Japanese horror game Death Mark has escaped from its console-shaped crypt to haunt again on PC, and is out today. Developed by Experience, it’s mostly a visual novel, but with some Fighting Fantasy-esque game-book elements. There are stats, choices and adventure-style inventory p
Japanese horror game Death Mark has escaped from its console-shaped crypt to haunt again on PC, and is out today. Developed by Experience, it’s mostly a visual novel, but with some Fighting Fantasy-esque game-book elements. There are stats, choices and adventure-style inventory puzzling, but they’re secondary to the stories being told. A collection of ghost stories, with your cursed investigator trying to stave off their own supernatural demise by confronting and putting to rest a series of spirits that are haunting modern-day Tokyo. A pre-exorcised launch trailer is below.
"A strange rumor is spreading through Tokyo’s H City: those who bear the cursed Mark will die. Unexpectedly appearing on the body as a scar taking on the appearance of a dog bite, the Mark is said to bring about your inexplicable death. Now, having lost your memory, you stand bef
"A strange rumor is spreading through Tokyo’s H City: those who bear the cursed Mark will die. Unexpectedly appearing on the body as a scar taking on the appearance of a dog bite, the Mark is said to bring about your inexplicable death. Now, having lost your memory, you stand before a mysterious house said to protect those who possess the Mark. As the doors swing open, the countdown to death has already begun."
That's the setup for Death Mark, a horror adventure released last year for the PlayStation 4, PS Vita, and Nintendo Switch. It's apparently quite good: PlayStation Official Magazine UK said it has "beautifully gruesome artwork, clever dialogue, and a classical soundtrack that sends shivers up your spine," and it holds an aggregate rating of 83 on Metacritic, although that only includes four critic reviews, which isn't a lot to go on. We'll have the opportunity to find out for ourselves soon enough, as Aksys Games announced today that it will be out on Steam on April 4.
Your death is almost certain, according to the Steam listing, which isn't a great place to start from, but apparently there are worse possible outcomes. "It’s not enough to defeat the spirit that cursed you, you need to do it in the right way. If you don’t you might survive, but end up wishing you hadn’t," it says. "Be sure to parse all the clues and information you discover correctly to make your life continue to be worth living."
The mature content description makes it sound like a good time too: "Still-image sequences depict instances of blood and/or gore: a bloody corpse on the ground with plants bursting from the stomach; a severed arm on top of a desk. The game contains some suggestive material and nudity: dialogue/text that states, 'Her pale thighs glow on the bedsheet as she poses seductively,' 'Take off your bra,' and '…sexually harassing a subordinate'; a nude character lying in a pit of snakes—her breasts and pelvic region partially covered."
There are also some swears, and somebody gets tortured by being forced to eat spiders. Sorry, bit of a spoiler there. Find out more at aksysgames.com.
