Death Mark (Game)

### Release Dates

**PlayStation Vita version**June 1, 2017 (JP)October 31st, 2018 (WW)**PlayStation 4 version**

January 18, 2018 (JP)October 31st, 2018 (WW)**Nintendo Switch version**

June 28, 2018 (JP)October 31st, 2018 (WW)**Xbox One version**

October 25, 2018 (JP)October 31st, 2018 (WW)**Microsoft Windows version**

April 4, 2019 (WW)

### Ratings

CERO: Ages 17 and up
ESRB: Mature
PEGI: 16

### Platforms

PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows

***Death Mark*** (死印, *Shiin*) – its western release rebranded in July 2019 as ***Spirit Hunter: Death Mark*** – is a horror visual novel with adventure game elements for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita and the Nintendo Switch developed by Experience Inc. and published by Aksys Games.

It is the first game in the Spirit Hunter series.

## Synopsis

> "*You Have Been Marked
> A strange rumor is spreading in 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.*"
> ― Official Site
>
>

## Plot

#### Prologue

We see two girls walking home from school, one invites the other to go to a karaoke, saying "*The new Love & Hero song is out*", prompting the other girl to refuse. She claims to be scared over a certain rumor about the disappearance Miss Yamaguchi, who was found dead in a library after getting a strange scar shaped like a dog bite. They mention the disappearance of another girl, and the main character walks by. He admonishes them for talking about rumors to waste time when they clearly don't believe in it, from his point of view. He mentions it being too late out, and his memory fades and he finds himself in front of the Kujou Mansion without knowing why.

#### Chapters

* Chapter 1: Hanahiko

* Chapter 2: Shimi-O

* Chapter 3: Hanayome

* Chapter 4: Miss Zoo

* Chapter 5: Kannon Soldier

* Chapter 6: Little Red Riding Hood

*For a full summary on Death Mark's timeline, see Timeline .*
## Endings

**Normal End:** This ending can also be considered the "bad ending" of the game. In order to get this ending, at least one of the spirits the player encounters must be destroyed instead of purified.

**Good End:** In order to get this ending, all spirits encountered must be purified instead of destroyed.

**Chapter 6:** Getting the good ending in Chapters 1-5 will (on some game platforms) immediately unlock Chapter 6, titled Little Red Riding Hood. Since on other platforms it is a DLC, it has its own good and normal endings. The same rules apply: Purifying the spirit leads to the good end, and destroying the spirit leads to the bad end.

## Gameplay

The story is told in standard visual novel format, while the investigative aspects of the game are done in an adventure game format with puzzle solving and item collecting. The game also includes some mild survival aspects as the player is given a health bar in the form of a "Spirit Power" meter, which can be filled beyond its initial level by collecting talismans.

Occasionally, the player will be given a challenge in the form of a timed choice in which the amount of time they have to answer a question is determined by how much Spirit Power they have. If the player answers incorrectly, they will lose Spirit Power. Allowing the meter to reach zero results in a game over.

Near the end of each chapter, during a confrontation with an enemy spirit, the player character must defend themselves in a turned-based battle. The player is accompanied by another mark bearer during this battle and is allowed to use two different items per turn. Depending on the outcome of the battle, the spirit will either be saved or destroyed, which in turn affects the outcome of the chapter and overall story.

## Development

 There were plans to incorporate RPG-like elements into the game, such as HP (*Health Points*) and MP (presumably *Mana Points*). The RPG elements were eventually dropped, and a system similar to an adventure game was adopted to enhance the horror elements.

### Localization

The game went through changes as it was localized in English by Aksys Games. A significant change was censoring a cutscene graphic that appeared in the game's sixth chapter, "Red Riding Hood". In it, there was a suggestive depiction of a blindfolded woman's mouth forcibly held open by an open-mouth gag before a large spider is dropped into her throat. In the English release of the game, the figure of the woman and the spiders are silhouetted, but the sound effects of the scene were kept in the game. This change was allegedly made in order to pass the American ESRB rating, making the game an M for Mature instead of an AO for Adults Only. However, the retail copy of the game has the CG intact, and it was patched out in the 1.01 update; therefore, many western fans are able to bypass this censoring by not updating their copy of the game.

## Trivia

* The Japanese name 死印 (*shiin*) uses the kanji for "death" and "mark," making the English name fairly literal. Additionally, the word 死因 in Japanese, also pronounced *shiin*, means "cause of death."

## References

1. ↑ Spirit Hunter: Death Mark. PlayStation Store.
2. ↑ Spirit Hunter: Death Mark. Steam.
3. ↑ 死印の初期の画面案ではRPGだったのでHPやMPがありましたね。真下もラフ状態。 @CHIKAMI\_EXP.
4. ↑ エクスペリエンスがあえてアドベンチャーの『死印』に取り組む理由とは？　千頭氏＆安宅氏にダンジョンRPGの名手によるさらなる挑戦を聞く. Famitsu.

## External Links

* Official Website (Japanese)
* Official Website (English)