Act One Walkthrough

The classic Blizzard sidescrolling adventure Blackthorne is now available exclusively on the Game Boy Advance at retail stores nationwide. This dark quest places you in the role of Kyle Blackthorne - a shotgun-wielding hero that returns to his native world to battle the evil forces of the demon Sarlac. Use the walkthrough below to successfully navigate the first act (of four) in the game:

The Mines of Galadril

Mine 1:

You begin your journey in a shadowed cavern with a waterfall hugging the nearby walls and plunging down into the depths. A ladder is visible in the top-right corner of the room. Holster your shotgun, and then jump across to the platform opposite you. Now jump up to the section with the ladder. Climb the ladder up to the next room. In this room are two Androthi chained to the cavern walls. You can talk to them by pressing up on the control pad, or you can shoot them both. Not very much point to this, and a poor savior it would make you, but the option is there all the same…Be careful of shooting the Androthi, however; these remnants of your people often have an important piece of information or a useful item to pass along to the son of their fallen king.

Exit this room to the right and then jump up to the platform with another chained Androthi. This one has very little to say, as he's undoubtedly delirious from thirst and hunger. Next to him are two Hover Bombs. Pick these up, select them in your inventory, and hurl one at the sealed doorway to the left. This will destroy the door and clear your pathway to the next room. Be sure to unholster your shotgun before entering, however.

As soon as you enter the next room, start firing at the unsuspecting Gragg (the green orcish dude with the gun) and he'll go down quickly. Jump across the chasm, and be sure to grab the Hover Bomb dropped by the Gragg. You can either jump up on the tiny edge at the right edge of the screen, and then jump upwards again to reach the cavern above, or you can use the easier route of the ladder. Whichever you choose, you are now near another door that must be destroyed by a Hover Bomb. On the other side you will find another bomb to replace the one you used. Inside the next room is an Androthi being held captive within a cell. You know the routine by now: just throw a Hover Bomb at the door to destroy it - but make certain the Androthi on the other side is away from the door when you do, so he isn't caught in the blast. Talk to the prisoner, and he'll thank you for his rescue as well as offer up a Healing Potion to you.

Now, walk up the ladder and enter the door you see by pressing up on the control pad. You are now in a room with a Gragg patrolling the area beneath you. Jump down and take him by surprise - don't forget to make sure your shotgun is at the ready before you take him on. Using a Hover Bomb will open the door to the next room. Make sure your shotgun is at the ready as you enter this cavern, as a Gragg is waiting for you on the other side. This one is farther away and so a little more of a challenge than the previous monsters you've faced. Don't forget that Kyle can hug the walls by pressing up on the control pad - to avoid the bullets racing toward him. Leap across the chasm - there's no point in falling in other than to lose some health - and then enter the next room to the left. Destroy the door with a Hover Bomb, and then ride the elevator by pressing up to the next mine. You should always try to use any items in your inventory before the end of the level, as anything left over will not be available in the next section of the game…

Mine 2:

Talk to the chained Androthi, and he will provide a little tip about bomb avoidance. Be prepared to take on a red Gragg in the next room - a little tougher than his green cousins you encountered previously. Take the Hover Bomb dropped and move on. Another Hover Bomb will be necessary in the next cavern to open the sealed door. In the next room, another Gragg is patrolling on the area above. Leap up when his back is turned, draw your shotgun, and take him down. Keep moving, and you are now offered a choice of directions. If you exit to the right, you can talk to an Androthi who will provide you with a useful tip for the journey. Something about checking behind waterfalls…

Return the way you came - you don't want to travel down yet - and then operate the elevator down to continue. You'll travel down through three different screens until you reach the bottom of the mine shaft. Walk to the left, but be prepared for a fight with a Red Gragg. Take him out, then enter the doorway. Climb up into the room with two Androthi mining while a Whar'Ork hovers over them brandishing a whip. The first of the two Androthi will tell you how to kill the guard, but since you're reading this walkthrough, you can skip the Androthi and go after the guard immediately. You'll need a Hover Bomb to destroy it - your shotgun won't do very much good against this foe. Bring down the guard and then take the Bridge Key from his remains. Talk to the second Androthi, and he'll respond with the slogan of the oppressed and a Hover Bomb.

