I was really looking forward to this new entry in this series, as I loved both previous installments. While NG was more like a side story, this one (as the title implies) is a full-on sequel to Death Mark, so we get to play as the ‘Spirit Doctor’ once again. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel like this newest chapter could live up to its predecessors, but still, it wasn’t bad, either.
The new gameplay elements include walking around in 2D environments, collecting and using stuff, sometimes with a companion who we can also interact with. This part reminded me of The Coma games (without anyone actually chasing us), and was a great addition, in my opinion, as the whole thing started to feel more like a classic, old-school point ‘n’ click adventure game rather than simply a visual novel. More interaction in these types of titles is always a big plus for me. With that said, the atmosphere somehow wasn’t as creepy as in the previous entries, and I believe it was not a good idea that 90% of the main plot took place in one location and its direct surroundings. Running back and forth between the same rooms and buildings in each chapter became quite tedious for me after a while, and not even the jumpscares worked too well. Though I must admit, the evil spirits still look terrifying, and we get many brutal, gory scenes, some even depicting suicide, so keep that in mind.
Overall, the story was OK, but the twists are not that surprising if you pay attention, and the puzzles are not that crazy difficult, either. It was nice seeing the old characters again, and some fun new ones. If you liked the series so far, give this one a try, but don’t expect anything too memorable.
The new gameplay elements include walking around in 2D environments, collecting and using stuff, sometimes with a companion who we can also interact with. This part reminded me of The Coma games (without anyone actually chasing us), and was a great addition, in my opinion, as the whole thing started to feel more like a classic, old-school point ‘n’ click adventure game rather than simply a visual novel. More interaction in these types of titles is always a big plus for me. With that said, the atmosphere somehow wasn’t as creepy as in the previous entries, and I believe it was not a good idea that 90% of the main plot took place in one location and its direct surroundings. Running back and forth between the same rooms and buildings in each chapter became quite tedious for me after a while, and not even the jumpscares worked too well. Though I must admit, the evil spirits still look terrifying, and we get many brutal, gory scenes, some even depicting suicide, so keep that in mind.
Overall, the story was OK, but the twists are not that surprising if you pay attention, and the puzzles are not that crazy difficult, either. It was nice seeing the old characters again, and some fun new ones. If you liked the series so far, give this one a try, but don’t expect anything too memorable.