Software:Blackthorne

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Short description: 1994 video game
Blackthorne
SNES box art
Developer(s)Blizzard Entertainment[lower-alpha 1]
Publisher(s)Interplay Productions
Sega (32X)
Producer(s)Ronald Millar Sr.
Matthew Findley
Designer(s)Ronald Millar Sr.
Programmer(s)Frank Pearce Jr.
Patrick Wyatt, Michael Morhaime (PC)
Artist(s)Roman Kenney
Stuart Rose
Jason Magness
Ronald Millar Sr.
Samwise 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, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One
Release
  • Super NES
  • September 1994[1]
  • MS-DOS
  • December 19, 1994[2]
  • Sega 32X
  • September 1995[3]
  • Classic Mac OS
  • November 1996
  • Game Boy Advance
  • September 2003
  • Windows
  • November 2013
  • Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, Xbox One
    • WW: February 20, 2021
Genre(s)Platform
Mode(s)Single-player

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.[4] 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.[5] In celebration of the company's 30th anniversary, Blackthorne was re-released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One as part of the Blizzard Arcade Collection in February 2021.[6]

Plot

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

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

The inspiration for Blackthorne came from Another World and Flashback.[7] 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.[8] The Macintosh version improved the quality by using prerendered, motion-captured sprites.[9] Interplay had intended to port the game to Sega Genesis but instead did so for the Sega 32X.[10][11] There were also plans to port the game to PlayStation and Sega Saturn,[11] but those plans were cancelled. A 3DO version was showcased by Interplay at E3 1995,[12] but the port was never released for unknown reasons.

The protagonist's name Kyle was inspired by Kyle Reese from the 1984 film The Terminator.[7]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
AggregatorScore
GameRankings69% (GBA)[13]
Metacritic67/100 (GBA)[14]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarStarStarStar (MAC)[20]
EGM8/10 (SNES)[15]
GameSpot7/10 (GBA)[16]
IGN7.5/10 (GBA)[17]
Next GenerationStarStarStarStar (DOS, MAC)[18][19]

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.[15] 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.[21] Nintendo Power praised the game as "Total fun!" noting its animation and sound quality and stated that it had better play control than games like Out of This World, Prince of Persia, and Flashback but was "still a bit slow".[22]

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".[23]

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".[18] 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".[19]

IGN rated the game 90th on their "Top 100 SNES Games of All Time".[24] In 2018, Complex placed Blackthorne at 96th in their "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time".[25] In 1995, Total! ranked the game 49 on its Top 100 SNES Games writing: "It's a bit like Flashback, only it's more action based. This lack of puzzling elements makes it slightly less intriguing, but it delivers a whole heap of atmosphere."[26]


Notes

  1. ↑ Ported to 32X by Paradox Development

References

  1. ↑ "Viewpoint". GameFan (DieHard Gamer's Club) 2 (9): 30. August 1994. https://archive.org/stream/Gamefan_Vol_2_Issue_09#page/n29. 
  2. ↑ "Blackthorne- Press Release". 1997-10-08. http://www.interplay.com/press/black-pr.html. 
  3. ↑ "Blackthorne 32X Preview". GameFan (DieHard Gamer's Club) 3 (8): 54. August 1995. https://archive.org/stream/Gamefan_Vol_3_Issue_08#page/n53. 
  4. ↑ "At the Deadline". GamePro (IDG) (72): 162. September 1994. 
  5. ↑ Sykes, Tom (3 November 2013). "Blizzard's 16-bit platformer Blackthorne is now available as free download". PC Gamer UK (Future plc). http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/11/03/blizzards-16-bit-platformer-blackthorne-is-now-available-as-free-download/. Retrieved 3 November 2013. 
  6. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (2021-02-19). "Three classic Blizzard games come to PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One today" (in en). https://www.polygon.com/2021/2/19/22291912/blizzard-arcade-classics-lost-vikings-blackthorne-rock-n-roll-racing. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Blizzard Entertainment. "BlizzConline 2021 - Where It All Started: The Blizzard Arcade Collection". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrrF0JHENGI. 
  8. ↑ "GamePro Readers speak out!". GamePro (IDG) (74): 126. September 1995. https://archive.org/stream/GamePro_Issue_074_September_1995#page/n127. 
  9. ↑ "NextGen - Blackthorne". Next Generation (DieHard Gamer's Club) 3 (8): 54. February 1997. https://archive.org/stream/NEXT_Generation_26#page/n137. 
  10. ↑ "ProNews: At the Deadline". GamePro (IDG) (62): 162. September 1994. https://retrocdn.net/index.php?title=File%3AGamePro_US_062.pdf&page=164. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Cordell, Bobby; Edmond, Michael; Lover, Undercover (August 1995). "The Mail: Cart Queries". GamePro (IDG) (73): 13. https://archive.org/stream/GamePro_Issue_073_August_1995#page/n14/mode/1up. 
  12. ↑ "E-3 The Biggest And Best Electronic Entertainment Show Ever! - 3DO". GameFan (Shinno Media) 3 (7): 38–39. July 1995. https://archive.org/stream/Gamefan_Vol_3_Issue_07#page/n40/mode/2up. 
  13. ↑ "Blackthorne for Game Boy Advance". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/gba/562370-blackthorne/index.html. 
  14. ↑ "Blackthorne for Game Boy Advance Reviews". CBS Interactive. https://www.metacritic.com/game/blackthorne/critic-reviews/?platform=game-boy-advance. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Review Crew: Blackthorne". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Sendai Publishing) (62): 28. September 1994. 
  16. ↑ Provo, Frank (November 11, 2003). "Blackthorne Review". http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/blackthorne-review/1900-6081916/. 
  17. ↑ "Blackthorne Review". September 24, 2003. http://www.ign.com/articles/2003/09/24/blackthorne. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Blackthorne". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (4): 90–91. April 1995. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 "Blackthorne". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (26): 135. February 1997. 
  20. ↑ "Blackthorne (Macintosh) Review". http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=25978&tab=review. 
  21. ↑ "ProReview: Blackthorne". GamePro (IDG) (72): 72. September 1994. 
  22. ↑ "Now Playing". Nintendo Power 64: 102. September 1994. 
  23. ↑ "ProReview: Blackthorne". GamePro (IDG) (85): 54. October 1995. 
  24. ↑ (in en) Top 100 SNES Games of All Time - IGN.com, https://www.ign.com/lists/top-100-snes-games, retrieved 2021-02-25 
  25. ↑ Knight, Rich (April 30, 2018). "The Best Super Nintendo Games of All Time" (in en). https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/the-100-best-super-nintendo-games/. 
  26. ↑ "Top 100 SNES Games". Total! (43): 46. July 1995. https://archive.org/details/total-43/page/n45/mode/2up. Retrieved March 1, 2022. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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