Blackthorne 32X

Imitation has always been the sincerest form of flattery, and some companies flatter more than others. If you thought that James Bond: The Duel complimented Rolling Thunder, or Alfred Chicken reemphasized elements from Super Mario Brothers, then you'll recognize Blackthorne. It's Flashback with an attitude.

Back in Black

Many years ago, your father, the King of the Androthi, sent you to Earth to save you from the hands of Sarlac, the cruel goblin warrior who enslaved the Androthi to work in his mines. You play as Blackthorne, the king's son, ready to avenge his people against Sarlac and kick some goblin butt.

You scale through various locales (mostly dark and dreary looking), wasting Goblins and Overseers while collecting clues from the Androthi. You have to find items like security keys, elevator-call switches, and Levitators to progress to the next level. You're armed with a goblin-wastin' shotgun, but soon you collect more effective weapons and bombs, which you need to blow up.

Dancin'in the Dark

The graphics in Blackthorne are 3D: dismal, dark, and detailed. You'll have to increase the brightness on your TV to really appreciate the cool backgrounds. The enemies and guards are all splendidly illustrated and humorous in their actions (they chuckle with sinister glee when they shoot you). Your character looks very much like the rest of the Androthi (who all look like they're from the Fabio fan club), but he's detailed enough that his shotgun-pumping motion looks realistic.

The sounds are equally fantastic, with plenty of foreboding music and sound effects. There's not a lot of intrusive music, which is a plus, but then again, there's no speech either, which might've intensified the drama.

Bet on Black

Blackthorne delivers high- energy action above all else. There's also an inherent amount of puzzle-solving and backtracking, but nothing too involved. Who cares that Blackthorne also reminds you of Prince of Persia? For platform enthusiasts who can't get enough of the good stuff, Blackthorne scratches that action itch.

During Sarlac's attack on Stonetist, King Vlaros sends his son, Kyle, to--Earth with the lightstone to keep its powers away from Sarlac. You return 20 years later to free the slaves of Sarlac and to take your kingdom back. In many ways, this game is very similar to the ever popular Flashback and Out of This World. The animation and music are top-notch, and it even has a screen saver. The controls, in comparison to Flashback, are a lot easier to master. The best part of the game is that you can actually hide from the enemies in the shadows.

Question: I can't figure out where the bridge key is in the Wastelands, level three. Can you please tell me where it is?

Answer: Okey dokey. Any excuse to play this shotgun-totin' game is fine by me. I'm assuming by 'Wastelands' you mean the third major area, after the Mine and Tree stages, and the password for the level is BMHS. If I'm wrong, well, too bad.

A smooth-scrolling action game with unusual weapons (a shot-gun?), and even more unusual game play (you can shoot your own men?). Excellent graphics and a moody sound track aid you in your quest to kill all the bad guys.

Kyle Blackthorne and his shotgun smeared justice all over SNES screens last year. With graphical improvements and four spanking-new levels, Blackthorne is a blast for the 32X.

Back in Black

Although Blackthorne resembles side-view adventures like Prince of Persia and Flashback, it hits you with plenty more attitude. Kyle Blackthorne, a ponytailed, sunglasses-wearing refugee from the planet Tuul, was hidden on Earth until he was old enough to return and save his people from enslavement by a demon named Sarlac. Your job begins the moment Kyle (along with his trusty thunderstick) beams back to Tuul to show his unholy hosts no mercy in this vengeful 21-level quest.

Although your shotgun will have little time to grow cold, Blackthorne is not just a blast- and-get-past adventure. Each level is a puzzle -- players must explore and avoid traps while manipulating futuristic levitators, bombs, and light- bridges in order to progress.

Re-Tuuled

Graphically, planet Tuul looks much sharper on the 32X than it did on the SNES. All the sprites, including Kyle, have been rendered for a more 3D look. With the advantage of the 32X's large color palette, backgrounds pop with more colors and new textures. Odds and ends, like skulls, statues, posts and beams, add new detail to the foregrounds.

The quality sound is similar to the SNES version. Unless you have a stereo surround- sound system, though, you're not getting much audio enhancement over the SNES game. The cool yet foreboding soundtrack remains intact, and slick sound effects, like the double click of the shotgun and character grunts, are just a little crisper.

Bad Boys and Boomsticks

Controlwise, you get quick responses -- just like you did on the SNES. However, a large inventory bar now monopolizes the right side of the screen. While this enables you to see more than one item at a time, scrolling in this bar wastes two buttons on the six-button pad, one of which could have been used for another important movement.

With a solid graphical overhaul, Blackthorne delivers where many of the 16-bit conversions flounder in the 32X library. Considering the lack of decent 32X titles to date -- Gen(esis 32)X'ers may find this one truly worth owning.

Blackthorne is a video game developed by Blizzard Entertainment and released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and PC in 1994. The game was later on developed and published for the Sega 32X in 1995 and MAC OS in 1996. In 2003 the installment was released for Game Boy Advance with a brighter color palette than the original versions.

The setting is the planet Tuul, which has been peaceful for hundreds of years until human found out about it.Tuul’s people were ruled by a single shaman who blessed them all with knowledge, but some years before the game starts, THoros, the latest ruler, finds it difficult to choose between his two sons. He goes together with them in the desert and kills himself, hoping the situation will solve itself.

