Blackthorn Arena

65%
Game Brain Score Based on 1,060 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • stability
Blackthorn Arena Game Cover
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"Blackthorn Arena" is a gladiator combat and management simulator where you build and train a team of warriors to compete in brutal arena battles. Manage your ludus, recruit and train fighters, and customize your strategies to outwit your opponents and climb the ranks. Experience visceral, tactical combat with a variety of weapons, spells, and enemy types in this immersive, ancient world.

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

65%
Audience ScoreBased on 1,060 reviews
story14 positive mentions
stability108 negative mentions
  • Unique and deep character skill development and mixtures, allowing for a variety of builds.
  • Engaging gameplay that combines management and combat, providing a satisfying experience.
  • Active development with frequent updates and improvements based on player feedback.
  • Numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including crashes and AI pathfinding issues.
  • Combat can feel unbalanced, with RNG elements leading to frustrating outcomes in battles.
  • User interface is clunky and poorly designed, making navigation and understanding mechanics difficult.
  • story184 mentions

    The game's story is described as a mix of intriguing lore and frustrating mechanics, with critical missions that can abruptly end progress if failed, leading to a sense of helplessness. While the narrative offers some depth through character backstories and relationships, many players find it lacking in substance and variety, often feeling like a tutorial rather than a fully fleshed-out experience. Overall, the story serves as a framework for gameplay but suffers from pacing issues and a lack of engaging content.

    • “Intriguing lore and choices: the game's dark and intricate storyline keeps you invested.”
    • “You have a story, you have your own arena, a bunch of gladiators with a lot of traits, you struggle with money and fame, you send your gladiators to hell or not, the game basically keeps you on all the time.”
    • “I love the story concept, love the attention to detail for most of the management portion of the game.”
    • “You destroy a good concept and decent gameplay with too many random occurrences and most importantly use the story to force people to play in a specific way to be ready for the tournament within a specific timeframe, which results in min-maxing and frustration, turning a decent game that I would have enjoyed playing for hours into a 'reload until you get the result' and 'play the same tournament again and again until you get lucky' mess.”
    • “I just want to add that if you make it to the first big story point (the spring games) and fail to win this incredibly stacked against you fight, your story just ends abruptly.”
    • “A ton of content is gated off behind the story, which for some reason takes forever to advance.”
  • gameplay148 mentions

    The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its depth and management mechanics, while others criticize its frustrating combat, poor AI, and reliance on RNG. Many users noted that the game offers a steep learning curve and can be overwhelming due to its complexity, but also highlighted the potential for engaging gameplay once the mechanics are understood. Overall, while the game has solid concepts and a rewarding gameplay loop, it suffers from significant balancing issues, bugs, and a lack of polish that detracts from the overall experience.

    • “I have been looking for a gladiator game for years; nothing even comes close to how well put together this game is, how well thought out it is, how much actual management there is involved, how many quirky little things there are to learn, how many vast combinations of genre classes and abilities and weapon classes and different ways to play there are, and how deep the game goes. 40 hours into the game, I am discovering important major mechanics just now. I didn't even know you could learn several new classes on your gladiators; I thought there was a limit, but apparently the sky is the only limit in this game!”
    • “I think this game has hundreds if not thousands of hours of pure, amazing, and super well thought out gameplay to offer if you aren't braindead or otherwise impatient.”
    • “Gameplay is engaging, and you'll find yourself sinking a lot of time into your top stable of gladiators and finding the perfect combinations of solo, two-man, three-man, and four-man teams to carry out the honor of your ludus.”
    • “The biggest downfall was the time mechanic which made you feel like failure wasn't an option.”
    • “The game mechanics just seem slapped together and don't really work all that well.”
    • “The game is really unfair, and I don't mean the game is hard; it is unfair because of the limitation of the incompetent combat AI and the design choice of the game overly relying on RNG mechanics to govern every aspect of the game.”
  • stability116 mentions

    The game is widely reported to be quite buggy, with numerous glitches, crashes, and performance issues that can hinder gameplay. While many players find it enjoyable despite these problems, the overall consensus is that it feels incomplete and requires significant polishing. Some users noted improvements over time, but persistent bugs and suboptimal mechanics remain a common frustration.

