Blackthorne

Blackthorne
Companies	Blizzard Entertainment, Interplay Entertainment
First release date	1994
Original platform(s)	SNES
Current official platform(s)	DOSBox (freeware)
Cinematic platformer
Flashback, set in a universe two parts early-access Warcraft, one part Iron Maiden poster. Levels are driven by puzzles, challenging you to figure out how to manipulate and traverse the environment, often involving explosions. Levels are suitably dark, grim, and gritty, animation is smooth, and sound design is rich and crunchy. Movement is slow and methodical, with combat against machinegun-toting orcs more about positioning and finding rhythm than twitch reflexes. Blowing away allies and innocents without repercussions is a sadistic bit of catharsis, if you're into that kind of thing. SNES was the lead development platform, but the DOS version, now free from Blizzard, is more complete, with more music, better colors, and buckets of gore.