LGR - Blackthorne - DOS PC Game Review

One of Blizzard's earlier and more forgotten titles, Blackthorne can be described as Prince of Persia with a shotgun. VENGEANCE.
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[@metalandpunksuck]

Was having a bad day, was my birthday, difficult customers... bad day... but seeing this video brought back memories... thank you... made my day... or night... morning? whichever... thanks...

[@SandroSensei]

Hope you feel better now 7 years later 😉

[@CrAzYpotpie]

Also hope that you learned adding ellipsis everywhere is not only incorrect, but annoying as all hell.

[@kh-ro5su]

​@@CrAzYpotpie lol

[@pavel9652]

Difficult customers? Sometimes vengeance is the only answer! ;)

[@maltheopia]

You know, I've played Blackthrone for like a decade and a half on-and-off on the PC and SNES and the grid system of movement never even occurred to me. The game always tricked me into thinking that it was more fluid than it really was, mostly because the platforming sprites aren't as rigidly standardized as, say, Super Mario Bros or Prince of Persia for that matter. This is both a good and a bad thing. LGR, I love it when your reviews do this kind of deconstruction of gameplay elements. :)

[@brianseymour5191]

Blackthorne served as a primary inspiration behind an episode of Community in which the study group must band together in a specially designed RPG game in order to help Pierce Hawthorne(Chevy Chase) claim his inheritance.

[@Minronis]

Blackthorne for Heroes of the Storm would be pretty ballin'.

[@Busterdrag]

VENGEANCE! RETIRBUTION! BATMAN!

[@coreytopper7763]

Discovered this game in around '95, A friend had rented it for the SNES and I can remember being instantly sucked in. The ability to execute the other prisoners and the ability to shoot behind you were a huge deal to my then 15 year old mind.. Had never seen a side scrolling game like this before, and honestly it was kinda new concept. nearly 23 years later I still haven't beaten it or found a 'real' snes cart while thrifting or otherwise. Ive introduced this game to a lot of people who had never heard of or played it, once they do they are typically stoked and addicted and cant believe they had never played it . finally though the Magic of my C/L Gamedoctor Sf copier I am able to play and share this game on real SNES hardware. Excellent game, Excellent review. Thanks LGR. Password to level 8 is TJ1F.

[@alb5632]

Years later reminded me of Gears of War the whole cover and shoot concept I just beat it on an emulator for the first time on my phone

[@fathyzin6470]

The music is different on SNES version. I like music on SNES version. It sound more darker. Hey LGR, please review other early Blizzard title such The Lost Viking and Rock n Roll Racing!

[@MRDLT00]

Okay....that bit about "not wanting to hang around the pit of Karkoon" made the video for me. Thank you.

[@halyomorpha]

Trying out the SNES version, I really did love it. I kind of disagree with it not being great, it's just a game that takes a lot of patience.

[@rexthesheep]

>pixel art Prelude I GET IT

[@LGR]

YAY

[@BurnRoddy]

Lazy Game Reviews Thank you! YOU ARE AWESOME! I love this game and your channel!

[@zerotheliger]

@@LGR CAAAR SHOW

[@jojos08]

it looks like a magnificent game, and it strikes a big resemblance to Flashback like you mentioned due to the terrain and the motion is very Prince of Persia-like. thanks for the video!

[@billtree52]

You had me at "shotgun with infinite ammo"

[@plan7a]

:D - immediate thoughts were that this is a cross between Flashback and Prince Of Persia, as you said. Always makes me think of the amount of times those games were unforgivingly annoying with the moving of characters - as you said. So many times there was a fall onto spikes or into pits and simply dying due to the characters not quite being on the ledges, so annoying to have to keep on restarting. Great review, as always though!

[@AurediumRiptide]

I had forgotten this game existed!!! I played it a long, long time ago... Thanks for making me remember LGR!!

[@leleedler]

I saw that lego island box and I exploded with nostalgia.

[@kerbalgerbalgaming3537]

This game blew me away when I was a kid. I think I found it a lot more fun then you did lol but I had never played Prince of Persia or anything like it at the time. Great vid!

[@Irisfantasies]

this game is amazing... i played it snes... such a masterpiece

[@MrThejoshmon]

Extreme Rock Climbing guy strikes again! I can't help but attempt to mimic that guy when I see a practice mode option, best announcer ever.

