The Black Onyx
Black Onyx, The is a Game Boy Color role-playing game released in 2001 developed by Bullet Proof Software. It centers on character or equipment growth, area exploration, and combat and party setup, with controls, information, and pacing arranged around a color handheld screen, a directional pad, and two main action buttons.
- AI score · out of 10
- 6.3 / 10
About this game
Black Onyx, The is a Game Boy Color role-playing release centered on character or equipment growth, area exploration, and combat and party setup. Story beats, exploration, and progression resources support a longer campaign, with progress divided into stages, tasks, matches, or growth milestones that make its immediate goals understandable. Its value depends on whether these rules continue to create judgment and room for mastery rather than on campaign length or series recognition. Short campaigns are judged by repeat-challenge value, while longer ones are judged by variety, pacing, and recovery after failure. Characters, world building, maps, and music carry most of the atmosphere, while color choices need to distinguish characters, objects, and routes rather than serve as decoration alone. The main genre-specific friction is that dense text, menu layers, repeated battles, and language dependence can slow progress. In addition, battery saves, link cables, cartridge-specific hardware, the unlit display, and regional language can affect the original experience. This description covers only this release and excludes emulator features, modern-port conveniences, and content from other platforms.
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Game Boy Color (GBC)
AI review
AI reviews are subjective assessments, not player ratings. See each review for its evidence and limitations.Published date:
A clear old-school dungeon quest on GBC, with demanding navigation.
The Game Boy Color edition of The Black Onyx carries an early Japanese dungeon RPG onto a color handheld. A party enters the maze beneath Utsuro, buys equipment and searches for the named treasure. This is the 2001 handheld port, not the original 1984 computer program or the substantially redesigned Famicom Super Black Onyx. A port-specific account notes that its automap shows dungeon layout without recording every shop identity, leaving navigation and supply planning to the player. Color improves readability, while spare first-person corridors and repeated encounters preserve the old-school character. The goal is clear, but finding facilities and fighting through similar passages can slow progress, particularly for someone unwilling to keep notes. The score recognizes the coherent exploration loop without awarding points merely for historical influence. Players curious about the foundations of dungeon RPGs may appreciate its portable form; those wanting generous guidance and elaborate narrative development should expect a demanding, comparatively austere experience.
Strengths
- Party equipment and dungeon routes give purposeful progression.
- Color and basic mapping make the early design more approachable.
Weaknesses
- Incomplete location guidance can lead to repeated wandering.
Who it is for: Players willing to map and study an early first-person dungeon RPG.
Play notes: This Japanese GBC port does not inherit Famicom or SG-1000 judgments.
View scoring basis
| Dimension | Review state | Score | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dimension A clear objective helps, while limited mapping and repeated encounters slow progress. | Reviewed | 6.2 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension Dungeon routing and equipment choices create tension, but sparse guidance taxes navigation. | Reviewed | 6.5 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension Color handheld presentation improves readability while retaining a spare early-RPG style. | Reviewed | 6.4 / 10 | Not provided |
| Dimension The handheld automap helps with layout but leaves important location details to the player. | Reviewed | 6.1 / 10 | Not provided |
Review sources
Not provided
Core information
- Developer
- Bullet Proof Software
- Publisher
- ASCII
- Release date
- 2001
- Platforms
- Game Boy Color (GBC)
- Content kind
- Game
- Release state
- Released
- Region
- Worldwide
- Official website
- Not provided
- Offline minimum players
- Not provided
- Offline maximum players
- Not provided
- Online minimum players
- Not provided
- Online maximum players
- Not provided
- Categories
- Role-Playing · Primary genre
- Tags
- Long-term ProgressionFantasyWarLevel ProgressionSolo-friendlyExplorationStory-drivenTurn-based CombatMain Story 20–50 Hours2D GraphicsTop-down
- Supported game languages
- Not provided
- Requires base game
- Not provided
- Standalone
- Not provided
- Age ratings
- Not provided
- Play modes
- Single player
- Perspectives
- First person
Release editions
- Game Boy Color (GBC)Worldwide2001
Game gallery
Sources
Not provided