Snes - Black Thorne Review

Black Thorne is an action puzzle game by Blizzard Entertainment. The same Blizzard Entertainment famous for the Lost Vikings Series and the Warcraft series. Aside from this version there's also a PC version which is the same as far as I know. It has you controlling Black Thorne, prince of Androthi an alien species against the forces of Sarlaac a demon. Years ago your father was killed by Sarlaac's forces and you were teleported to Earth. After this battle, most of your people was enslaved. Now, you've been teleported back to free your people by defeating Sarlaac.

Gameplay: 7.5/10

Black Thorne as a character has two modes of action which are controlled by the A button. First is a movement mode where Black Thorne can jump and run. Jumping is controlled by the B button while running by the Y button which can extend how far you jump. This mode also allows you to jump and grab ledges or The second is an offensive mode where Black Thorne pulls out his shotgun and can fire at enemies either in front using the B button or behind him using the Y button. Both modes have shared kinds of movements such as evading where Black Thorne hides in the background or crouching where Blackthorn will crouch and you can start rolling. The X button is used in the game as the use item button. This will use what item you have currently selected on the screen such as bomb. You can change between these items by using either the L and R buttons or by using the select button which pauses the game and shows you your entire inventory. The inventory has limited space but that's usually not a problem.

Being a puzzle game as well as an action game, movement in both modes is extremely precise. There are no half steps. He takes a step, or doesn't. The same goes for jumping. He either jumps or doesn't and he always takes the exact same steps. As the game goes on, although Black Thorne's movements never change he will get better shotguns which increase his fire rate and power. Combat in the game involves you pulling out your shotgun and waiting in the shadows until the enemy has finished firing and shooting the enemy before he evades your shots. Unfortunately, this is where the gameplay falters a bit. Black Thorne is never as fast as the enemy when it comes to shooting and shooting them as they emerge from evasion is out of the question. As the game goes on, the enemies not only go faster but start to randomise their attacks so you don't know when they'll finish shooting. This can make for frustrating standoffs between you and the enemy as you try to attack the enemy without getting hurt. Furthermore, the enemies can attack you while you're waiting in the shadows with a physical attack if they get close enough. Having to deal with two or more enemies with such a combat system makes for frustrating action later in the game.

As for the various items, Black Thorne doesn't ever change his weapon which is a shame really nor does he have a large variety of items to use. Indeed it's wiser not to use bombs in combat in case you need them to pass certain areas not to mention the possibility of the enemy dodging the bombs if you're on the same level as them.

Graphics: 4/5

The graphics are quite suited to the game. Dark, moody. The only problem is the lack of variety. There are only a handful of levels and so a handful of different background graphics. There's also only a single cutscene movie which is used throughout the game. It may not be the best but it comes close.

Sound and Music: 3.5/5

The sound and music are suitably dark. However, as good as the musical score is, the repititive nature of the songs mean that it becomes more annoying than fun.

Game design: 3.5/5

In general, the game is designed fairly well for most part, levels are suitably large and there are a number of shortcuts which are opened as you travel through new areas so you don't have to trek all the way back slowly when you need to go somewhere. There's also a practice area where advice is given about the game. if you haven't read the manual you can use to familiarise yourself with the game. Everytime you finish a level, you get a password but all your items disappear. That's just the nature of a game like this however.

That being said there are times when you end up leaping or dropping off a platform to your doom because the screen you entered starts with a ledge or is guarded by an enemy who shoots you backwards. Such situations are relatively rare but still annoying when you have to restart the whole level just because of a mistake which was avoidable if there had been better level design.

Longevity: 4/5

Black is a fun action puzzle game despite its flaws. You'll play it until the end although once you're done there really isn't much to do.

For: Fun puzzle game.

Against: A bit repetitive in certain areas such as graphics. Some level design problems.