A Tecmo ice puzzle game, spiritual sequel to Solomon's Key. Create and destroy ice blocks to solve puzzles. Addictive, elegant, very well balanced. One of the best NES puzzle games.
Your verdict
Category
Shooter1 player3+
Description
European Solomon's Key sequel featuring new more complex rooms. Published by Tecmo, released in Europe in 1992. European version of the second Solomon's Key on NES.
Solomon's Key 2 review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
The grid keeps a strict readability: ice blocks created by the player, flames to extinguish, a stone floor with a repeated pattern. The small magician in a pointed cap stands out through his bright colour, and every world changes chromatic range without ever touching the clarity of the layout, which must stay readable at a glance.
The accompaniment takes a light, round tone: simple melodies, bright timbres, moderate tempos imposing no urgency. That choice suits a game where one thinks for a long time in front of the same room, and each world gets its motif to avoid weariness over sessions that can stretch out.
The European PAL NES edition of the Tecmo puzzle, distributed late with a short print. The PAL cart is rarer than the Japanese Famicom version and stands as an identified target for Tecmo NES PAL collectors. PAL boxed CIB in the original cardboard box with multilingual manual climbs steadily, sustained by physical scarcity and by growing curiosity for late-cycle Tecmo NES PAL puzzle-platformers.
An underrated gem
A disguised prequel to Solomon's Key, this puzzle game serves up around a hundred fiendishly clever screens where you freeze water to trap enemies and make your way forward. Released late in the console's life, it slipped under the radar. A refined, gradually escalating brain-teaser, perfect for fans of demanding puzzles.
Is Solomon's Key 2 still worth playing in 2026?
A Tecmo puzzler, Fire 'n Ice has you play a little wizard who creates and moves ice blocks to put out flames and solve screens with crisp but devious logic. A sequel to Solomon's Key, this thinking puzzler shines through the elegance of its puzzles, their clever progression and a real sense of satisfaction with each solution found. The presentation stays charming and the pace measured. A gem to rediscover for fans of cerebral retro puzzling and finely chiseled game design.
