| Blackthorne | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Blizzard Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Interplay Productions |
| Producer(s) | Ronald Millar Sr. Matthew Findley |
| Designer(s) | Ronald Millar Sr. |
| Programmer(s) | Frank Pearce Jr. Patrick Wyatt |
| Artist(s) | Roman Kenney Stuart Rose Jason Magness Ronald Millar Sr. Sam Didier |
| Writer(s) | Micky Neilson Ronald Millar Sr. Frank Pearce Jr. |
| Composer(s) | Glenn Stafford |
| Platform(s) | SNES, MS-DOS, Sega 32X, Classic Mac OS, Game Boy Advance, Microsoft Windows |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Platform |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
After Dark is a series of computer screensaver software introduced by Berkeley Systems in 1989 for the Apple Macintosh, and in 1991 for Microsoft Windows. Following the original, additional editions included More After Dark, Before Dark, and editions themed around licensed properties such as Star Trek, The Simpsons, Looney Tunes, Marvel, and Disney characters. Take A Sneak Peak At The Movies Coming Out This Week (8/12) Music festivals are BACK and we're ready for it; Hollywood history-making at the 2021 Oscars. Unity is the ultimate game development platform. Use Unity to build high-quality 3D and 2D games, deploy them across mobile, desktop, VR/AR, consoles or the Web, and connect with loyal and enthusiastic players and customers.
Blackthorne (released as Blackhawk in some European countries) is a cinematic platform game developed by Blizzard Entertainment. It was released for the Super NES and MS-DOS in 1994. The cover art for the SNES version was drawn by Jim Lee.[3] The following year, Blackthorne was released for the Sega 32X with additional content. In 2013, Blizzard released the game for free on their Battle.net PC client.[4] In celebration of the company's 30th anniversary, Blackthorne was re-released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as part of the 'Blizzard Arcade Collection' in February 2021.[5]
Plot[edit]
Blackthorne (released as Blackhawk in some European countries) is a cinematic platform game developed by Blizzard Entertainment.It was released for the Super NES and MS-DOS in 1994. The cover art for the SNES version was drawn by Jim Lee. The following year, Blackthorne was released for the Sega 32X with additional content. In 2013, Blizzard released the game for free on their Battle.net PC. Use Quick Action workflows on Mac. If you have a workflow you use frequently—for example, adding a watermark to large sets of images—and you want to make it easy to get to, you can create a Quick Action workflow. It is then available from Finder windows, the Services menu, or the Touch Bar (on a Mac with a Touch Bar). Open Automator for me.
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. After breaking out of prison facing court martial, Kyle 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 Kyle setting out to kill Sarlac and reclaim his throne.
Kyle ventures through the land fighting his way to Sarlac's castle. He confronts Sarlac and threatens to keep his skull as a mounted trophy on his wall. The two battle and Kyle is the victor. He avenges his father, King Vlaros. Kyle then becomes king of Androth, where it is stated that he ruled justly, fairly and with honor for many years. The final shot of the game shows him sitting on the throne with a woman sitting next to him. Sarlac's skull is seen mounted on the wall as a trophy, just as Kyle had promised.
Gameplay[edit]
The game focuses around protagonist Kyle 'Blackthorne' Vlaros, 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. 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.
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.
Development[edit]
Pump-action Patrick Mac Os 11
For the first versions, the sprites for game characters were done using rotoscoping techniques just like Prince of Persia, using over 1000 frames to get smooth, lifelike animation.[6] The Macintosh version improved the quality by using prerendered, motion-captured sprites.[7]Interplay had intended to port the game to Sega Genesis but instead did so for the Sega 32X.[8][9] There were also plans to port the game to PlayStation and Sega Saturn,[9] but those plans were cancelled. A 3DO version was showcased by Interplay at E3 1995,[10] but the port was never released for unknown reasons.