    • “The game is 90% bug free, no kidding.”
    • “I've played early access games that weren't as buggy and unoptimized as this.”
    • “The game is remarkably stable with minimal issues.”
    • “I really want to give this game a good review, but it is so buggy that it is difficult to play.”
    • “Full of sound bugs, crashes, visual bugs and freezes after fights.”
    • “Instead it was a buggy mess and felt like it still needs a lot more work.”
  • graphics78 mentions

    The graphics of the game are generally considered dated and inconsistent, with many users noting that they resemble those of older titles or mobile games. While some appreciate the character creation system and find the art style appealing, others criticize the overall quality and presence of graphical bugs. Despite these shortcomings, the graphics are deemed acceptable for a smaller studio, though many players express a desire for improvements and optimizations.

    • “The art style is nice, graphics are good, and combat is fun and interesting.”
    • “I imagined graphics at the likes of Lost Ark, armors and equipment from For Honor, more particles and blooming effects (the blaze arrows particle effects are really pretty!), better missions, introduce warriors from other mythology such as warlords, samurai, kheshig, medjays, taming our own monsters to fight.”
    • “This game is near perfection in my opinion, I just wish there were somehow more things to do at your arena, more ways of making money, and if possible in the future some graphic updates.”
    • “There does not seem to be all that much content and the graphics certainly aren't of such high quality that this game should eat up that much storage space.”
    • “As well as other issues like very long loading screens, the game graphics and game mechanics make the game look and feel like the game came out 15 years ago, so why the loading screens take so long is beyond me.”
    • “Game is awkward, controls are awkward, graphics are what is to be expected from a mobile game and it seems a bit of a grind.”
  • replayability36 mentions

    Overall, the game is praised for its high replayability, with many players enjoying the variety of character customization, challenge levels, and the ability to experiment with different gladiator compositions. However, some reviewers noted that while there is significant replay value, the experience can become repetitive over time, leading to mixed ratings ranging from 6/10 to 10/10. The inclusion of randomness and new gear options contributes positively to the replay experience, making it a solid choice for players who appreciate varied gameplay.

    • “Lots of replayability, perfect challenge level and challenge variety, great character customization, and you get to watch real gladiator battles play out, just like the good old days... 10/10”
    • “I'd give this game 10 stars for content, control, and replayability.”
    • “Being able to level up and utilize different gladiator types as your champions makes the game's replayability pretty solid.”
    • “I'm not sure about others, but I think this price is a deal breaker for the amount of replayability this game has to offer.”
    • “More event-based games, etc., more replayability, longer gameplay; then I would give this a 10/10, but right now it's more of a 6/10.”
    • “It's a promising and replayable game with many flaws.”
  • optimization30 mentions

    Overall, the game's optimization is widely criticized, with many players reporting significant bugs, poor performance, and frequent crashes. While some improvements have been noted, such as better stability and the potential for optimized builds, the consensus is that the game requires substantial updates to enhance its balance, user interface, and overall optimization. Many users express frustration with the current state, feeling it is unfinished and in need of urgent attention from the developers.

    • “While there are optimized builds, you can play anything you want and it will work.”
    • “There's still a lot of bugs in the game which aren't too game-breaking, and the game truly needs to be optimized, but the dev team is aware of these things and is constantly working on them.”
    • “Trying to get a refund; the game is awful, unfinished, and completely unoptimized. The devs have the nerve to release DLC packs. Very unfortunate.”
    • “It really feels like I'm playing a loading screen simulator rather than the game itself, and I hope that this gets optimized because this game has potential.”
    • “Great concept, but it needs more improvement in UI, game optimization, and balance, which makes for a frustrating experience to play this game.”
  • music18 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some praising its quality and fit for scenes, while others criticize it for being dull and inconsistent, often cutting out unexpectedly. Users report that audio issues, such as delayed music cues and a lack of smooth transitions, detract from the overall experience. Additionally, while nature and combat sounds are noted as decent, the overall sound design is considered sub-par.

