Blackthorne
From Sega Retro
Blackthorne is a cinematic platformer developed by Blizzard Entertainment and published by Interplay in 1994 for the Super NES and DOS-based PCs. A year later, a port to the Sega 32X, developed by Paradox Development, was published by Sega (rather than Interplay due to the latter withdrawing from the 32X market).
A European 32X version was planned under the name Blackhawk (as had been the case with other versions in this territory), but it did not materialise.
Contents
Story
Blackthorne is set on the planet Tuul, which has existed for centuries without human knowledge. All of this time, Tuul's people have been ruled over by a single shaman who "was blessed with all knowledge." Years before the game begins, Thoros, the latest ruler, finds it near impossible to choose between his two sons as the next ruler. Believing it will solve the dilemma, he leads them to the deserts and kills himself. His body becomes two stones, light and dark, and he gives one to each boy to rule their own kingdoms respectively. The people of the Lightstone form the kingdom of Androth, and the people of the Darkstone form Ka'dra'suul. But while Androth respects their stone, Ka'dra'suul reject theirs, and are eventually transformed into monsters by it. In this time, a Ka'dra named Sarlac seizes power. He forms an army and leads them against Androth. Knowing of his people's doom, the ruler of Androth, King Vlaros, with the aid of the Androthi magician Galadril, sends his son Kyle to Earth to save his life. Vlaros also gives Kyle the Lightstone for safe keeping.
Twenty years later, Kyle has become a renowned military captain and mercenary known as "Blackthorne." After breaking out of prison facing court martial, Blackthorne begins having strange dreams, and is eventually confronted by Galadril. He is told that it is time to return to Tuul and save his people. The game begins here with Blackthorne setting out to kill Sarlac and reclaim his throne.
Gameplay
Blackthorne is a cinematic platformer similar to Prince of Persia or Flashback. The game focuses on protagonist Kyle "Blackthorne" Vlaros, who is out for revenge against Sarlac and his minions. Gameplay involves large platforming sequences, in which Blackthorne can run and climb around the environment, find keys and items, and engage in gunfights with enemies. Levels are maze-like and consist of multiple screens with no scrolling.
Blackthorne walks or turns around with 
and 
. He runs with HOLD 
or . He crouches with 
and stays crouched until he stands up with 
. While crouched, he can roll with or . He leaps forward with 
and can leap farther while running. Friendly Androthi are found throughout the levels and often assist Blackthorne. He can talk to them by pressing when standing in front of them. When he is standing under a ledge and facing toward it, Blackthorne grabs it and pulls himself up it with instead. When standing over a ledge, he can hang off of it with . He automatically grabs ledges when leaping. He climbs ladders and controls elevators with and . He can enter doorways with when standing in front of them. Some waterfalls obscure hidden passages.
Combat takes the form of gunfights. Blackthorne uses a pump-action shotgun as his primary weapon. He draws his shotgun (or returns it to its holster) with 
. While his shotgun is drawn, he can fire in front of him with . Blackthorne can also fire blindly behind himself with . The shotgun has unlimited ammunition, but there is a brief delay after firing to chamber another cartridge. Enemies usually require multiple blasts to defeat. Blackthorne cannot run, jump, or climb ladders while holding his shotgun, though he can still dodge, crouch, and roll. As the game progresses, Androthi allies help Blackthorne upgrade the weapon, increasing its speed and power. Blackthorne can press against walls to avoid incoming bullets with (which his enemies can also do). Enemies can hit him with melee attacks when next to him even if he is dodging.
Over the course of the game, Blackthorne can find numerous usable items to help him on his journey. Items appear in an inventory to the right of the screen, with the currently selected item highlighted in the middle. The inventory can be scrolled up with 
(or ++) or down with 
(or ++). The currently selected item can be used with 
(or + or +).
Blackthorne's health is depicted by blue triangles in the top-right corner of the screen. He is knocked down and loses a health triangle when he takes damage from an enemy or falls a long distance (though very long falls are fatal). He starts the game with six health triangles, but he gains more as the game goes on. Androthi sometimes provide him with health potions that he can save in his inventory and use when necessary to fully restore his health. The game ends if he loses all of his health, but it can be continued from the beginning of the level unlimited times (and there is also a password system for continuing). The player can also restart from the beginning of the level at any time by pausing the game with START and "giving up."
There is a Practice mode that serves as a tutorial and introduces the mechanics of the game.
