- "Let the blood wash it all away."
- ― Blackmore
Blackmore is the main antagonist of the The Suffering: Ties That Bind. He was voiced by the late actor Michael Clarke Duncan.
Appearance[]
Blackmore, when seen by Torque, appears to be a man close to Torque's age, characterised by a deep voice and a red buttoned shirt. He has a shaved head and his most distinguishing features include his different-coloured irises and facial scars. Interestingly, he somewhat resembles Torque when playing Ties That Bind with evil morality, minus head and facial hair. In the final confrontation at the Garvey Children's Home, he is revealed to transform into the Evil version of The Creature, which supports his role as Torque's evil alter ego.
Description[]
A mysterious crimelord who lies at the center of Torque's struggles, Blackmore ran the drugs trade in Baltimore, as well as funding the Foundation's research into the Malefactors. He is inexplicably tied to every major event in Torque's life including his imprisonment and the deaths of his family. Blackmore works in the shadows, often letting his subordinates carry out tasks and threats, and only gets involved with work himself when it directly concerns Torque. It is also assumed through dialogue at the beginning of the game that he is Torque's employer and confidante.
Later it is discovered that he is actually Torque's alter ego, who takes control of him every time he blacks out. Torque claimed during his court case that he blacked out during the deaths of his family, which is true or not depending on his morality at the end of the game.
Almost viewing his 'better half' as a best friend more than anything, Blackmore acts willing to do almost anything to bring Torque over to his side; force him to understand and embrace the reasoning that so violently drives the crime lord. Blackmore's voice is now Torque's evil mental sprite in morality situations, as he can be heard goading Torque to perform evil acts throughout the game.
Final Battle and Fate[]
Blackmore is battled in Chapter 18 of the game, atop the Garvey Children's Home in Baltimore. During this fight, he will walk around and frequently pass or fly through Torque, as well as using a purple energy to steal Insanity from Torque's Insanity meter. Whilst fighting Blackmore, Malefactors will be spawned by a Horde at the side of the arena, which Torque must kill throughout the fight to gain Insanity.
Shooting or otherwise attacking Blackmore is ineffective in this battle, as he will only laugh and taunt Torque when shot. The only way to harm Blackmore is to attack him using The Creature's attacks, which will knock him back and cause him to appear elsewhere in the arena. The player must be wary of Blackmore, as his purple energy can cause him to siphon the player's Insanity and allow Blackmore to become The Creature himself, where he can inflict major damage on Torque.
Once Blackmore is suitably damaged, he will appear atop the arena, where the player approaches him to finish him. His ultimate fate is directly affected by Torque's morality during Ties That Bind.
- In the "Evil" ending, he overruns Torque's mind completely.
- In the "Neutral" ending, neither he nor Torque is able to dominate the other, and remain in their constant struggle.
- In the "Good" ending, his personality is eliminated by Torque, and erased from his mind.
He is, regardless of morality, resposible for the deaths of Torque's family. In the "Neutral" ending of The Suffering, it was "rock" bought from Blackmore that caused Cory to kill Malcolm and himself; in the "Evil" ending, it was Blackmore's advice that caused Torque to murder his own family. In the "Good" ending, it was Blackmore's thugs that killed Torque's family.
If the player starts the game as good, by either loading a saved game from the first Suffering or selecting good at the beginning of the game after another play through, it will be revealed that Blackmore had not intended for his men to kill Torque's family; only scare them.
Blackmore (and by extension, Torque) was voiced by Michael Clarke Duncan
Archieve Entry
Jordan's Entry
"Blackmore is one of the multiple fictional personalities of our prime target, Torque. Blackmore is highly intelligent, fiercely determined, and brilliantly charismatic, but is only dominant a small percentage of the time. Nevertheless, he has managed to build a substantial criminal empire and has been using his ill-gotten gains to fund the Foundation. He is included here because of his unique connections to the malefactors."
Dr.Killjoy's Entry
"Now here is a most interesting case of study. A man of iron convictions and unstoppable determination, Blackmore has established a criminal enterprise that holds Baltimore firmly in its grip. Having come from much the same upbringing as Torque, Blackmore knew that to go far he would not let petty morals stand in his way. Shrewdly intelligent, he keeps himself free from the watchful eye of law enforcement by never personally breaking any laws. In so many ways, Blackmore is the polar opposite of Torque. Not physically violent himself, he prefers to always have underlings carry out his wishes. It is his inner self that is horribly violent in nature. Despite his determination and even with all the success he has achieved, his one peculiar eccentricity is his near obsession with Torque. For example, when Torque was sent to prison, Blackmore was driven to follow Torque inside to keep an eye on the man he hates so much. It is as if Blackmore lives to always be one step behind Torque making sure his tenuous grip on his sanity becomes weaker and weaker."