Solar Jetman: Hunt for the Golden Warpship
Encyclopedia
Solar Jetman: Hunt for the Golden Warpship (known as Iota during development) is the third video game in the Jetman series. It was designed and developed by Zippo Games for Rare and released in the US by Tradewest
in 1990, and in Europe by Nintendo
, for the NES
. It was later released by Nintendo
for their NES
-based Play Choice 10 arcade system.
. The player's craft is subject to inertia
but not drag
, so to stop moving in one direction it needs to thrust in the opposite way. The constant pull of gravity makes stable flight challenging and steering a skill in itself.
Solar Jetman has twelve planets and one hidden planet, each with its own gravity and system of enemy-infested caverns. The goal is to navigate these caves with small jetpods launched from an immobile mothership, on each world bringing back a piece of the warpship and enough fuel to journey to the next one. Items are collected with a tractor beam/tow cable that makes flight more difficult, and released over the mothership or deposited in small wormholes deeper in the caverns. Points are earned by retrieving valuables and destroying enemies, and can be spent after every other stage to buy power-up
s, both pod-specific and permanent. The most vital ones are found on the field. If a pod is destroyed, the pilot ejects in an agile but feeble spacesuit and can be returned to the ship or a wormhole for another craft. Losing a spacesuit costs one of four lives.
While the main character belongs to the "Federation of Space Loonies", Solar Jetman has no space for more humor other than the occasional irreverent touches. Crates of valuables may turn out to contain rare radioactive element
s or Easter Island heads
, or in some cases, "absolutely nothing".
Like many other games published by Tradewest, Solar Jetman is widely considered a very difficult game. This led to the development of a fan-made password generator that allows players to access all of the planets directly. It has a password after every world, but lives are not replenished on continuing.
, Commodore 64
, Atari ST
and Commodore Amiga, all developed by Software Creations
and intended for release on the STORM label, garnering positive previews.
The Commodore 64, Amiga and Atari ST versions were complete and the ZX Spectrum reached a playable demo state before the project was cancelled due to poor sales of the Nintendo original and perceived unsuitability for the home computer markets.
The Commodore 64 version has subsequently been discovered and made available for download.
Tradewest
Tradewest is a now-defunct American video game company based in Corsicana, Texas that produced numerous games in the 1980s and early 1990s. The company is best known as the publisher of the Battletoads and Double Dragon series in North America and the PAL region.The Tradewest name was revived in...
in 1990, and in Europe by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
, for the NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
. It was later released by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
for their NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
-based Play Choice 10 arcade system.
Gameplay
The game is a multi-directional shooter in the vein of Thrust and GravitarGravitar
Gravitar is a shoot 'em up arcade game released by Atari, Inc in 1982.It was the first of over twenty games Mike Hally designed and produced for Atari, including Star Wars.-Gameplay:...
. The player's craft is subject to inertia
Inertia
Inertia is the resistance of any physical object to a change in its state of motion or rest, or the tendency of an object to resist any change in its motion. It is proportional to an object's mass. The principle of inertia is one of the fundamental principles of classical physics which are used to...
but not drag
Drag (physics)
In fluid dynamics, drag refers to forces which act on a solid object in the direction of the relative fluid flow velocity...
, so to stop moving in one direction it needs to thrust in the opposite way. The constant pull of gravity makes stable flight challenging and steering a skill in itself.
Power-up
In computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a benefit and can be used at a time chosen by the player...
s, both pod-specific and permanent. The most vital ones are found on the field. If a pod is destroyed, the pilot ejects in an agile but feeble spacesuit and can be returned to the ship or a wormhole for another craft. Losing a spacesuit costs one of four lives.
While the main character belongs to the "Federation of Space Loonies", Solar Jetman has no space for more humor other than the occasional irreverent touches. Crates of valuables may turn out to contain rare radioactive element
Chemical element
A chemical element is a pure chemical substance consisting of one type of atom distinguished by its atomic number, which is the number of protons in its nucleus. Familiar examples of elements include carbon, oxygen, aluminum, iron, copper, gold, mercury, and lead.As of November 2011, 118 elements...
s or Easter Island heads
Moai
Moai , or mo‘ai, are monolithic human figures carved from rock on the Chilean Polynesian island of Easter Island between the years 1250 and 1500. Nearly half are still at Rano Raraku, the main moai quarry, but hundreds were transported from there and set on stone platforms called ahu around the...
, or in some cases, "absolutely nothing".
Like many other games published by Tradewest, Solar Jetman is widely considered a very difficult game. This led to the development of a fan-made password generator that allows players to access all of the planets directly. It has a password after every world, but lives are not replenished on continuing.
Other ports
Sales Curve Interactive announced ports and released screenshots of Solar Jetman for the ZX SpectrumZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
and Commodore Amiga, all developed by Software Creations
Software Creations (UK)
Software Creations was a video game developer based in Manchester, England, first established in 1987. They are primarily known for their video games based on movie and comic licenses like Marvel Comics, Cutthroat Island, Disney's Beauty and the Beast and original titles Solstice and the sequel...
and intended for release on the STORM label, garnering positive previews.
The Commodore 64, Amiga and Atari ST versions were complete and the ZX Spectrum reached a playable demo state before the project was cancelled due to poor sales of the Nintendo original and perceived unsuitability for the home computer markets.
The Commodore 64 version has subsequently been discovered and made available for download.
External links
- Solar Jetman instruction manual at Atari HQ
- Myths and Legends article referring to the game at Ultimate Wurlde