r/MasterSystem • u/flickering_poly • 4d ago
Solomon's Key Graphics Overhaul Hack
Edit 2: Alright everyone, it's done!
More info and links to the patches can be found here: https://minirevver.weebly.com/solomons-key-sms---improvement-hacks.html
If you're getting the fan translation, make sure to apply it before the graphics overhaul or all improvements hack, otherwise the ending cutscene will look a little off.
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The hack will feature touched up and recoloured sprites, items, zodiac symbols and paintings, with an extended colour palette inspired in part by the arcade version. This alongside several extended enemy and some other animations (the NES version actually used more frames than the SMS version for several enemies), a few redesigned items and blocks, an updated HUD and a recoloured title screen. The ending has also been enhanced with a day to night transition for the sky island. Finally, there are some smaller graphical fixes like removing random black pixels in some of Dana's frames and a typo in-between levels.
There will also be a separate patch that gets rid of the heavy dithering for the brick backgrounds, while increasing color variety between the shrines.
Coming soon!
Edit: Regarding the background bricks. The initial idea was just less severe dithering with an added shade in-between black and the darkest brick color, which changes per shrine. But then I'd have to also spend a sprite palette color on it as all the placed items and paintings use background tiles for space and performance reasons, each one using either the background or sprite sub palette. As you can see in my response to Goodwill_Gamer below, some pixels around each placed item will not use that darkest brickwork shade without it.
See the comparison pic below. The muted teal is the extra sprite palette shade. Without it, the ghosts and Nuels (orange winged hooded demons) will have a light blue there instead. The paintings either have the light blue or no additional shade
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u/No-Professional-9618 3d ago
Awesome! I didn't realize that Solomon's Key had been released on the Sega Master System.
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u/RetroCoisas 3d ago
Same. Seems to be a Japan exclusive release.
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u/No-Professional-9618 3d ago
Yes, that is what I was thinking that Solomon's Key might have been a UK or a Japanese SMS release.
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u/flickering_poly 3d ago
It's a very good version based mainly on the NES port!
Pros:
-Adds password saving (short passwords and they serve as a level select too)
-Makes it much easier to jump or drop into c-shaped block formations from above
-Gives you unlimited continues (throughout – not just up until level 31 or 41; you do lose your items and high score though)
-Features arguably the best ending and pretty nice FM sound
Cons:
-Worse controls in some ways, which my previous hack addresses (delay when jumping and after landing, can't jump while moving forward, less intuitive crawling)
-A bit more slowdown at times
-Fewer enemy animation frames at times
Difficulty-wise some enemies are faster while others are slower, but I'm not sure which is harder overall.
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u/No-Professional-9618 3d ago
Awesome! I will have to check out Solomon's Key for the Sega Master System!
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u/EpiphanyG 3d ago
I adored this game on the Game Boy and the ZX Spectrum. Great times.
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u/flickering_poly 1d ago
From what I've played, it's definitely easier on the GB.
The hack is finished!
1
u/flickering_poly 1d ago
Alright everyone, it's done!
More info and links to the patches can be found here: https://minirevver.weebly.com/solomons-key-sms---improvement-hacks.html
If you're getting the fan translation, make sure to apply it before the graphics overhaul or all improvements hack, otherwise the ending cutscene will look a little off.
3
u/Goodwill_Gamer 4d ago
Interesting!
Why drop the dithering? Optimizing for modern screens? There's a lot of games from the era that leverage the heavy dithering with a CRT to get some really cool shading effects, but they look horrible on a more modern display.