Solar Winds

Gameplay is presented in a top-down view. The focus is always on Stone's ship. The keyboard or a joystick is used to navigate the ship and fire weapons (which consist of lasers and missiles). Mice are also supported.

Many functions, such as scans, communication, and power distribution, are controlled by the control panel. The player can zoom out to see details, the amount of which depends on how much power is allocated to sensors.

In The Escape, humans live in a planetary system millions of light years from Earth. Space travel is common, but hyperdrive research is restricted: any research pertaining to hyperdrive travel is destroyed by the oppressive solar government. However, one group has spent a decade in secret developing a hyperdrive ship and plans to use it to escape the force field encasing their planetary system. The government hires Stone to stop them.

It is eventually revealed that the solar government is conspiring with a race of superior aliens to stop the development of hyperdrive technology. These aliens keep species for study, and push these species toward war. Travel to other planetary systems is barred by invisible force fields around the systems. The aliens and their agents travel by means of fixed, self-made portals, opened with special keys. Ultimately, Stone is able to travel through one of the portals where he is greeted by an alien agitator, who seeks his assistance to bring to an end the cruel treatment of these species.

Solar Winds was the first major title designed by James Schmalz. As a young developer, his simple motivation was to develop a game that is fun to make. He created Solar Winds based on inspiration from the game Star Control II, as well as his love of the science fiction series Star Trek: The Next Generation. Released by shareware publisher Epic MegaGames, Solar Winds became successful enough that Schmalz could afford to develop his next games for Epic: Epic Pinball, Extreme Pinball, and eventually, Unreal.

Computer Gaming World's Chuck Miller in 1993 approved of Solar Winds's combination of action, strategy, and role-playing, and said that the game "is an exceptional product and worth the $30 registration fee". In 2013, Richard Cobbett of PC Gamer complained about the lack of content and also said it takes too long to get between destinations.