An outstanding action-puzzler in the mold of Prince of Persia....but with a shotgun and some hide-and seek gunplay

User Rating: 9.5 | Blackthorne GBA
By Krusher26 | Review Date:
Blackthorne is an action-platformer reminiscent of the original Prince of Persia series seen on the PC, NES, SNES and Sega Genesis back in the late 80's and early 90's. It follows the story of Kyle Blackthorne, a man sent to save his people (the Androthi) from the enslaving tyranny of a fiend name Sarlac on the planet Tuul. During the games 16 stages, Blackthorne must use his running, jumping, climbing and shooting skills to negotiate various puzzles and obstacles, while defeating numerous enemies in one-on-one shotgun battles. Although the formula may certainly not be new or revolutionary, it works to keep the pace of the gaming flowing well and compels players to make progress and finish the game.

Throughout the course of the action, Blackthorne encounters puzzles involving switches and items he must gather in order to traverse levels and move towards the ultimate goal of defeating Sarlac. Some useful (and necessary) items he must find include a levetator, floating (and controllable) bug bombs, reuseable bridge keys and door keys. Players have the ability to collect a set number of items and will have to make decisions (from time to time) about which items to keep and which ones to use. Most of the time, players will discover that the items they find have an exact purpose and are not merely intended to waste at an arbitrary time. Additionally, Blackthorne will gain hit-points and upgrade his shotgun as the game progresses. One thing that players must keep in mind is that they will need to talk to all enslaved humans they can in order to receive some of the upgrades and needed items along the way.

One of the absolute best parts about this game is the hide-and-seek, one-on-one gameplay. In most enemy encounters, players will need to draw Blackthorne's shotgun and hide prior to engaging the enemy. The enemy will first fire a few shots and attempt to hide in the background without getting shot. Following a volley of shots, the enemy will be exposed for 2-3 seconds in which Kyle must come out of hiding and shoot him. As players advance, enemies become tougher and the added benefits of the upgraded power, reload rate and speed become much more apparent.

The only drawbacks to this game are some of the same ones players encounter in most action-based puzzlers. There are a few blind jumps and the play control can be a little frustrating from time to time. Aside from that, this game is an underrated gem that many people don't fully appreciate because of the development of 3D games and FPSs in the past decade.

Overall, I give this game a 9.5. Some minor issues keep it from being a 10, but don't let that keep you from playing and thoroughly enjoying this game. Most players should be able to finish Blackthorne in 8-10 hours and will probably enjoy playing through it more than once. If you have an opportunity, give this game a chance. You won't be sorry.
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