Solstice: The Quest for the Staff of Demnos is a 1990 isometric puzzle platformer developed by Software Creations and published by CSG Imagesoft for the NES. In the middle of Morbius' stronghold, whom the protagonist Shadax must stop before he performs a ritual to sacrifice the kidnapped princess Eleanor and becomes Evil Baron of Darkness, you have to recover the Staff of Demnos that's been broken into six pieces around the dungeon. It's best known for its soundtrack by Tim Follin.
Solstice had also an obscure sequel for SNES in 1994, named Equinox (re-titled Solstice II in Japan). Many years after the first game, Shadax is imprisoned by his treacherous apprentice Sonia, who then sends her army to take over the seven kingdoms across the world. It's now up to Glendaal, a son of Shadax, to set off on a journey to rescue his father and put an end to her reign.
Solstice and Equinox provide examples of the following tropes:
- 1-Up: Collecting a wizard hat gives an extra life.
- Badass in Distress: Equinox has Shadax, the hero of Solstice, captured by his apprentice Sonia.
- Blob Monster: Featureless, fluid blobs moving around the rooms are a common monster in Solstice. They come in a few different colours, but seem to have the same behaviours regardless of colour.
- Covers Always Lie: See that awesome shirtless wizard on the cover up there? Yeah, the protagonist looks nothing whatsoever like him. (It's joked by fans that the wizard on the cover is actually Tim Follin.)
- Cutscene Boss: You actually don't get to fight Morbius in the first game. Once you gather all pieces together to form the Staff of Demnos, the main character will automatically use it to zap him out of existence.
- Depth Perplexion: Equinox had some insanely difficult puzzle platforming rooted in this issue. You could try to jump onto what looked like an ordinary block sitting on the floor in front of you, only to vanish behind it and realise that it was actually just further down the screen from you, floating in midair.
- Excuse Plot: Although the game does have elaborate opening told through in-game engine, it's no Ninja Gaiden, and it doesn't touch it further than that Morbius is kind of jerk. The story is just there to make up the game. The same also applies to Equinox.
- Floating Platforms: Floating cubes and cuboids move and float in the air.
- God Mode: Completing the staff gives the player one, where they now have unlimited use of their magic potions and the invincibility spell is permanently active.
- Inconveniently-Placed Conveyor Belt: Conveyor belts are present in the settings in this game, acting as a navigation hazard.
- Market-Based Title: Equinox was re-named Solstice II in Japan, clarifying that this is a sequel to the NES game. The game's title sequence also called it Solstice II.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: The name of Morbius, the Evil Sorcerer of Solstice, seems to come from Latin morbus ("disease").
- Save the Princess: The Excuse Plot of Solstice is that Shadax needs to rescue Princess Eleanor before Morbius can take her soul.
- Spike Balls of Doom: Spike balls of various colors moving up and down are one of the more common enemy types.
- Spikes of Doom: Spikes are common in the first game. Sometimes entire floors are covered with them.
- Spin-Offspring: The protagonist of Equinox is a son of Shadax, the first game's protagonist.
- Wizard Classic: Shadax is a bearded wizard with a pointed hat (such hats even serve as extra lives). He doesn't have a staff, but he is questing to get one.