Exit this room via the passage to the right, and then use the Bridge Key to activate the green force field walkway to span the abyss. The select key brings up the inventory screen. Exit to the left and then meander through the next room - unless you want to use Kyle's run ability of course. You'll move through one other room with a skeleton hanging from chains in the background. This seems to be a frequent decoration of the mines, and must be the fate of the chained Androthi over time. Continue to the left and leap up two ledges to stand before another doorway. Enter and talk to the chained Androthi to acquire a bomb and the knowledge that you must destroy the power generator of the mines. Leap up to the next room and destroy the sealed door to talk to another Androthi. His whining isn't very helpful, so launch yourself up each of the successive girders where an elevator used to reside. At the top, you'll find another bomb and one of your compatriots who has shown a touch more initiative than the others - he's drugged his guard and put the Gragg out cold. Exit to the right, and be prepared for a fight.

Take out the Red Gragg in this room and procure another bomb and Healing Potion, then continue on to the right. Ride the elevator up and then make your way left to exit the cavern. You'll tangle with another Red Gragg, who will leave you a Hover Bomb after he is destroyed. Climb up and you will have found the power generator alluded to earlier. Destroy it with a bomb, and the blue force fields will no longer be operational. Exit to the right, and then climb up to the ledge at the top-left corner to proceed. Defeat the Green Gragg, then ride the elevator up. You are now in the third section of the mines…

Mine 3:

When you move to the left, you'll encounter another Androthi prisoner who will remind you to check behind the waterfalls. If you continue left, you will activate a panel that brings out a defensive gun. This gun will kill the prisoner, but there isn't much you can do about that. Roll beneath the gun and then destroy it safely from behind. In the next room, you can jump down to obtain a Healing Potion where the waterfall is. The Androthi in the next room laments that he hasn't been able to pickpocket a Levitator. Hmmm…a hint on how to reach the seemingly inaccessible area at the top left of this room?

Slay the Gragg in the next room, and take a Bridge Key from him. Do not fall into the elevator shaft - the drop is too far and will kill you instantly. Proceed into the next room and an Androthi will tell you he is searching for the elevator call switch. Use the Bridge Key to create another walkway, and then enter the hidden doorway behind the waterfall. See, all the Androthi weren't kidding about seeking hidden passages there. Inside is another prisoner grateful for a rescue, and he provides you with a Healing Potion. You can also obtain another bomb here, and you'll need to flip the elevator call switch that looks like a golden box of some kind. Remember to take the bridge key now that you're done with it. Now, return the way you came, and the elevator shaft will have a platform waiting for you. Ignore the first ledge it stops at for now. There is an impassable force field there. Continue to the left until you come to a room with a ladder in the center of a platform. There is another switch on the floor that will activate a turret if you walk on it. Jump past it or destroy the gun, then climb up the ladder. Destroy the two Graggs, then continue upward to a room with another Whar'Ork in it. Destroy it with a Hover Bomb, then take out the purple Gragg in the upper left portion of the screen. He'll leave you a couple of WASPs (very useful items…).

In the next room you will encounter another of the Whar'Orks. Take him out with either a Hover Bomb or a WASP. Now, go back the way you came, to the room where the elevator ended. Take the right passage to a room with two Androthi slaves watched over by a Whar'Ork. Destroy him with a Hover Bomb, then use a WASP to take out the generator at the top of the screen. Now, return to the room with the elevator and ride it up to the central stop that you passed over previously. Enter the cavern to the right - you'll notice that there are no force fields blocking your path now - and defeat the two Red Graggs waiting for you. Continue on into the next room, use the Bridge Key to cross, and then send out a WASP to destroy the door seal. In the next room, you will need to destroy a Red Gragg and then execute a run/jump maneuver to make it to the other side. Talk to the Androthi in the next room, and receive the Levitator and two Hover Bombs.

