Blackthorne

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Description

The planet Tuul was a peaceful place, until the evil warrior Sarlac used the power of the Darkstone to take control. Kyle Blackthorne's father, the good King Vlaros, sent him to Earth just as his kingdom crumbled around him. Now, twenty years later, Kyle is grown and must return to Tuul to free it from the clutches of Sarlac.

Blackthorne is a platform action game played from a side-view with non-scrolling backgrounds. It has certain similarities to Prince of Persia, being set in maze-like environments and focusing on exploration and occasional puzzle-solving. Kyle Blackthorne fights enemies by shooting at them. His default weapon, a pump action shotgun, can be upgraded throughout the course of the game. Various types of bombs can be used to damage enemies, blow open doors, or destroy generators. Keys must be found to gain access to new areas.

Screenshots

Promo Images

Alternate Titles

• "Blackhawk" -- European title
• "ブラックソーン" -- Japanese spelling

Part of the Following Groups

• Genre: Cinematic Platformer
• Sound engine: AIL/Miles Sound System

User Reviews

Where Memories Dwell	DOS	MAT (230267)
Surely Blizzards finest hour	DOS	helm lehm (13)

Critic Reviews

GamePro (US)	SNES	Aug, 1994	5 out of 5	100
Video Games & Computer Entertainment	SNES	Oct, 1994	9 out of 10	90
Computer and Video Games (CVG)	SNES	Feb, 1995	88 out of 100	88
Secret Service / New S Service	DOS	Mar, 1995	255 out of 300	85
Play Time	SNES	Nov, 1994	85 out of 100	85
Retro Archives	DOS	Mar 28, 2022	16 out of 20	80
All Game Guide	Macintosh	1998		80
The Retro Spirit	DOS	Dec 02, 2006	4 out of 6	67
PC Format (UK)	DOS	Dec, 1994	53 out of 100	53
Computer Gaming World (CGW)	DOS	Jan, 1995		40

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Trivia

Available to all

In 2011 Blizzard Entertainment made the game free for all their users through their digital Battle.net platform. You can find Blackthorne by visiting the downloadable games section through a Battle.net account and scrolling to Classic Games.

Cut versions

The SNES version (US and European) misses blood effects when shooting prisoners, bleeding corpses and a blood splash in the Blizzard logo and game over screen. In the Japanese SNES version all blood is removed and prisoners can't be shot. The 32X version only has the cut in the company logo.

Awards

• Electronic Gaming Monthly
  • September 1994 (Issue 62) - Game of the Month (SNES version)

Related Web Sites

• Blackthorne (official website)
• Blackthorne (official website.- archived version from 2008)