That clip up top is the real Blackthorne — the actual Sega 32X game from its publisher. Grab the free RetroPlayers.Club Player and it runs full-speed on your PC, no cartridge required.
In celebration of the company's 30th anniversary, Blackthorne was re-released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One as part of the Blizzard Arcade Collection in February 2021. It was released for the Super NES and MS-DOS in 1994.
The RetroPlayers.Club Player is a Premium perk. Go Premium or sign in to play Blackthorne at full speed on your own PC.
Blackthorne runs on your own PC through the free RetroPlayers.Club Player app — full speed, your controller, cloud save states. You confirm you own the game before it loads; the disc streams from your library and is wiped the moment you stop playing.
🎮 USB or Bluetooth controller? Plug it in, Once Detected Click Here to Open Your Controller Options
| Action | Keyboard | Controller |
|---|---|---|
| D-Pad Up | ↑ | D-Pad up |
| D-Pad Down | ↓ | D-Pad down |
| D-Pad Left | ← | D-Pad left |
| D-Pad Right | → | D-Pad right |
| A | A | Left face |
| B | S | Middle face |
| C | D | Right face |
| X | Q | Top-left face |
| Y | W | Top-middle face |
| Z | E | Top-right face |
| Start | Enter | Start |
| Mode | R-Shift | Mode |
These are the keys the RetroPlayers.Club Player app uses for Sega 32X, shown for reference. Your controller still lights up below so you can confirm it is detected — Premium members can remap here (keyboard or USB controller) and the app applies the map at the next launch.
No controller detected yet — plug one in and press any button.
Press buttons — your controller lights up here so you can see it is detected. Go Premium to save a custom map.
| Action | Keyboard | Controller |
|---|---|---|
| Up | ArrowUp | D-Pad up |
| Down | ArrowDown | D-Pad down |
| Left | ArrowLeft | D-Pad left |
| Right | ArrowRight | D-Pad right |
| A | A | Left face |
| B | S | Middle face |
| C | D | Right face |
| X | Q | Top-left face |
| Y | W | Top-middle face |
| Z | E | Top-right face |
| Start | Enter | Start |
| Mode | Shift |
First registered run claims the top spot. It won't stay easy for long.
Playing counts once you're signed in — register free in the player above.
How to Play Blackthorne
The app maps Blackthorne for you out of the box; the table below is the starting point, and Controller Mapping tunes it to a keyboard or any USB / Bluetooth pad.
The Story Behind Blackthorne
The inspiration for Blackthorne came from Another World and Flashback. All of this time, Tuul's people have been ruled over by a single shaman who "was blessed with all knowledge". In celebration of the company's 30th anniversary, Blackthorne was re-released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One as part of the Blizzard Arcade Collection in February 2021.
For the first versions, the sprites for game characters were done using rotoscoping techniques just like Prince of Persia, using over 1000 frames to get smooth, lifelike animation. Kyle then becomes king of Androth, where it is stated that he ruled justly, fairly and with honor for many years. Knowing of his people's doom, the ruler of Androth, King Vlaros, with the aid of the Androthi magician Galadril, sends his son Kyle to Earth to save his life.
What You'll Play
Kyle then becomes king of Androth, where it is stated that he ruled justly, fairly and with honor for many years. In celebration of the company's 30th anniversary, Blackthorne was re-released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One as part of the Blizzard Arcade Collection in February 2021. The Sega 32X version includes a fifth area, the snowy mountains, which is not found in the other versions of the game.
Blackthorne can also fire blindly behind himself. Knowing of his people's doom, the ruler of Androth, King Vlaros, with the aid of the Androthi magician Galadril, sends his son Kyle to Earth to save his life. He confronts Sarlac and threatens to keep his skull as a mounted trophy on his wall.
Why It Still Hits
He is told that it is time to return to Tuul and save his people. Believing it will solve the dilemma, he leads them to the deserts and kills himself. Kyle then becomes king of Androth, where it is stated that he ruled justly, fairly and with honor for many years.
The following year, Blackthorne was released for the Sega 32X with additional content. After breaking out of prison facing court martial, Kyle begins having strange dreams, and is eventually confronted by Galadril. They gave the 32X version a positive review as well, remarking that "with a solid graphical overhaul, Blackthorne delivers where many of the 16-bit conversions flounder in the 32X library".
Blackthorne — Frequently Asked Questions
Can I save my progress in Blackthorne?
Premium members get save states in the RetroPlayers.Club Player — snapshot Blackthorne at any moment and pick it back up later.
Who developed Blackthorne?
Development was handled by its developer, with its publisher publishing the release.
How do I play Blackthorne?
Download the free RetroPlayers.Club Player from this page, then open Blackthorne — it runs the real Sega 32X release full-speed on your PC. The video above is that same game so you can see it first.
What console was Blackthorne released on?
its publisher shipped Blackthorne for the Sega 32X back in , and the RetroPlayers.Club Player runs that release.