Items
Items are usually found in pouches on the ground and can be picked up with when standing over them, or they are sometimes given to Blackthorne by Androthi.
| Hover Bomb | |
|---|---|
| Rolls along the ground (including up walls) until they find a target. They can be used to take out enemies or to blow up metal doors that are barring the way. | |
| Fire Bomb | |
| Ripples forward with multiple explosions after hitting the ground. They are especially useful for taking out enemies on lower ground. | |
| Wasp | |
| A remotely controlled bomb. After deploying it, it can be steered in any direction using the D-Pad, then detonated with , , , or . They are useful for destroying power generators.
| |
| Health Potion | |
| Restores all of Blackthorne's health when he drinks one. | |
| Levitator | |
| A levitating platform that can be deployed anywhere. When Blackthorne is standing on one, he can raise it with or lower it with .
| |
| Bridge Key | |
| Used in locks that create a bridge for Blackthorne to walk over. He can insert the key into the lock with when standing in front of it.
| |
| Iron Key | |
| Used in locks that deactivates blue force fields. He can insert the key into the lock with when standing in front of it.
|
Objects
| Item Pouch | |
|---|---|
| Contains an item, which is shown in the bottom-left corner of the screen when Blackthorne is standing over it. These are usually dropped by slain foes. Blackthorne can pick up the pouch and collect the item in it with .
| |
| Switch Plate | |
| Activates a trap when stepped on. These appear on the floor and can be hopped over with to avoid pressing them.
| |
| Power Generator | |
| Powers an impenetrable blue force field. Destroying it with a bomb disables the force field and allows Blackthorne to pass. | |
| Bridge Lock | |
| Creates a bridge that Blackthorne can walk on when activated by a Bridge Key. | |
| Iron Lock | |
| Powers an impenetrable blue force field, which can be disabled by an Iron Key. |
Areas
Each area consists of four levels, with the final area ending with a fight against Sarlac.
| Mines of Androth | |
|---|---|
| Snowy Mountain | |
| Forest | |
| Desert Wasteland | |
| Sarlac's Keep | |
Passwords
- Main article: Blackthorne/Passwords.
Versions
Unlike the original versions, the 32X version of the game utilises pre-rendered 3D computer graphics for its sprites and also updates the backgrounds, as well as adding a new Snowy Mountain area. It keeps the level of blood seen on the IBM PC version.
This version formed the basis for a Macintosh conversion released in 1996, this time published by Interplay themselves (through their MacPlay division) but developed by another company instead of either Blizzard or Paradox.
In February 2021, Blackthorne was re-released as part of Blizzard Arcade Collection for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and Windows PCs alongside several versions of The Lost Vikings and Rock n' Roll Racing. The compilation includes the 32X version, the Super NES version, and a "Definitive Edition" based on the SNES release that adds a map feature and multi-language support.
Production credits
- Game Design: Blizzard Entertainment
- Level Design: Ronald Millar
- Programming: Frank Pearce, Patrick Wyatt
- Additional Programming: James Anhalt
- Producers: Ronald Millar, Matt Findley
- Executive Producers: Allen Adham, Alan Pavlish
- Artwork: Roman Kenney, Stu Rose, Jason Magness, Ronald Millar, Samwise Didier
- Art Technician: Joeyray Hall
- Sound and Music: Glenn Stafford
- Text and Dialog: Micky Neilson, Ronald Millar, Frank Pearce
- Play Test: Interplay Productions, Blizzard Entertainment
- Director: Jeremy S. Barnes
- Assistant Director: David Simon
- Lead Tester: Dan Forsyth
- Testers: Jason Coggeshall, Chris Parker, Jeff Woods, Larry Smith, Derek Gibbs, Aaron Oliaz, Martin Bauer
- Programming: Chris Sehy & James Higgins
- Artwork: Paul Interante, Terry Lloyd, Damon Dubois
- Sound & Music: Mike Bartlow & Brian Schmidt
- Additional Level Design: Terry Lloyd
- Interplay Producer: Feargus Urquhart
- Assistant Producer: Reg Arnedo
- Game Design: Paradox Development
- Snow World Design: Terry Lloyd
- Manual By: Sean Cramer
- Manual Edited By: Reginald J. Arnedo
- Manual Illustration: Scott Bieser
- Story By: Keith Herber
- Special Thanks To: Steve Ackrich, Joy Sneer, Jane Chaney, J. Tony Smith, Brian Paw, Steve Goodale, Jeff Gregg, Earl Malit, Curtis Clarkson
Magazine articles
- Main article: Blackthorne/Magazine articles.
Physical scans
| Sega Retro Average | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
 |
74 |
|---|---|
| Based on 4 reviews | |
| 32X, US |
|---|
  Cover
|
 Cart  Manual |
| 32X, BR |
|---|
 Cover
|
 Cart |
Technical information
- Main article: Blackthorne/Technical information.
External links
- Sega of America webpage: 32X
References
 NEC Retro has more information related to Blackthorne
|
- ↑ File:Blackthorne 32X credits.pdf
- ↑ File:Blackthorne 32x us manual.pdf, page 30
- ↑ 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 55
- ↑ GamePro, "October 1995" (US; 1995-xx-xx), page 56
- ↑ Mega Force, "Décembre 1995" (FR; 1995-1x-xx), page 66
- ↑ Mean Machines Sega, "November 1995" (UK; 1995-09-29), page 72
| Blackthorne | |
|---|---|
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Main page | Comparisons | Maps | Passwords | Hidden content | Magazine articles | Reception | Region coding | Technical information | |
