NES Game Reviews #37 Solar Jetman
Amassing a collection of close to 1000 games, finding the time to play them all is tough!
Coming across a hidden gem like Solar Jetman makes it all worth it and this is one of the most original and inventive games I’ve yet played on the system.
Your mission is to explore 12 planets in search of the Golden Warship. After landing you’ll have find a mysterious part as well as enough fuel to take off again. There’s also plenty of rare items to find that help fund upgrades and new firepower options.
Theres an effortless charm to Solar Jetman, even though much of it is essentially repetition, each new world keeps you comfortably engaged. The small details in landscapes, new enemies and a fluent control system really fleshes out the experience. There’s a genuine escapism to this game, even for a new player in 2020.
The biggest hurdle for new players is getting comfortable with the controls. Its momentum based. The gravity of each world affects your momentum differently. You must master thruster propulsion of your pod to manuevour successfully. This means facing the opposite direction to your intended travel and applying thrust in controlled bursts to avoid collision. Impact will damage the pod. Your ship is equipped with shields, however you cannot carry items when activate which means making difficult decisions to risk your pod or save treasure?
Fuel is also a concern. If a Pod is lost, it’s a neat touch that you continue as Jetman. His fuel is unlimited, however he’s extremely vunerable to damage. Luckily returning to the Mothership will recover any life, fuel and pod lost. I found this a very fair mechanic allowing you a chance to recover from an error.
With limited button options, SELECT is used for turbo, with UP used for shields. Since both are constantly needed the controller has to be gripped awkwardly, which causes discomfort. Each level can take 30mins or more. Eventually the fatigue caused me to lose sensation in my middle finger! Physical injury, that’s a first!
If you can fight through the pain barrier, this is a long and very rewarding experience!