[@lukeklasman193]

Hey lgr I wanted to tell you that you are one of my favorite KZbin channels. Keep up the great work!

[@MetalheadPlaysGames]

Didn't realise that Fatman made music for this game. He sure did some awesome music for games back in the day, like Wing Commander-series, Ultima Underworld and The 7th Guest.

[@Horzuhammer]

Oh, the first level password in Blackthrone is STRT like in Lost Vikings, thats pretty cool. We used to play a ton LV on our school's 486, and I still remember many of the passwords. I was the only kid to finish the game (insert a smug smiley with sunglasses on here.)

[@R33Racer]

I'm watching this while installing DOS and Windows on my Dell 325SX. Aahhh, nostalgia!

[@FavianTubeX]

Loved this game. There is blackthone armor in diablo3, I chuckled when I saw thar

[@TheHoaxShow]

I'll never get tired of that "practice mode" voice

[@terminaldeity]

This game is free on Blizzard's website. It's kind of buried, but it's there, and it runs great.

[@Xeotroid]

Are you going to make a review of Oddworld games? I frequently see Abe's Oddysee lying on your shelf in the background when you're showing the game box.

[@LGR]

Oh yes.

[@thedungeondelver]

I always liked how the orc-like soldiers had that laugh - Hoh-hoh-hoh - after they'd nail you with a blaster bolt.

[@steveharaslin3822]

I remember the game. It was one of my favorites back in the day.👍👍👍

[@Brhys]

I must have rented this several times for the snes when I was a kid. Loved it, definitely one of blizzards gems.

[@andlinux]

I always liked this game a lot, especially the game music. A couple of years ago I played this again from start to end.

[@graph180]

Hell yeah! I used to love this game. Glad to see I'm not the only one who kept his game box.

[@Ken9763]

Lol I see Sonic R in the background allot in your videos, does that have a reason? Also what game is that 5th gen prelude from? I flipping love those cars (prefer 4th gen tho) :o Neverless another awesome video :)

[@supermega10453]

This game was my childhood!

[@PattyOflan88]

thanks for showing me this clint. you the real MVP

[@MrGhoulster]

Rock 'N' Roll Racing is my favourite oldschool Blizzard game. Just writing this makes me want to play it.

[@CookieSlaughter]

I see that. Judging by your profile picture.

[@SandroSensei]

The defenitive edition is even better. 6 years later haha 🙈

[@SpeedySPCFan]

Man, I love seeing old, obscure stuff from companies that are popular. It's interesting to see how they went from this to making StarCraft.

[@310McQueen]

Played on SNES, it was a game that didn't make it back to the video store anywhere near on time and we ended up buying it.

[@anaszakiri]

Another one of my childhood loved games, the music, atmosphere etc, everything aboout this game is amazing & every now and then I come back to it never getting bored of it .

[@PowerfulTimmu]

this game and rock n roll racing were my super nintendo games back in the day

[@crimsoneternity]

You ALWAYS play games from my child hood that I know none of my friends would even remember. Thank you for this! lol

[@jacobson084]

"Vengeance, sometimes it's the only answer" that should have been Duke's line!

[@PituDitu]

Ah yes, Blackthorne. In between sessions of Jazz Jackrabbt and Prince of Persia I had this game. It was hard but after a while I could play at least couple of the first levels. I still have codes written somwhere in the notebook. I never got to the Sarlac in my younuger days though. I managed to do that a few years ago. I like this game it has a cool style and your shotgun becomes more and more effective and fast after a while. Blizzard got cool ideas back then :D

[@LucaBellesi]

You have a great voice for radio :)

[@Mrofficer2u]

One of my favorit games by far on snes this warlock and super metroid got me through many of nights

[@kuatolives5355]

Damn, how I loved Blackthorne back in the day maybe the only blizzard game i really appreciate

[@TheT3rr0rMask]

Just got it from Blizzard's site and holy fuck I'm in love with it. Grew up with Lost Vikings 1 and 2 but this is way better IMO

[@Hotshotter3000]

Holy Hell! I remember Blackthorne. I loved that game, played the hell out of it and finished it, too.

[@brianh2447]

The Duke Nukem voice makes me laugh every time.

[@daserfomalhaut9809]

I actually played this a lot as a teen on the SNES. I loved this game.

