Solar Gladiators: The Spanish Arcade Game Few Know and Everyone Should Play

The Spirit of Locomalito Lives On

When we talk about Spanish indie video games, Maldita Castilla is usually the first name that comes up. And with good reason: it’s a perfect homage to Ghosts ‘n Goblins that ended up on Mega Drive and Dreamcast thanks to PlayOnRetro®. But at OmniRetro we believe that Juan Antonio Becerra’s catalog, known as Locomalito, deserves much more credit than it gets.

Today we recover Solar Gladiators (2020), a pure arcade game that many overlooked and that perfectly sums up why Spain continues to be a powerhouse of retro homebrew.

What is Solar Gladiators?

Solar Gladiators is a top-down arcade combat game where you control a solar gladiator who must survive in an interplanetary colosseum. The main mechanics:

• Rebound disc attack: you throw a disc that bounces off screen edges, forcing you to calculate trajectories.
• Wheel dodge: you spin to avoid attacks from interplanetary creatures.
• Variety of rivals: each enemy has its own tactics and movements.

The visual style draws directly from MSX games: few colors, crisp sprites, and difficulty that shows no mercy. It’s arcade in its purest form: short matches, high scores, and the need for “one more try” every time you die.

The Connection with Classic Arcade

Locomalito has always been a defender of the video game as an arcade experience: games that don’t need 40 hours or two-hour cinematics. Games that you can play on a real arcade machine, with a joystick in your hand and someone next to you waiting for their turn.

Solar Gladiators fits that philosophy:

• Matches of less than 5 minutes (if you’re good)
• Progressive and demanding difficulty
• Scoring system that invites you to replay
• Free — because Locomalito continues to distribute his works at no cost

It’s the type of game that would have devoured your 25 peseta coin in 1987.

From PC to the Arcade: The Complete Experience

Here’s the point that interests us at OmniRetro. Yes, you can play Solar Gladiators on your PC with an Xbox controller. But do you know where it really shines?

On an arcade machine.

With a Sanwa joystick under your right hand, three sensitive buttons, and a 19″ monitor with simulated scanlines. That’s where Solar Gladiators makes sense. It’s not a game for the couch and wireless controller. It’s a game for standing at the machine, glancing at the scoreboard, and shouting when the disc bounces exactly where it shouldn’t.

If you already have an arcade kit at home (Bartop, Bartop with pedestal, or Big Wallcade), Solar Gladiators is one of those gems that deserves to be in your collection. It’s compatible with any Windows-based system (Retrobat, Batocera, LaunchBox) and takes up less than an Instagram photo.

The Spanish Indie Scene: An Invisible Heritage

What fascinates us about Locomalito is not just the quality of his games. It’s his consistency. From L’Abbaye des Morts (2010) to Maldita Castilla EX and Solar Gladiators (2020), he has spent more than a decade demonstrating that Spanish retro video game development is not an anecdote: it’s a heritage.

And he’s not alone. The Spanish homebrew and indie retro development scene includes names like:

• PlayOnRetro® — who bet on physically editing these titles on real cartridges
• Undercoders (Barcelona) — with Denshattack!, another pure Spanish arcade game
• Gryzor87 — regular Locomalito collaborator on music and design

This is not nostalgia. It’s a living industry that exports worldwide from Spain.

How to Play Solar Gladiators on Your Arcade

If you have an OmniRetro kit or any machine with an emulator:

1. Download the game from locomalito.com/es/games/solar-gladiators — it’s free.
2. Unzip the ZIP file.
3. Copy the folder to your ROMs/PC Games directory in Retrobat/Batocera.
4. Configure the controls of your emulator to use joystick + 2 buttons.
5. Enjoy.

The game runs natively on Windows, so you don’t need a complicated emulator. It’s a direct executable.

The Future of Locomalito and Retro Hardware

With Maldita Castilla already announced for Mega Drive and Dreamcast, and L’Abbaye des Morts available in physical cartridge for the same SEGA console, the question is obvious:

Will we see Solar Gladiators on a retro physical system?

PlayOnRetro® has demonstrated that there is a market for these editions. And if the Maldita Castilla cartridge sells well, Solar Gladiators is a natural candidate. It’s pure arcade, visually coherent with 8-bit, and has the Locomalito brand.

From OmniRetro we bet on it. And when it comes out, we’ll review it.

Conclusion: Arcade Has Not Died, It Has Moved to Spain

Solar Gladiators is a game that you probably didn’t know. Now you do. It’s free, it’s Spanish, and it’s proof that arcade mechanics are still relevant in 2026.

If you have an arcade machine at home, give it a chance. If you don’t have one… perhaps it’s time to consider why you’re still playing on the couch.

See arcade kits compatible with Solar Gladiators →

Technical Data

Developer	Locomalito (Juan Antonio Becerra)
Year	2020
Genre	Arcade / Top-down combat
Platform	PC (Windows)
Price	Free
Download	locomalito.com/es/games/solar-gladiators
Music	Gryzor87
Inspiration	MSX, Robotron: 2084

Did you know Solar Gladiators? Do you have other Locomalito games in your arcade? Tell us in the comments.