Reception[edit]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| GameRankings | 69% (GBA)[11] |
| Metacritic | 67/100 (GBA)[12] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| CGW | (DOS)[13] |
| EGM | 8/10 (SNES)[14] |
| GameSpot | 7/10 (GBA)[15] |
| IGN | 7.5/10 (GBA)[16] |
| Next Generation | (DOS, MAC)[17][18] |
Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the SNES version their 'Game of the Month' award, praising its dark tone, amazingly smooth animation, complex and intelligent gameplay, and the ability to kill prisoners after getting information from them.[14]GamePro gave the SNES version a positive review, calling it 'Flashback with an attitude'. They particularly praised its detailed graphics and stronger emphasis on action over puzzle-solving as compared to similar games.[19] They gave the 32X version a positive review as well, remarking that 'with a solid graphical overhaul, Blackthorne delivers where many of the 16-bit conversions flounder in the 32X library'.[20]
A reviewer for Next Generation called Blackthorne 'one of the best arcade-style games the [PC] has ever seen', citing the accessible and intelligent gameplay, smooth animation, and the 'dark feel of the game'.[17] While noting that the game was over two years old by the time it was released for Macintosh, Next Generation gave this version a positive review as well, concluding that 'at the very least, Blackthorne is one of the best—and only—action games to come out for the Macintosh in the last year'.[18] IGN rated the game 90th on their 'Top 100 SNES Games of All Time'.[21]
References[edit]
- ^'Viewpoint'. GameFan. Vol. 2 no. 9. DieHard Gamer's Club. August 1994. p. 30.
- ^'Blackthorne 32X Preview'. GameFan. Vol. 3 no. 8. DieHard Gamer's Club. August 1995. p. 54.
- ^'At the Deadline'. GamePro. No. 72. IDG. September 1994. p. 162.
- ^Sykes, Tom (3 November 2013). 'Blizzard's 16-bit platformer Blackthorne is now available as free download'. PC Gamer UK. Future plc. Retrieved 3 November 2013.
https://us.battle.net/account/download/
- ^McWhertor, Michael (2021-02-19). 'Three classic Blizzard games come to PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One today'. Polygon. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
- ^'GamePro Readers speak out!'. GamePro. No. 74. IDG. September 1995. p. 126.
- ^'NextGen - Blackthorne'. Next Generation. Vol. 3 no. 8. DieHard Gamer's Club. February 1997. p. 54.
- ^'ProNews: At the Deadline'. GamePro. No. 62. IDG. September 1994. p. 162.
- ^ abCordell, Bobby; Edmond, Michael; Lover, Undercover (August 1995). 'The Mail: Cart Queries'. GamePro. No. 73. IDG. p. 13.
- ^'E-3 The Biggest And Best Electronic Entertainment Show Ever! - 3DO'. GameFan. Vol. 3 no. 7. Shinno Media. July 1995. pp. 38–39.
- ^'Blackthorne for Game Boy Advance'. GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ^'Blackthorne for Game Boy Advance Reviews'. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
- ^Charles Ardai (January 1995). 'Fighting for the Prince's Crown'(PDF). Computer Gaming World (126): 168–170. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
- ^ ab'Review Crew: Blackthorne'. Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 62. Sendai Publishing. September 1994. p. 28.
- ^Provo, Frank (November 11, 2003). 'Blackthorne Review'. GameSpot.
- ^'Blackthorne Review'. IGN. September 24, 2003.
- ^ ab'Blackthorne'. Next Generation. No. 4. Imagine Media. April 1995. pp. 90–91.
- ^ ab'Blackthorne'. Next Generation. No. 26. Imagine Media. February 1997. p. 135.
- ^'ProReview: Blackthorne'. GamePro. No. 72. IDG. September 1994. p. 72.
- ^'ProReview: Blackthorne'. GamePro. No. 85. IDG. October 1995. p. 54.
- ^Top 100 SNES Games of All Time - IGN.com, retrieved 2021-02-25
External links[edit]
- Blackthorne at MobyGames
Newsletter
Subscribe to our Threatpost Today newsletter
Join thousands of people who receive the latest breaking cybersecurity news every day.
The administrator of your personal data will be Threatpost, Inc., 500 Unicorn Park, Woburn, MA 01801. Detailed information on the processing of personal data can be found in the privacy policy. In addition, you will find them in the message confirming the subscription to the newsletter.
Pump-action Patrick Mac Os Catalina
Infosec Insider Post
Infosec Insider content is written by a trusted community of Threatpost cybersecurity subject matter experts. Each contribution has a goal of bringing a unique voice to important cybersecurity topics. Content strives to be of the highest quality, objective and non-commercial.
Mac Os Versions
Sponsored Content
Sponsored Content is paid for by an advertiser. Sponsored content is written and edited by members of our sponsor community. This content creates an opportunity for a sponsor to provide insight and commentary from their point-of-view directly to the Threatpost audience. The Threatpost editorial team does not participate in the writing or editing of Sponsored Content.
