Blackthorne

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For other uses, see Blackthorne (disambiguation).

Blackthorne

Developer(s)	Blizzard Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Interplay
Release date(s)	1994, 1995, 1996, 2003
Genre(s)	Cinematic Platformer
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	ESRB: Teen (GBA version)
Platform(s)	SNES, 32X, MS-DOS, GBA, Mac
Media	8 megabit cartridge

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

1 Storyline
2 Gameplay
3 Items
4 External links

[edit] 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.

[edit] Gameplay

In-game screenshot of 32X version

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.

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 was released for the SNES and MS-DOS in 1994, and with enhanced graphics and a higher color palette for the Sega 32X in 1995 and for Mac OS in 1996.[1] The version for the Game Boy Advance was released in 2003.

[edit] Items

To progress the player must search for keys and items that allow him to overcome certain obstacles. Some items are dropped by enemies, others are found throughout the levels.

Bridge Key - A key that activates a force field bridge. A bridge key activates any bridge, and can be reused.
Fire bomb - A bomb that damages everything for a distance in the direction it is dropped. It does not necessarily destroy what it hits like the hover bomb. It will weaken enemies, but not kill them. It is most helpful against carnivorous plants that would do the player harm.
Iron Key - A key that deactivates laser fields that are not governed by a generator. An iron key opens any lock, but can only be used once.
Hover Bomb - A bomb that rolls along the ground and up walls until it reaches a target. It is useful for killing enemies, but in some levels it must be used for blowing open doors. Some levels cannot be finished if the player uses the hover bomb at the wrong time.
Levitator - A collapsable platform that extends to help the player get to an otherwise out of reach place. It is also useful for getting out of the line of enemy fire.
Potion - A potion restores the player's health to its maximum capacity.
Remote Wasp - A wasp-shaped bomb, flown by remote control. Like the hover bomb, it is useful for killing enemies, but is often necessary to destroy out of reach generators that power laser fields. A purple goblin-like enemy creatue uses remote wasps against the player; the player usually obtains wasps by killing one of these creatures.