His body becomes two stones, one for each son, and representing a kingdom to rule for each one of them: the people from the kingdom of Androth and the people from Ka’dra’suul. Both sons are transformed in monsters soon afterwards, when Ka’dra’suul rejects their stone. Now people have to send family members to Earth to save their life. Kyle is one of them, the son of King Vlaros.

No more than 20 years KyleVlaros (Blackthrone) returns to the home planet with a new military captain and mercenary with which he confronts Galadril. The game starts when Kyle is set out to kill Sarlac and reclaim his throne on his home planet.

The gameplay features large platforming aspects. Kyle can run and climb around the environment. He can also find items such as keys as he progresses to the end of each level. The battles in Blackthorne take place as gunfights. Both Kyle and the enemies can press against the wall to avoid getting hit by bullets. Kyle can also fire behind himself without seeing anything.

There are a total of 17 levels, spread on four main areas. The game for the Sega features five areas. Kyle becomes faster, more skilled and stronger as the game progresses. His primary weapon is a Pump Action Shotgun, but this weapon will get upgraded as the game progresses. Kyle will also be able to use other items he finds on his way.

The game was not a big commercial success, but was popular enough to score good feedback from the players. GameSpot users rated the installment with a total average of 8.1, while three critics considered the game worthy enough of the same score, on a scale from 1 to 10.

Blackthorne (or Blackhawk in some countries) is a cinematic platform game, featuring puzzle solving, maze-like levels, fluid animations and overall rich gameplay.

The story is set in the world of Tuul, where the people were traditionally ruled over by a single person and the right to rule was passed down. However, the current king cannot decide between his two sons, and thus decides to give the power to both of them, splitting the kingdom into two: Androth and Ka’dra’suul. The latter eventually becomes corrupt, and the heir of Androth, Kyle, is exiled on Earth for his own safety. Years later, Kyle is brought back in order to restore peace.

In Blackthorne, you control Kyle as he fights numerous enemies and finds the way to defeat Sarlac, the main antagonist. He is able to run, jump, climb, grab ledges, but also suffer the consequences of, for example, falling off a cliff. When fighting, you can use your standard gun, or other items found throughout the game, such as remote-controlled bombs. A nice little feature is the ability to hide in the background to avoid enemy fire, instead of charging head on. Other items include bridge keys which, as the name implies, allows access across a bridge, but these can also be removed and reused.

Graphically, the game is rich and diverse and the animations are top notch. Every level is completely different; one level you are in an underground mine, the next you are exploring a lush jungle. The sound is also great, and although the music is not very upbeat, it fits the overall dark theme of the game. Certain enemies will even let out a short laugh when they manage to hit you. They are also very distinct, and not just recolours of the same monster.

However, Blackthorne does have its quirks. There can be quite some backtracking, especially when the fore mentioned bridge keys are in limited supply. Also, the game makes use of your ordinary items in order to progress, so it can happen that you cannot pass a certain point because you unknowingly used up all of your bombs and cannot destroy the locked door. Though, there is the possibility of restarting the level by means of a four letter password, so not all is lost.

In conclusion, Blackthorne is well worth your time, as it offers many many hours of entertainment and just the level of quality is enough to make you overlook its very few flaws.

Blackthorne features:

• Seventeen different levels spread across four areas of the planet Tuul.
• Fluid, dynamic and immersive gameplay.
• Rich background story.

Blackthorne (Blackhawk in some European countries) is a video game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. It is a 2D platform game similar in style to Flashback and Prince of Persia.

Storyline

Years before the game begins, Stonefist, the capital of the kingdom of Androth, was attacked by an army of monsters. They were the Ka'dra'suul's army, monsters from the neighbor kingdom to the south. King Vlaros was killed by Sarlac, the leader of the Ka'dra'suul, but Kyle, his son and the game's protagonist, survived the attacks, having been sent to Earth by Galadril. There, Kyle grew and became a top-military soldier. He was also given the lightstone, for without it, there was no hope to overcome Sarlac. Many years later, he was contacted by Galadril, who told him his story and brought him back to the world of Tuul. At this point, the game takes place.

The main character is Kyle Blackthorne, an eponymous protagonist with a pump-action shotgun. The gameplay alternates between jumping or climbing between platforms, searching through a maze, and gunfights with a variety of monsters. The game contains sixteen levels in four different settings: Androth mines, Karellian Swamps, the desert wastelands, and the Sarlac Keep. The difficulty grows linearly throughout the game; as Kyle gets stronger and better armed, the enemies also get smarter, tougher, and faster.

Gameplay

One of the game's characteristic elements, quoted to this day, is Blackthorne's unique ability to fire behind him, over-the-shoulder. This subtle element, though rarely useful, adds a lot of attitude and edge to the character.

Blackthorne (Blackhawk in some European countries) is an action-adventure game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. It is a 2D platform game similar in style to Prince of Persia and Flashback. Blackthorne takes place on the planet Tuul. Blackthorne's father, the good King Vlaros, sent him to Earth just as his kingdom crumbled around him. Now, 20 years later, Blackthorne is grown and must return to Tuul to free it from the clutches of Sarlac.