[Review] Blackthorne

[Love Pulse]

How to play Blackthorne
Each game uses different controls, most DOS games use the keyboard arrows. Some will use the mouse.

Blackthorne (Blackhawk in some European countries) is a computer and video game, a cinematic platformer, that was developed by Blizzard Entertainment.

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. The version for the Game Boy Advance was released in 2003, also with a brighter palette than original versions. Because of GBA's lesser amount of buttons, some actions were set to combinations of buttons.

The game focuses around protagonist Kyle Vlaros who is known as the Blackthorne, out for revenge on Sarlac and his minions. The gameplay involves large platforming sequences, in which Kyle can run and climb around the environment, find keys and items and progress to the end of each maze like level. Combat in Blackthorne takes the form of gunfights. Both Blackthorne and his enemies can press against walls to avoid incoming bullets. Blackthorne can also fire blindly behind himself.

The game has seventeen levels within four areas - the mines of Androth, the Karrellian forests/swamps, the Wasteland desert, and Shadow keep. The Sega 32X version includes a fifth area, the snowy mountains, which is not found in the other versions of the game. As the game progresses through these areas, Kyle becomes stronger and better armed, but so do the enemies.

Bridge Key - A gold key that activates a force field bridge at certain pedestals. Bridge keys can be removed from these pedestals and reused elsewhere as well.
Iron Key - A key that deactivates laser fields that cannot be removed by destroying a generator. An iron key opens any lock, but can only be used once.
Hover Bomb - When thrown, this bomb lights up and 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 or destroying power generators. Some levels cannot be finished if the player uses a hover bomb at the wrong time.
Fire bomb - These bombs explode the second they touch the ground and damage 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.
Levitator - A collapsible platform that vertically 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 that restores the player's health to its maximum capacity. As the game progresses, they become more difficult to find.
Remote Wasp - A wasp-shaped bomb that can be 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 creature uses remote wasps against the player; the player usually obtains wasps by killing one of those creatures.

During the game, Kyle uses a Pump Action Shotgun as his primary weapon. As the game progresses, Androthi allies will help him upgrade the weapon, increasing its speed and power. Kyle also finds many other useful items.