Welcome Speedrunners and Speedrun enthusiasts!

Here we celebrate the classic Macintosh game and best thing to grace your eyes and ears since MTV learned about Prince:

About the game

Winner of countless awards and accolades, Solarian II is a Galaga-inspired space shooter, and one of the first colour/color games for the Macintosh. Today it can be emulated on a variety of platforms.

On its initial shareware release in 1988, Solarian II quickly became renowned for its quirky sounds, tricky enemies, and polished gameplay. Remarkably, creator Ben Haller of Stick Software was in high school (16 years old) at time of development, an age most of us can barely tie our shoes.

The game has 16 levels, 6 (optional) challenge rounds and a final boss. A full playthrough takes around 20 minutes, and is frustratingly hard to beat.

The YouTube link below is stamped at Level 15 where you will see some of the more intense gameplay:

This game was extremely popular on release, and many remember it as a staple of the platform. It has brought players back repeatedly over the years, tempting them to run the gauntlet once again and sate that lust for a fiesty challenge. Legend tells of those who have completed this game and defeated the nefarious final boss, but online proof of this was for the longest time absent.

On 22 July 2023, after more than three decades, a win on video was finally recorded and uploaded for posterity.

By that metric, this was the fastest speedrun of Solarian II Of couse, by the same token it was also the slowest. So... you know. Swings and roundabouts.

Since that run, the time has been improved, and there exists great potential to optimise further, through a combination of skill and favourable RNG. With some early power-ups and deft attendance to enemies, a sub 14 minute run is easily possible for a skilled player.

Nostalgia junkies and newcomers alike are invited to play. It's highly re-playable and warranted by the 90s aesthetic alone, spurred on by its mercilessly difficult yet rewarding gameplay.

The bar has been set, and it's ready for someone to take on the mantle. Will it be you?

Head to the next section for tips on

How to Play Solarian II TODAY