Category: Playable Black Characters
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Catacomb Kids
Developer: FourbitFridayPublisher: FourbitFridayRelease Year: 2015Platform: WinGenre: PlatformerTaxonomy: Development; Playable Black characters 500 years ago, the demon sorceress Abys was sealed away beneath her fortress. Now known as The Catacombs, kids from all over seek riches, power, knowledge, and escape in the depths of the dungeons. interviews and other media scholarship Return to List
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Blade
Developer: HammerHeadPublisher: Activision PublishingRelease Year: 2000Platform: Game Boy Color, PSGenre: Action AdventureTaxonomy: Playable Black characters, narrative themes, voice acting/motion capture You play as Blade, a daywalking vampire, based on a Marvel character. As Blade you fight to save humanity from a vampiric presence. interviews and other media scholarship Return to List
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Black Salt Coreruption
Developer: Ratti EntertainmentPublisher: Ratti EntertainmentRelease Year: 2019Platform: WinGenre: FightingTaxonomy: Development; Playable Black characters; Black cultural traditions Responding to a distress call from an unknown source, Gatling and his team get sucked into a dimensional portal finding themselves stranded in a mysterious forest. They run into another hero, Black Salt, and decide to team up and…
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Black Closet
Developer: HanakoPublisher: HanakoRelease Year: 2015Platform: Linux/Mac/WinGenre: PuzzleTaxonomy: Playable Black characters You must solve mysteries and cover up scandals in a high-class all-girl boarding school, where competition is cutthroat. You can pursue friendship or romance in an RPG-style dialog, shaping your character in what you say. interviews and other media scholarship Return to List
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Beverely Hills Cop
Developer: Tynesoft Computer SoftwarePublisher: Tynesoft Computer SoftwareRelease Year: 1990Platform: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, DOS, ZX SpectrumGenre: ActionTaxonomy: Playable Black characters, narrative themes, Black cultural traditions The player takes control of Axel Foley, the main character of the series. There are four distinct sub games including a side-scrolling action game, a…
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Bebe’s Kids
Developer: Radical EntertainmentPublisher: Paramount Interactive, Motown Games, Mandingo EntertainmentRelease Year: 1994Platform: SNESGenre: FightingTaxonomy: Playable Black characters, narrative themes In this game you play as one of “Bébé’s Kids” (LaShawn or Kahlil) who fight to regain control of the Fun World amusement park. Fighting takes place in a number of park attractions. interviews and other media…
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Battlefield 1: Harlem Hellfighters
Developer: EAPublisher: EARelease Year: 2016Platform: PS4/Win/Xbox OneGenre: FPSTaxonomy: Playable Black characters; Black NPCs, Narrative themes; politics/ideology/history; fandom/community/reception Overseeing a member of the unit recounting their assignment to the French Army in advance of official U.S particpation in WW1, the Hellfighters defend against an Imperial German attack. DLC that was exclusive to pre-orders and certain special…
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Barkley Shut Up and Jam!
Developer: AccoladePublisher: Accolade, Sony Electronic Publishing, Den’Z, Piko InteractiveRelease Year: 1994Platform: Genesis, SNES, EvercadeGenre: SportsTaxonomy: Playable Black characters, Black NPCs In this game you play as Charles Barkley or a fictional player for two-on-two games of street ball across the US. interviews and other media scholarship Return to List
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Aurion: Legacy of the Kori-Odan
Developer: Kiro’o GamesPublisher: Kiro’o Games, Dear Villagers, Plug In DigitalRelease Year: 2016Platform: WinGenre: RPGTaxonomy: Development; Playable Black characters; Black NPCs; Black cultural traditions; Narrative themes; Intersectionality; politics/ideology/history; mechanics Set in a 2D setting, in Auriona, based upon the cultures of Africa, you play as Enzo Kori-Odan, the prince of Zama, who is betrayed by his…
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Assassin’s Creed: Freedom Cry
Developer: UbisoftPublisher: UbisoftRelease Year: 2013 (DLC) 2014 (Stand Alone)Platform: PS3/PS4/Stadia(2021)/Switch(2019 Compilation)/Win/Xbox 360/Xbox OneGenre: Action AdventureTaxonomy: Playable Black characters; Black cultural traditions; Narrative themes; politics/ideology/history; voice acting/motion capture; mechanics; intersectionality In this game you assume the role of Adéwalé, a former slave who is trained as an assassin and who found freedom as a pirate. He’s…