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Fire 'n Ice(JP) is single-player puzzle game created by Tecmo for the NES released on January 4th 1992 in Japan. It is a prequel to the game Solomon's Key, known as Solomon's Key 2 in Europe and Solomon no Kagi 2: Coolmintou Kyuushutsu Sakusen (Solomon's Key 2: Coolmint Rescue Mission) in Japan.

The game involves Dana solving puzzles by putting out fires in a level to proceed to the next room by creating, melting, or kicking ice blocks into said fires.

The game also encompasses an Edit Mode that allows players to create their own levels. Only the Japanese version allows players to save their creations.

The game has 100 levels plus 50 more which can be unlocked after beating the game along with the sound test.

Plot[]

The following is taken from the video game's instruction booklet:

The Rescue of Coolmint Island
This is a story from long ago, when the powerful wizard Dana was just a beginner. In the sea to the far north, there was a small island made of ice. This island was called "Coolmint Island". On this beautiful little island of ice, there were many Winter Fairies all living in peace.
But one day...
The wicked wizard Druidle appeared, and let flames loose on Coolmint Island! The flames scattered all over the island, and little by little, they began to melt the ice. The little island was in terrible danger!! The Winter Fairies were determined to do something to save their island, but they were not strong enough to face the flames by themselves. The Queen of the Fairies knew about the danger the Winter Fairies were facing, so she called forth a wizard to fight against the flames let loose by Druidle.
The one chosen by the Queen of the Fairies to defend the island was Dana. This was a tremendous surprise to everybody. Dana was still just an apprentice and had very little magic power of his own. But the Queen knew that Dana had intelligence and possessed more courage than anyone else. Then the Queen gave Dana some special magic that could be used to put out the wicked flames.
"And what happened after that, Grandmother?"
"Well... that's where Dana's adventure begins."

Gameplay[]

The following is taken from the Wikipedia article for the game.

In this game, players control Dana. The goal of each stage is to put out all the fires. The fires are extinguished by either kicking an ice block into the flame, or dropping one from above. Dana's moveset includes the abilities to walk left and right across level ground. He can also climb on top of a solid block to his left or right, provided it is only one block tall and there is nothing on top of it. Dana can also push blocks of ice, which will then slide until they fall or hit a wall. Dana's most important ability is his ice magic. He can create and destroy blocks of ice. As the gameplay is grid-based, Dana's ice magic affects the squares beneath him and to the left and right, similar to Lode Runner. If the ice block is placed horizontally adjacent to a wall, pipe, jar, or another ice block, it will freeze to the adjacent surface.

There are also other elements that are introduced as the player progresses, including pipes (which Dana can travel through) and jars. Dana can walk across normal jars, but once a jar comes in contact with a flame, it begins to burn. Dana cannot walk across the top of burning jars, and any ice that is created in, or enters the square above a burning jar is destroyed. As players progress, the puzzles get more complicated and difficult. The simple gameplay must be used in new ways by players who wish to complete the game.

Development[]

Reception[]

Trivia[]

  • To unlock levels 101-150 and the sound test, hold SELECT on the title screen and press B 16 times.
  • A minor glitch allows the music of the fortress levels to play during edit mode instead of the world 1 music. To do this, go into any fortress level. Complete it or just exit out if it already was completed. Go back to the title screen, go to edit mode and make your puzzle or start if you have one already made and the fortress music will play instead.
  • This game is hard to find due to the fact that it was released in limited quantities. The NES was nearing the end of its lifespan at the time and many people had updated to the SNES.
    • As of February 17th, 2021, the game is now available to play for users with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription.
  • On the overworld map, a Starman and Whispy Woods can be seen.

External links[]

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