"Out of This World, Castlevania and a Shotgun"

Blizzard struck again; with this exceptional effort for Super Nintendo, 32X and for the PC, they showed they really know a thing or two about platforming. This isn't a platforming game in the vein of Earthworm Jim or Sonic, mind you, it's a real story and atmosphere game. But it's got action and hopping platforms as well, not to mention a healthy dosage of good old fashioned shotgun violence.

The setting for Blackthorne is an odd one, but well-told. Opening ''cinemas'' involving great music, text-driven stories and pictures slightly animated take you up to the present task. It involves some time travel, a wicked cool character with a buff Steven Seagal look to him, and some prisoners that need your help. As you begin the first level, you learn about the game mechanics as well as the storyline - characters you are freeing help you out with advice and fill you in on what's going on.

I could go into my usual sections at this point, but I'd rather just start to talk about how Blizzard has managed to make so many great games, and what they did with this particular title that sets it above so many others of its kind. It's the atmosphere. Usually, music is either ''annoying'' or ''not too annoying'' in a videogame. With Blizzard games, it's a reason to buy the game. And in Blackthorne, the creepy, perfectly selected soundtrack keeps you completely involved with Blackthorne's world. The characters interract realistically with input, and are animated and drawn in a quite believeable fashion. When you're not interacting with characters, they're doing things independently, and it gives you the impression that even when you power off your Snes they keep on living their little lives. If only every game maker could produce an environment like this, we'd have a lot more triple-A games to choose from, and Blizzard should be commended highly for their efforts.

But the basics, as you might expect, are all there. Graphics are great - colors, animations, etc are well used in what is clearly a late-edition Snes game. Control is quite reactive and intuitive. Music, as previously mentioned, is perfect. The game's level design is excellent, gradually taking you up in skills as difficulty increases.

My only complaints are pretty petty, when it comes down to it. The cavern gets a bit old, all the subterranian levels start to look a fair bit the same after a point. But these really are nits to pick.
Blackthorne is just simply a great game. It'll draw you into its dark world and make you obsess over it for vast amounts of time. It's fun to play as well as satisfying, and highly recommended.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 06/09/02, Updated 10/26/02