[@jaxnean2663]

Your reviews are super!

[@ImSquiggs]

That's a hot tip about Blizzard offering a bunch of classic games for free... I never knew that existed. I cant wait to get off work and see what they got.

[@ZXaber78]

Blackthorn is my favorite blizzard game. I had the MacOS port as a kid.

[@MADMANNe1]

Played this game as a kid all the time! It was great! : )

[@KingGhidorah007]

3:02 all sources online seem to point to Glenn Stafford doing the music, which would make sense with it bring a Blizzard game.

[@Death3336]

I still love this game and revisit it often. The inventory reset is a necessity for the levels complexity and puzzles. Without it the game would get way too easy much too fast providing no challenge and sucking interest. As for the combat, yes, most of the enemies fight using the same mechanics however, each enemy has their own distinctive pattern which gets progressively more complex as you move forward through the various stages. My only issue with this game: it's the only one. There are no follow ups and Blizzard scoffs at the idea. Even going so far as to throw up and April fools joke a few years ago teasing some ridiculous badassery that will go unrealized.

[@casedistorted]

Yeah I hate that even 6 years later after you made this comment, Blizzard still does not recognize Blackthorne.

[@garfiduper5822]

I love blackthorne! I used to play it all the time, and for some reason, i would always play breath of fire directly after it. :P

[@bytex666]

It definately reminds me more of Flashback than Prince of Persia, with its "open world" platforming and lush backgrounds. Blackthorne even falls in the exact same way as in Flashback when he gets shot.

[@Highretrogamelord]

I loved playing the demo of the DOS version as a kid. :D

[@Workingplayer53]

Good thing I joined battlenet recently. Blackthorn, here I come!

[@maximuscesar]

This game is awesome. I wish I had time to get back to it.

[@leoruoska]

Goddamn man you review all this old shit I played as a kid...Fatman, Night Hunter, Blackthorne :D Bonus on you!! Also, if you don't already, you should work in radio or audiobook productions. Your voice rules!

[@sujithnair2784]

Oh damn, i loved playing this on the SNES, could never beat the final boss though..

[@magic666z]

I feel like a ninja when watching this unlisted videos :D

[@AlyxxTheRat]

One little tidbit I want to add is that while the SNES version is considered the "original", it's heavily censored. Unlike the MS-DOS version there's little blood and the death animations are far more bloody in the DOS port. It's one of the reasons I prefer the DOS version, it feels grittier and more realistic as a result.

[@vazzeg]

I see a Dune big box at the beginning of the video. Are you going to review that? It was the first major game I played, before Doom, before anything else. Love it to this day and replay it quite occasionally too. Also love Frank Herbert's Duniverse to begin with, so it was kind of a given, but that game blended adventure, micromanagement, strategy, diplomacy in an age when most games were painfully single minded. Would love to hear your thoughts on it.

[@captainviggo4575]

Even if Prince of Persia was indeed the source inspiration to all those kinds of platformers, Blackthorne actually shares much more similarities with Flashback, including the levels "grid" gameplay.

[@axtmann]

Damn I loved the pixel art in this game

[@kizmetmars]

LGR! Why?! Why did you do this? It's midnight and I've just come home from work, thought I'd chill out before bed and saw this video. "Sweet," I thought... until I got to 1:43 ... I.lost.my.shit. I couldn't keep watching because I was laughing too much! >_< I should have guessed, but, I suppose it just took me by surprise.

[@Bibleninja2077]

That dune box in the background is sooooo sexy please do a reveiw on it. The spice must flow

[@Jaffy473]

I loved this game growing up, I bought it when it came out on the SNES. Still play it sometimes... the last level (area) is SOOO HAAARDD! Never beat it..

[@MrSnapy1]

Played the crap out of the 32x version back in the day it was really sweet.Never liked platformers much but this game looked sweet.Also one of the few bright spots in the 32x library.

[@crankyunicorn4423]

loved that game back at the day great easy an no jump based plataform

[@MrRedFoxorMrelzorrorojo]

I love this game, but Lost Vikings 1 and 2 are my favorite Blizzard Platformers.

