Solstice: The Quest for the Staff of Demnos/Gameplay

Game structure
The player must guide the wizard Shadax in his exploration of the fortress of Kâstleröck, in search of the six pieces of the legendary Staff of Demnos. There is no subdivision by levels, but a single huge level, the castle, consisting of over 250 rooms that form a big maze. Shadax is armed with only a few magical potions and an enchanted map. You will therefore have to be very careful while moving around the rooms, where there are monsters ready to attack you and dangers of all kinds. The fortress is very large and intricate, making it easy to get lost. Try to remember where you have already passed and consult the map frequently. Each room is shown on the screen in isometric axonometry, on a black background, as shown below. Shadax, too, can only move along axonometric lines. Only one room is shown at a time. Exits on invisible walls (those facing you) are indicated with arrows.



You will start the game with 4 lives. Whenever Shadax comes into contact with an enemy or falls on dangerous ground, you will lose a life. If you lose all lives, the game is over. You can get extra lives or the ability to continue the game by collecting special items (see Collectable Items section).

The Castle
In the rooms of the castle you will find recurring elements, which it is better to learn to recognize, to move better:

Magic Potions
There are four magic potions and they are kept in as many beakers. Each potion has a different color and a different effect. To activate a certain potion within a room, you must first select it from the Select Screen and then press the Start button. The effect of each potion will last as long as Shadax is in the room, but will immediately wear off as soon as he leaves. You can also activate more than one potion within the same room. The effect of each potion is shown below:

BLUE POTION – THE SHIELD OF LIFE By activating this potion while inside a room, Shadax will become invulnerable to enemy attacks, but not to spikes. You can also use this potion to jump on enemies and thus reach otherwise inaccessible areas.

PURPLE POTION – THE ELIXIR OF DESTRUCTION By activating this potion, any moving object that is inside the room (enemies, moving platforms, etc.) will disappear immediately. A very powerful potion, to be used with caution. While, on the one hand, it can wipe out any enemy, on the other, it can also destroy useful elements to proceed.

YELLOW POTION – THE GUARDIAN OF TIME By activating this potion, everything moving inside the room (except the conveyor belts) will be immobilized. However, you will still be able to move the blocks by pushing or picking them up. Note: even if enemies are immobilized, any contact with them will still be lethal.

GREEN POTION – THE EYES OF THE BLIND By activating this potion, all the invisible elements that are inside a room will become immediately visible. However, any invisible object, if touched by Shadax, becomes visible even without activating this potion.

Each beaker can contain up to four doses of the potion (at the beginning of the game you will have only two doses of each potion) and each time you activate a potion, one dose will be consumed. To fill the beakers, you'll need to find the potions scattered around the castle. When you find one, it will completely fill the potion beaker of that color. However, keep in mind that it is never possible to have more than four doses of the same potion. For example, if a Blue Potion is collected when the Blue Potion Beaker is already full, it will be completely wasted. The ideal is therefore to collect a potion when its beaker is empty. If not, you can also come back for it later. It is strongly recommended that you use magical potions sparingly, as they are available in limited quantities. Also, there are some points in the game where you can't proceed without using a potion. Better to activate a potion then only when strictly necessary.

The Select Screen
By pressing the Select button at any time in the game, you will access the Select Screen, which contains various informations:



1 - Magic Map. The map will be of great help to you during your mission, so it is best to consult it often. On this map, in fact, every room Shadax has already entered will appear and is therefore very useful for finding your way around the fortress. The relative exits are then reported for each room. However, only the rooms you have already entered will appear. If a room is shown on the map with a white border, it means that there is another room above or below that room. In these cases, it is advisable to analyze the room well and try to find out if there is a way to go up or down. In addition, sometimes exits are shown on the map that actually seem non-existent. This means that in order for those exits to appear, you will first have to perform a certain task, such as detonating a spinning bomb or finding a magic key. But remember: the map never lies. By pressing the A button while consulting the map, you can also see the number of rooms you have already crossed and the percentage of the game completed.

2 - Number of remaining lives available. Even if they are reported up to a maximum of 8, you can continue to collect them without limits.

3 - Pieces of the staff collected

4 - Magic keys collected

5 - Available doses of Blue Potion

6 - Available doses of Purple Potion

7 - Available doses of Yellow Potion

8 - Available doses of Green Potion