Return to the elevator (don't forget to grab the Bridge Key on your way), and ride it to the top. Remember the room with the Androthi wishing he had a Levitator? In case you don't, it's to the right of the top of the elevator. Well you've got one now, so head there and use it to reach the previously inaccessible door at the top-left of the screen. Use the Bridge Key, and cross to an Androthi, who will tell you someone named Galadril is waiting for you. Does the name seem oddly familiar…? He also leaves you with a Healing Potion. Climb down and then destroy the sealed door to enter and take on another Red Gragg. Blast that door as well, and then deal with the Whar'Ork on the other side. Proceed into the doorway, and take the elevator into the final area of the mines.

Mine 4:

Kill the Gragg and then destroy the Whar'Ork in the following room to claim a Bridge Key. Use the run/jump combo to cross the chasm above, and then avoid the explosive spider on the floor of the next room by jumping all over - all while dueling the Gragg sentry. Not an easy maneuver, but it can be done. Use the Bridge Key to cross, then leap up to continue to the next room. The waterfall in here has a secret passage behind it. Follow this path and take out the gun turret that blocks your way to talk to two Androthi who will give you a Bridge Key and a Healing Potion. Backtrack the way you came, then cross the room with the waterfall to the left. Leap the first spider. If you find that jumping over the spiders are hard, the wall hug comes in handy here also. Climb down the ladder, and take out the Gragg to claim a Hover Bomb. Now climb back up, leap over the spider, enter the next room, and take care of the Gragg and Whar'Ork that stand between you and another Levitator. Take the item, then climb up to take the spoils left by the Gragg you already killed. Use the Bridge Key to cross to the other side of the cavern, then return to the beginning of the level. Make sure to pick up the Bridge Key you used earlier on the way. Now, employ the Levitator to reach the upper portion of the first room that you couldn't reach before. If you need to, hold down the L-button and press up or down to scan the screen vertically. Place the Levitator in a location where you can jump and reach the higher ledge from directly below it. Enter the doorway, and a member of the resistance will upgrade your shotgun. Now, cross the chasm and climb down. Defeat the Gragg at the bottom of the cavern, then proceed down the left-hand passages. You will need to use the run/jump combo or do a standing jump and pull yourself up a couple of times to cross. Take out the Gragg across the chasm, then use the Bridge Key to cross and take the Iron Key from the guard's dead body. Exit right, destroy the Whar'Ork on the platform above, and then follow the passage to the right. Now, return to the room where you obtained the weapon upgrade, and follow the passage down to the right. Use the Iron Key to deactivate the force field, and take out the Gragg on the other side. Enter the next room, and be prepared to destroy a WASP sent after you and the Purple Gragg that launched it. Jump across the chasm, and use the Bridge Key so that you can enter the waterfall (don't forget to claim the WASPs left behind by the Purple Gragg). Kill the Gragg guard in this room, then proceed right to take the elevator down.

At the bottom of the elevator, dodge the spider, then climb up in the next room and go left to dispatch the Gragg and recover a Hover Bomb. Now, exit the way you came and leave the next cavern via the upper left passage. Destroy the Whar'Ork with the Hover Bomb, and claim the key from his remains. Return to the room with the Purple Gragg you killed, and proceed right. Now, with the WASP, you can turn off the force field and destroy the generator controlling the other force field above you. Now exit to the left and climb up to leave the cavern via the right-hand passage to continue your journey. Walk right, and in the next cavern you will meet Galadril - the sorcerer that exiled Kyle to Earth to avoid death at the hands of Sarlac. Talk to him, and then he will transport you on to the second area of the game - The Forest of Onehand…