[@n0rbert79]

I actually played this, and I liked it. I wonder why it has been listed just now, but yeah, thank you for doing so! P.S: Please do Crusader No Remorse and No Regret if you haven't done before! :)

[@andybell7572]

Come on that box is DAMN COOLNESS

[@VinnieBlackLodge]

fantastic game for the snes. might not be the type of action that works for some people but if you likes Odd's world or prince of persia then this game is great ! the hiding and shotgun are really fun to use

[@InferisDCB]

I LOVED the game, still play it in the SNES

[@Garrette63]

I had a pretty good time with this game until about 3/4 of the way through. I couldn't bring myself to finish it, most because of the slow combat, and slow paced movements with climbing up and down constantly. If I had this game when it was actually new I probably would have loved it though. I would be curious to hear what you think of Pitfall The Mayan Adventure. It's my favorite out of the entire series and I don't see it brought up too often. Thanks for the video.

[@samotnick]

Music in desert level... oh, the 90' !

[@EmilianoFraga]

BlackThorne is a great platform puzzle game. Great dark fantasy atmosphere, excellent soundtrack The mentioned password system isn't terrible as you made it look like

[@Waldem]

I love the password system, thanks to that I could play it on my snes, then if I have to leave I take my Analogue Pocket and play the level I was on.

[@Cyberbrickmaster1986]

I see you have a copy of Lego Island on your shelf. Just wondering if you'll do a review of a classic Lego game some day? Brutalmoose already reviewed Lego Island 1 & 2 as well as Lego Racers, but I'd also like to hear your thoughts on these games.

[@d0m1n4t1]

Great game. Still have it and the manual/box for SNES.

[@phonb]

I remember playing this in hotels in the 90s

[@UncleAwesomeRetro]

The game looks interesting. Have you tried Cosmo's Adventure? I Loved that game and I really wanted to get the second episode, or game or whatever because when I finished it, it was not the end of the story.

[@schizophist2963]

will we see a lost vikings review in the future?

[@Markell1991]

Clint, you failed to distinguish between Blackthorne the game, and Blackthorn the cider. I was confused throughout this review because you didn't make it clear. If I were you, I would redo this video. /Sarcasm Great work as usual LGR!

[@LGR]

I also forgot Blackthorn, the Ultima character!

[@DrMcPHD]

"A blackthorn in your side"...LGR I expected better from you. Kidding aside more oddware please!

[@LGR]

More is coming!

[@SpeedySPCFan]

Lazy Game Reviews Awesome! Ever consider doing the 3DO Blaster, if you can get one and the appropriate CD drive?

[@niurp1089]

Aww yeah this game deserves more attention, didn't know the PC version (and Lost Vikings too?) became freeware though, that's awesome!

[@monkeywithocd]

Yah, I didn't know that until a few weeks ago myself. Really nice since the PC version of the Lost Vikings isn't exactly the easiest thing to find. One problem I have is that, from my short test of the Lost Vikings, they seem to have removed the ability to quit. =/

[@MoxieCatte]

Looks like Blizzard definitely got some inspiration from Flashback...although that's not a bad thing. I might give this one a try, that was one of my favorite platformer/adventure games.

[@Jorendo]

It is easy to forget that Blizzard did more then just Warcraft, Diablo, Starcraft and Lost Vikings. Great review though, i had heard about the game but never really knew what it was about. I will try it out though the combat already lost its appeal in your review when looking at it xD The whole cover thing is a nice touch but seems to slow down the game big time. Not a bad thing persay but if every enemy is fought in the same way it just loses its welcome quickly. Did i see Lego Islands there? Are you gonna do a review about that game sometime?

[@CafeenMan]

The first game that comes to my mind when I think of Interplay is "Out of this World".

[@4thcoming]

Loved this game.

[@Mouserzz]

I remember playing this when i was a kid, that shit was super fun.

[@asahudson3040]

Is that a Dune game in the background? That would be interesting to see :)

[@L1701]

"Vengeance. Retribution. BATMAN."

[@Gridseeker]

WOW, you have the Japanese retail box version of Resident evil for PC! I also have it!

[@swiftymagee]

Always liked Blackthorn, even though I agree it gets a bit tiring after a while. Maybe I'll try to beat it this weekend; I didn't know the PC version is free now, so I have no excuse not to try the game again.

[@fjdcm61218]

an untold classic...

[@alexandrupavel5397]

Oh my good you are great!!! Im a pc gamer too but i have only dvd games...

[@maverickbna]

Also reminds me of Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure in some places. :)