Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II

TL;DR: Not as good as the first Death Mark, but better than NG, get it if you liked either game. This game is really good, I love that we went back to our protagonist from Death Mark 1, it felt like "coming home" in a sense. I also really like the shift to a side scrolling perspective, on the flip side, I also think it's the culprit for my biggest criticism of this game... PROS: - I think the story is very well written, I don't think it's better written than 1 or NG overall, but I still think it's a very strong story that grips you the whole time. - The VA, when it's there is really strong like the previous entries. - The characters are as well written as ever, with a few standouts. - The art is still beautiful and there are more CGs than NG (which was a big complaint of mine with that game) - They added cutscenes! Kind of, I can't say much without spoiling. - The side scrolling adds a layer to the gameplay, and helped keep me engaged even more, as I wanted to explore as much as possible. NEUTRAL: - The art is less realistic leaning than it did in the previous 2 games, especially NG, it feels more anime-ish? I personally like it, but it's definitely a bit of a shift. - I personally think the Departed's voice filter makes them sound super silly and not threatening AT ALL. - While I really like the side scrolling aspect, it is still bare bones, but a great effort for what is their first try at it. CONS: - This is the point I brought up in my intro, I think because they put a lot of focus on making it a side scroller instead of just a static dungeon crawler, it feels like the environments hardly change for a decent chunk of the game, it's all basically in one location. It fits that it hardly changes as your character is hired to figure out a mystery as a school, and the artwork is beautiful for every location. Sadly though, it's not like Death Mark 1 or NG where it feels like it's a new location every case. - I think a lot of the voice filters they put on the spirits just made them sound silly, and not scary at all. - A lot of the cases tread the same paths and rooms as others. The cases in this game are quite good, and most are well written, but a lot of them do feel like set dressing for the main plot once it's all said and done. - I think a lot of the spirit designs are overall weaker than the previous 2 games. - This game randomly jump scares you, and I just think it kind of cheapens the experience and atmosphere.

Random thoughts: - It's great to play this game with lights turned off, I felt the eerie atmosphere! - It was nice to meet characters from the first part, and a surprise was that we moved on maps via controlling the main character. Only the investigation part stayed unchanged. - The lovely detail is that they move a bit different, so for a moment they walk totally not synchronised, then almost synchronised, and then not again. And if you don't move at all, you'll see their idle animation. - Jumpscares aren't special or scarry. That surprised me 'cause I and NG especially got me and I was simply scared to look around the place. That was a great feel. In II we're from time to time getting a scarry sound and an image while changing location. There was only one time I was surprised - when I got a jumpscare while opening the menu. Good, unexpected. - This game has CG's with half-naked women, too. If this is so necessary to the game, then I ask where's equality and half-naked men? - Encounters with spirits are quite much changed. Now making a mistake or even more doesn't result in instant death. This made me much less tense, and I'd say it's a change for worse. There's also a % success rate. What's interesting, if a character is too nervous, even a high % rate choice can fail and we'll need to choose it one more time. - There's finally some use for levels. But still not for stats. Yet, to rise levels we need to look for teeth, and we can find them in all scary holes. And so... scary holes stop being so scary. I wasn't afraid of putting my hand into them. I knew I won't lose it, I knew I'll get a tooth. - Overall, I liked the game.

Good game, better than the first in terms of gameplay I think. Felt more smooth and the puzzles less esoteric. Ascetically, I still prefer the original, although that might be nostalgia speaking. Overall a decent sequel (rather than the middling NG), although the price is too high. I'd recommend the game and recommend waiting for a sale.

Enjoyed my time with it, i like the spirit hunter games but the spirit designs were a bit weak in this one.