Black Stone: Magic & Steel

"A copy of a great game with a twist"

OK, I've a bit of a bad habit about reviewing games before I finish them. Here's another review from me in similar nature. (I could be around only 1/3 through this game...not sure.)

Gauntlet? Yes, and no. I looks almost just like Gauntlet Legends, even has similar character types. Except there are a few differences I've noticed so far. Everyone's gripe I've heard is that it's slow, they walk slow, the characters shoot slow... it's slow slow slow. So what. That it's mediocre compared to Gauntlet, and for good reason. While this game may look like Gauntlet Legends/Dark Legacy (GL), it's not hardly like it at all.

Graphics: The graphics (yes it's now 2007) do seem a bit dated, but seem a little better than GL but not Hi Res as GL. The magician's phoenix magic "multi" attack is a bit blocky. There just seems like there's more detail here, just the resolution is a little low. The graphics engine seem to play into one of the flaws of the game. Many areas allow you to shoot an enemy on the other side of a wall. You may even SEE an enemy inside a wall! If you can shoot them through it, more than likely than can also shoot you!

Music: Eh, the opening has some cool anime style look to it, but the music is just horrendous. It wants to be metal rock and a little techno at the same time, and just grates on my nerves. Strike one.

Control: It took me a good 3 stages to figure out just how we're supposed to really utilize my characters' abilities! (OK, who REALLY read the instruction manual... I don't, that's half the fun.) A is your melee attack, X is normally a weaker attack, but is a projectile. Holding R trigger builds up your projectile meter in order for you to USE the X button! At full power you can unleash a super attack (Like the Magician's Phoenix or the Pirates "Berserker" attacks. Yes, you do walk slower than the enemies, it seems. If you walked any FASTER, you'd be over swamped with enemies! Now, I've noticed some character's attacks are not all the same. With a Pirate character, for example, you'll stop using the melee attack (seems his defense isn't that great) and swap to building up your power meter between fighting to use your throwing knife attacks (it BLOWS through enemies & enemies behind THEM, which in turn hits the enemy generators better and quicker!. But with the Magician, oddly enough, you'll be using his sword attack more often. His projectile attack bounces OFF the first enemy it hits! But his melee attack continues to plow through enemies (but a very short distance), so there style of fighting are completely different. The extra weapons remind me more of D&D Heroes instead of GL. When you pick up bombs, or throwing hammers, or poison bombs... whatever. The same button you use for your projectiles changes to use that item, until it's gone. The 2 white & black buttons are your menu button and map button! Gauntlet never had a MAP option! (It would have been nice...).

Playability: It may be somewhat of a slower paced game, but I'm already using two different characters to play through the game, and already opened up 1 hidden character. I'll say... I'm hooked.

I will admit, it does FEEL very similar to GL, but at the same time... it doesn't. It could be some levels (well, 4th level for example) are just not like Gauntlet at all! The shop is there. You build up credits in order to continue. Health (in game) can be a bit scarce, but this makes the game more challenging. Like the challenge that should have been in all of the homer versions of GL, but wasn't. How many times has your character died in Dark Legacy? What, maybe 3 or 5 times? Not very often. Blackstone will really make you work for the money you spent on the game. It's not easy, and THAT's some I do like. A challenge. GL on the DC or PSX or DL on the 3 last gen systems, just seemed too easy for me. Your health didn't decrease throughout the game...they didn't make it the 'quarter cruncher' the arcade cousins were! And that decision on Midway's part almost makes the home versions of GL/DL a little...almost boring. OK, I'll be flamed now. But Blackstone completely brings the challenge back, for good or bad. The leveling system doesn't seem like GL at all. It doesn't seem like it's enemy exp based but level-up spot based. At certain points on a level is an item. You can't pick it up, instead you'll level up there, once it's used you can't use that spot again. And you level up ONCE whatever the symbol is: Shield increases defense... a gauntlet raises your attack. Not really sure how your 'level' is really tallied. Maybe I SHOULD read the manual! Nah.

Availability: A bit hard to find. I find this a little amusing considering how mediocre I've heard this game to be, unless there weren't many copies made. Yeah, it's not great, but it has a lot of 'meat' to sink your weapons into. And despite the gameplay (while listening to your OWN music, preferably arranged music from PSO or symphonic arrangements of Final Fantasy)... you'll find you can't stop playing until you finish it. Now, I've seen a USED copy of Blackstone go for around $25 not too long ago. I finally found a copy under $15 used this year (2007)! I picked it up very recently. Considering I have G: Dark Legacy, both Balder Gates, and D&D Heroes for the XBOX and Gauntlet Seven Sorrows, I just HAD to find out what this game was all about. It doesn't compare to the Balder Gate games, but along the lines of a Gauntlet clone (OK, there I said it!) I have to say, I'm actually beginning to like this game! And it's the challenge that has me continuing to play, and it's the challenge that deterred everyone away from this game.

I'll take only two points away from the 10 point scale, 1 for music, and 1 for presentation. So my score is an uncanny 8 for a 'medicore' game, plus it IS mulitplayer up to 4 people too. I don't have friends nor time to have my cousin come play with me anymore... so I can't say anything about the multiplayer experience (sorry), but I'm sure it's make the experience even better than playing solo, unless it creates slow down, no idea.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/26/07