Editing Solar Jetman

{{Short description|1990 video game}}
{{Good article}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{Use British English|date=May 2025}}

{{Infobox video game
| title = Solar Jetman: Hunt for the Golden Warpship
| image = Solarjetmancover.jpg
| caption = European cover art with the subtitle misspelled as "Warship"
| developer = Zippo Games<br>[[Rare (company)|Rare]]
| publisher = {{vgrelease|NA|[[Tradewest]]|EU|[[Nintendo]]}}
| designer = [[Ste and John Pickford]]
| artist = Lyndon Brooke <br /> Ste Pickford
| composer = [[David Wise (composer)|David Wise]]
| released = '''NES'''{{vgrelease|NA|September 1990<ref name="NintendoList">{{cite web |url=https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/downloads/nes_games.pdf |publisher=Nintendo of America |access-date=August 9, 2015 |title=NES Games |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611225644/http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/downloads/nes_games.pdf |archive-date=June 11, 2014 }}</ref>|EU|26 September 1991<ref name=gamefaqs>{{cite web|title=Solar Jetman: Hunt for the Golden Warpship Release Information for NES|url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/nes/587633-solar-jetman-hunt-for-the-golden-warpship/data|website=[[GameFAQs]]|publisher=[[CBS Interactive]]|access-date=27 September 2015}}</ref>}}'''Arcade'''{{vgrelease|NA|1990}}
| genre = [[Multidirectional shooter]]
| modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]]
| platforms = [[Nintendo Entertainment System]], [[Arcade video game|Arcade]]
| arcade system = [[PlayChoice-10]]
}}

'''''Solar Jetman: Hunt for the Golden Warpship''''' is a [[multidirectional shooter]] [[video game]] developed by Zippo Games and [[Rare (company)|Rare]] and published by [[Tradewest]] for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]]. It was released in North America in September 1990 and in Europe by [[Nintendo]] on 26 September 1991. The game is the third installment of the ''Jetman'' series and was later re-released by [[Nintendo]] for their NES-based [[PlayChoice-10]] arcade system in the United States in 1990.<ref name=pickford/>

In the game, series protagonist Jetman must manoeuvre his small craft through caverns of various planets whilst searching for pieces of the Golden Warpship. The game is presented in a horizontal side-view environment and has ranging gravitational pulls for each planet, which subjects Jetman's craft to various forms of [[inertia]]. Similar to its predecessors, Jetman must keep his craft topped up with fuel in order to progress through levels.

The game was developed mostly by [[Manchester|Mancunian]] developer Zippo Games under the name of ''Iota'' before being ordered to change the game into a ''Jetman'' title by Rare. Ports of the game for the Amiga, [[Commodore 64]] and [[Atari ST]] were completed but not released due to poor sales of the NES version. The game received mostly positive reviews upon release, with critics praising the game's presentation and graphics, however criticism was directed at the game's difficulty. It is included in Rare's 2015 ''[[Rare Replay]]'' compilation for [[Xbox One]], and was re-released on the [[Nintendo Classics]] service on July 4, 2024.

==Gameplay==
[[Image:Solar Jetman screenshot.png|thumb|240px|left|A still image of gameplay. Jetman must manoeuvre his pod through various planets with ranging gravitational pulls.]]

The game is a [[multidirectional shooter]] that is presented in a horizontal side-view, in a similar vein to earlier installments of the ''Jetman'' series.<ref name=preview>{{cite news | url=http://www.crashonline.org.uk/86/solarjet.htm | title=Solar Jetman preview | publisher=Newsfield | work=CRASH Issue 86 | date=1 March 1991 | access-date=6 May 2006}}</ref><ref name=history/> The game is set after the events of ''[[Lunar Jetman]]'' and involves series protagonist Jetman on his quest to gather all pieces of the Golden Warpship, a mythical starship that allows interstellar travel. The player controls Jetman's pod in either a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction. The pod is subject to [[inertia]] but not [[Drag (physics)|drag]] physics depending on the level of [[gravity]] of the set planet.<ref name=total/> The constant pull of gravity changes every level, which makes stable flight challenging and manoeuvring the pod more difficult as the levels progress.<ref name=preview/>

''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 caverns with small jet pods launched from an immobile mothership, on each planet bringing back a piece of the Golden Warpship and enough fuel to journey to the next one. Items are collected with a tow cable that makes flight more difficult due to the drag of the item, and are released over the mothership or deposited in small wormholes deeper in the caverns.<ref name=total/> Points are earned by retrieving valuables and destroying enemies, and can be spent after every other stage to buy [[power-up]]s for Jetman's pod. If a pod is destroyed, Jetman will eject out of the pod and walk around in an agile but vulnerable [[space suit]]. The player may be able to return to the mothership in order to collect a new pod. If the player dies outside of their pod, a life will be lost.<ref name=preview/>

