Death Mark is a 2018 visual novel game that was created by Experience Inc. and published by Aksys games. The game was released for Nintendo Switch, PC, Playstation 4, and the every so dying or already deceased Playstation Vita. I played the PSVita version just for the simple fact that I refuse to let my Vita go. Yeah. I still play mine and will probably continue to do so until a new version is released.
A man wonders to a mansion in the middle of the woods with no memory of who he is. In the mansion her finds a doll and a mark on his wrist that is said to be a mark of death which will eventually kill him if he doesn't find the ghost who gave it to him. More people come to the mansion bearing marks of their own as the work together to defeat the ghost who gave them these marks.
The gameplay for Death Mark is very simple to get the hang of once you play the game for a bit. Your functions are basically to move around, check things out with a flashlight, touch a bunch of stuff that none in their right mind would touch, and scroll through menus to pick party members, read information you have gathered along with items you have collected. Reading up on the information you find from looking around and talking to people if a VERY IMPORTANT factor in being successful at beating Death Mark. Knowing about the background of the spirit you're chasing makes the moments of Live or Die much easier to stomach. When you enter a situation of Live or Die, you 'll be forced to answer a question as your soul points quickly decrease. Soul points are similar to HP which you can collect more of through Talisman you find in different places. If you answer the question wrong, you die…. Stumbling into one of these without knowing your info is very terrifying but you do get the chance to try multiple times until you get the correct choice. It's more fun to try to get the right choice on your first or second try in my opinion just for a bit of a challenge. Boss battles are more about the strategy of the items you pick that are in your bag to fight the spirit. Depending on the order plus which item you use for what round, the outcome of the battle will vary. What party member you take with you also plays a big part on the outcome. I tried to save each spirt after I defeated them instead of just destroying them for a good ending. You don't have do this though. Especially since you won't know the outcome if you play the game without any guide. Also, please note that Death Mark isn't dubbed into English for those who care about this sort of thing… Only English subtitle is available. This game doesn't use much voice acting anyways….
Death Mark's story isn't amazing by any means. Players still get a good enough tale to feel like they have accomplished something once they get to the end. I did enjoy the cast of characters ripped straight out of a Japanese horror anime. Each character has their own personality making for a different experience depending on who you decide to take with you when you explore an abandoned school, a forest, a phone booth, etc. The game looks gorgeous on the PS Vita for the most part. Artwork for the environment, character, and cut scenes give players a modern yet classic take on visual horror. There's many reasons that this came is rated M for mature and nudity defiantly is one of them. Just wanted to put that out there for the pervs in the back…. Anyways, You really do feel like you're reading a horror novel when playing Death Mark's slick features. Most of the horror doesn't come from what you would expect. Death Mark makes sure that you don't know what's happening until it's too late to undo. That is unless you don't save your game constantly. All I'm going to say that outside of the occasional jump scares as you explore, make sure to keep all the character's alive that you run into till the end of the game. One twist in the storyline was a good one that threw me for a loop. One would expect this shocker but the story tries to divert players from the truth which was cool.
My favorite piece from the soundtrack is the piano piece that plays when you're always in the mansion. I love that erie atmosphere the fast piano creates as you prepare to head out to a new location. Music for the different areas isn't much of a soundtrack at all. Instead you get a real to life sound of your surroundings such as owls in a forests or the quiet of a parking lot.
I enjoyed playing Death Mark on PS Vita just as much as I enjoyed playing Corpse Party when I first bought a PS Vita a few years ago. Fans of Visual novels and Horror will keep busy once you pick up Death Mark. Be sure to play without a strategy guide for a challenge.
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