whats the verdict on Equinox?

[dudeguy]

Started it up recently. Its a pretty fun platform/puzzle game but not the easiest. I give it points for being something that isnt a Zelda clone. Characters arent the most memorable though.

[CapitanClassic]

It’s a fine game, not great. It is the sequel to Solstice (naming convention makes sense), so the gameplay feels extremely similar. The isometric perspective makes it deceptively hard to determine depth sometimes. 

 

 

[dudeguy]

Staff of Demnos? I wonder if that was originally supposed to be "Demons" but they switched the letters around because they were afraid retailers wouldnt carry it

[+GoldLeader]

Love it!

 

 

The main screens are interesting/fun even if hard...And the overworld has that minimalist, yet atmospheric, soundtrack.   Perhaps it's odd to say,  but this had the potential in my opinion to be even more...Like if the dungeon screens had (even) more variety and some different mechanics or exploration (at times) to them,   it could have been one of the Best games Ever on the system.  I still think it is Amazing, though.

 

PS I love the sound FX!  Esp. that Death Scream and then **Shatter!**

[Wayler]

Ahh Solstice, so good. The music, the atmosphere, the puzzles. One of my favorites from the NES. I'm even considering getting the FC version just for the awesome box art

 

Now Equinox then. I still have the PAL version and really tried to like it. There was just always something missing that kept me away. Perhaps I was expecting more puzzles and less battles. And really not fond of the graphic style. It's a rainbow barf in a candy store. But I probably should revisit it and see if my feelings have changed. 

 

Fun fact: this one is a rare examples where we got the superior box art. Behold the epic mess that is Solstice II on the Super Famicom:

 

 

Edited December 13, 2022 by Wayler

[Kirk_Johnston]

I've never played. Not really feeling the visual style, which is an important factor for me.

[Tanooki]

Not great, but I also don't think anything is nice about Solstice either other than the audio   The gameplay is a crappy throwback to the 8bit era of computers, largely european ones, which I have no fuzzy memories for so a game like this just seems like utterly confusing, stiff and obnoxious crap.

[CapitanClassic]

1 hour ago, Tanooki said:

Not great, but I also don't think anything is nice about Solstice either other than the audio   The gameplay is a crappy throwback to the 8bit era of computers, largely european ones, which I have no fuzzy memories for so a game like this just seems like utterly confusing, stiff and obnoxious crap.

I happened to like Solstice, but didn’t care much for Equinox. I had no experience with the large amount of Spectrum games in the genre, so it seemed like a new unique experience. (The closest thing I had played before would probably be Spin-Dizzy, which is really more akin to an open world Marble Madness)

 

I also liked the NES version of Ultima 3:Exodus (1989), likely for the same reason I played it first on NES, long after it’s initial 1983 microcomputer release. Had played the first 2 Ultima on Atari 800, and was glad they had changed the gameplay significantly.

[The Mr. Video]

I've played through the first dungeon of Equinox a few years ago and thought it was fine. I'm not quite sure what the point of the life meter is if you have to restart the room when you get hit anyway. I more so remember the game for its atmospheric soundtrack by Tim and Geoff Follin (listening to it right now, in fact). Also, since everyone is posting this game's box art in different regions, I might as well round it out with the US box.

I personally think this one looks the best because it doesn't have super-dated CGI like the Japanese box and the guy on the artwork actually looks like the main character instead of a rejected Lord of the Rings character.