==Development and release==
{{Quote box|quote=We wanted to make our own games. We already designed and developed ''[[Ironsword]]'', and didn't really want to do any more of that kind of work. But if we were going to do a sequel to anything, it may have well been something we liked, and I think we liked the original ''[[Jetpac]]''.|source=Ste Pickford in a retrospective interview with ''[[Retro Gamer]]''<ref name=history/> |width=30em |quoted=1}}

''Solar Jetman'' was developed in-joint by Mancunian developer Zippo Games and Leicestershire-based Rare. Founded by brothers Ste and John Pickford, Zippo Games was known for developing ''[[Ironsword]]'', a sequel to Rare's 1987 game ''[[Wizards & Warriors]]''. Impressed by the success of ''Ironsword'', Rare purchased Zippo Games and commissioned them more development projects, a decision which was viewed unfavourably by Ste Pickford, as he wanted to focus on developing games independently.<ref name=history/> After the buy-out, the Pickford brothers started development of ''Iota'' on 1 June 1989,<ref name=pickford>{{cite web|last1=Pickford|first1=Ste|title=Solar Jetman overview and details|url=http://www.zee-3.com/pickfordbros/softography/index.php?game=37|website=Zee-3|publisher=Pickford Brothers|access-date=26 September 2015|archive-date=7 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607131556/http://www.zee-3.com/pickfordbros/softography/index.php?game=37|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=iota>{{cite web|last1=Whitehead|first1=Dan|title=Rare Replay review|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-08-04-rare-replay-review|publisher=Eurogamer|access-date=23 August 2015|date=4 August 2015}}</ref> a game which was conceived by programmer Steve Hughes to be an [[shooter game|arcade-shooter]] inspired by the [[Atari ST]] game ''[[Oids]]''. Despite having initial creative control over ''Iota'', Rare ordered Zippo Games to change the game into a ''Jetman'' title halfway through development.<ref name=history/>

During the late 1980s, the Stamper brothers sold the rights of Ultimate Play the Game to [[U.S. Gold]] and shifted their focus from the British home computing market to broader home console games.<ref name=history>{{cite journal|title=1983: A Spaceman's Odyssey - The History of Jetman|journal=Retro Gamer|date=November 2011|issue=96|page=50|url=http://scans.bytemaniacos.com/en/retro_gamer/Retro_Gamer_Issue_096.pdf|access-date=22 August 2015|publisher=Imagine|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927142453/http://scans.bytemaniacos.com/en/retro_gamer/Retro_Gamer_Issue_096.pdf|archive-date=27 September 2015}}</ref><ref name=best>{{cite web|title=The Best of British - Ultimate|url=http://www.crashonline.org.uk/51/ultimate.htm|publisher=Crash|access-date=13 August 2015}}</ref>  The company became one of the first western developers to be granted a licence by Nintendo to produce games for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]], during which Rare began employing more staff and expanding their operations in order to develop more games for home consoles.<ref name=history/>

After development switched to ''Solar Jetman'', the Pickford brothers received little input from Rare, with Ste Pickford later speculating that the Stamper brothers had confidence in their abilities, despite being entrusted with their most "revered" series.<ref name=history/> In a retrospective interview, Ste Pickford stated that he drew inspiration for the mechanics of ''Solar Jetman'' from a ZX Spectrum game, ''Scuba Diving'', admitting that the gravitational pulls of Jetman's pod were reminiscent of the way a scuba diver manoeuvred. Development of ''Solar Jetman'' lasted around a year and started from a standard two-man team to a workforce of several people as the game eventually grew larger in scale.<ref name=history/>

Shortly after release, [[SCi Games|Sales Curve Interactive]] announced ports of ''Solar Jetman'' for the [[ZX Spectrum]], [[Commodore 64]], [[Atari ST]], and [[Amiga]], all developed by [[Acclaim Studios Manchester|Software Creations]] and published by Storm.<ref name=theone>{{cite magazine|title = Rare Sighting|date = February 1991|url = https://archive.org/details/theone-magazine-29/page/n11|magazine = The One|publisher = emap Images|issue = 29|page = 12}}</ref> The Commodore 64, Amiga and Atari ST versions were complete and the ZX Spectrum reached a playable demo state,<ref name=preview/> before the project was cancelled due to poor sales of the NES original and perceived unsuitability for the home computer markets. The Commodore 64 version has subsequently been discovered and made available for download.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.gamesthatwerent.com/gtw64/solar-jetman/ | title=Review - Solar Jetman | work=Games That Weren't | year=1991 | access-date=21 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last = Fisher | first= Andrew | date = December 2013 | title = The Commodore 64 Games that Time Forgot | work = [[Retro Gamer]] | issue = 122 | page = 56 | publisher = [[Imagine Publishing]]}}</ref> Despite the cancellations, ''Solar Jetman'' was later re-released by [[Nintendo]] for their NES-based [[PlayChoice-10]] arcade system in 1990.<ref name=pickford/> The game was later included in Rare's 2015 [[Xbox One]] retrospective compilation, ''[[Rare Replay]]''.<ref name="Polygon: Replay"/>

