon's key is a hidden gem that can be overlooked by it's difficultly and slightly obtuse mechanics. B+