    • “The music is very good.”
    • “Nature sounds and combat actually sound pretty decent when colliding swords; the music (when available) fits well with the scene.”
    • “It would be nice to have consistent music and audio that makes transitions feel smoother rather than having dropouts.”
    • “The music and overall sound is very sub-par.”
    • “Consistency...the music and sound drops out at the most random times.”
    • “It would be nice to have consistent music and audio that makes transitions feel more smooth rather than drop outs.”
  • grinding14 mentions

    Reviews indicate a mixed reception regarding grinding in the game. While some players appreciate the sense of accomplishment that comes from grinding and find the reward system well-balanced, others criticize the excessive grind, particularly in crafting and material gathering, which can feel tedious and reliant on RNG. Overall, the game's grinding elements are seen as a double-edged sword, enhancing some experiences while detracting from others.

    • “The gameplay loops are great and the reward system is very well balanced (not too grindy, not too easy, not too much RNG), which is rare.”
    • “Feels rewarding rather than toilsome (not too grindy).”
    • “This would be a good game if it had a lot less bugs and a little less grinding.”
    • “- the crafting feature is tedious and too RNG-based in terms of gathering materials (unless I'm missing something about how to gather the materials needed to craft items).”
    • “- this is a sim but it plays more like a grindy tactical, turn-based RPG because of how much it relies on skills and gear for progression.”
  • humor6 mentions

    The humor in the game is characterized by its absurdity, such as the ability to create exaggeratedly "thiccy" gladiators, and the presence of poorly executed English translations and numerous typos that add to the comedic experience. Players often find that moments of frustration can quickly turn into laughter as they discover simple solutions to challenging fights.

    • “You know those points in video games where you realize your anger has turned into humor and fights you thought were hard at first had really simple solutions?”
    • “Hilariously badly done English translation and just typos everywhere.”
    • “Also, you can make your gladiators all thiccy as heck, which is hilarious.”
  • monetization6 mentions

    The monetization strategy of the game is widely perceived as a cash grab, with users expressing frustration over the developer's focus on promoting future projects despite existing issues. This has led to a negative impression of the game's value and quality.

    • “Honestly seems like a cash grab.”
    • “The many clear problems that there are, my best guess is this is a cash grab.”
    • “In their infinite wisdom, the developer is already advertising their next subpar game.”
  • character development4 mentions

    The game features robust character development, allowing players to create and customize their own gladiators while also focusing on skill progression. This depth enhances the gameplay experience, making it enjoyable for both casual and dedicated gamers, as they strategize between deploying top fighters and managing their health. Overall, the character development aspect is a standout feature that sets it apart from other gladiator management games.

    • “There is a rather deep character design, from making your own gladiators to skill development. As a casual gamer, even if you aren't amazing at it, there is a lot of fun to have.”
    • “I've played a few other gladiator management themed games, but this one really hooked me with the character development aspect and the balance of putting your best fighters out there and letting them heal while you send in your second or third tier guys.”
    • “There is a rather deep character design, from making your own gladiators to skill development, and as a casual gamer, even if you aren't amazing at it, there is a lot of fun to have.”
  • emotional2 mentions

    The emotional aspect of the game is perceived as lacking due to its unfinished state and the presence of numerous bugs, which detracts from the overall experience.

  • atmosphere2 mentions

    Reviewers suggest that incorporating cut scenes during critical moments, such as the end of a match, would significantly enhance the game's atmosphere, adding emotional weight and immersion to the experience.

    • “A little cutscene at the end of a match for the live or die moment would greatly enhance the atmosphere of the game.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

19hMedian play time
27hAverage play time
6-44hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 18 analyzed playthroughs

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