==Reception==
{{Video game reviews
| CVG = 94%<ref name=CVG/>
| GamePro = 19/25<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/f/f5/GamePro_US_016.pdf |title=Nintendo ProView: ''Solar Jetman'' |last=Aslan |first=Charlie T. |magazine=[[GamePro]] |date=November 1990 |page=98}}</ref>
| rev1 = ''[[Mean Machines]]''
| rev1Score = 94%<ref name=mean/>
| rev2 = ''[[Total!]]''
| rev2Score = 92%<ref name=total/>
}}
The game received positive reviews from critics upon release, despite the poor sales of the NES version.<ref name=pickford/> Reviewers of ''[[Mean Machines]]'' praised the game's playability and gameplay, stating that it was "second-to-none" and the different gravity pulls of each planet provided "unique challenges".<ref name=mean>{{cite web|title=Solar Jetman - NES review|url=http://www.meanmachinesmag.co.uk/pdf/solarjetmannes.pdf|website=The Mean Machines|publisher=Damo & Daz|access-date=1 September 2015|page=43}}</ref> Richard Leadbetter of ''[[Computer and Video Games]]'' similarly praised the gameplay, comparing it to that of ''[[Thrust (video game)|Thrust]]''. Leadbetter found the gameplay challenging and stated that the addition of power-ups boosts the game's playability.<ref name=CVG>{{cite web|last1=Leadbetter|first1=Richard|title=Solar Jetman review (CVG)|url=https://archive.org/stream/computer-video-games-magazine-112/CVG112_Mar_1991#page/n81/mode/2up|publisher=Computer and Video Games|access-date=1 September 2015|date=March 1991}}</ref> Steve Jarrett of ''[[Total!]]'' asserted that the gameplay was simplistic but addictive as exploration of the game's twelve planets would "set the player at it for weeks".<ref name=total>{{cite journal|last1=Jarrett|first1=Steve|title=Solar Jetman review - Total!|journal=Total!|date=January 1992|issue=1|page=16|url=https://archive.org/stream/Total_Issue_001_1992-01_Future_Publishing_GB#page/n15/mode/2up/search/solar+jetman|access-date=1 September 2015}}</ref>

The graphics and sound were also praised. Reviewers of ''Mean Machines'' stated that the graphics were "simply brilliant" and presented an "artistic accomplishment", whereas the sound was similarly "excellent".<ref name=mean/> Leadbetter stated that the sound and graphics were "functional" rather than outstanding, despite stating that the graphics appeared "fast and smooth".<ref name=CVG/> Jarrett regarded the graphics as simple but "dead smooth" in appearance, also praising the smooth animation of the enemies and the movement of the player's ship. Jarrett also praised the sound, heralding the soundtrack as "eerie" yet "great".<ref name=total/> The game's playability and [[replay value]] were praised by a reviewer of ''Mean Machines'', stating that the number of levels and items will last a "couple of months".<ref name=mean/> Jarrett similarly stated that the game's twelve levels provide good replay value due to the game's difficulty.<ref name=total/>

==See also==
* ''[[Fly Harder]]''
* ''[[Gravitar]]''
* ''[[Gravity Crash]]''
* ''[[Gravity Force]]''
* ''[[Oids]]''
* ''[[Subterrania (video game)|Sub-Terrania]]''
* ''[[TerraFire]]''
* ''[[Thrust (video game)|Thrust]]''
* ''[[Zarathrusta]]''

==References==
{{Reflist|2|refs=
<ref name="Polygon: Replay">{{cite web |url=http://www.polygon.com/2015/6/15/8783621/rare-replay-xbox-one |access-date=16 June 2015 |title=Rare Replay for Xbox One includes 30 Rare games for $30 (update) |last=McWhertor |first=Michael |date=15 June 2015 |work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |publisher=[[Vox Media]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617232305/http://www.polygon.com/2015/6/15/8783621/rare-replay-xbox-one |archive-date=17 June 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}

==External links==
* {{MobyGames|id=/solar-jetman-hunt-for-the-golden-warpship}}
* [http://unoriginal.org/people/cybern/solar_jetman.html Solar Jetman Password Generator]

{{Rare}}
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[[Category:1990 video games]]
[[Category:Cancelled Amiga games]]
[[Category:Cancelled Atari ST games]]
[[Category:Cancelled Commodore 64 games]]
[[Category:Cancelled ZX Spectrum games]]
[[Category:Multidirectional shooters]]
[[Category:Nintendo Entertainment System games]]
[[Category:Nintendo Classics games]]
[[Category:PlayChoice-10 games]]
[[Category:Rare (company) games]]
[[Category:Science fiction video games]]
[[Category:Single-player video games]]
[[Category:Tradewest games]]
[[Category:Video games developed in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Video games set on fictional planets]]
[[Category:Video games scored by David Wise]]
[[Category:Video game sequels]]