Death Mark

 

Aksys Games has announced their over the top horror visual novel Death Mark is heading to Steam in April. Josh reviewed the game for us and gave it really high marks for its setting and writing. No word yet on if this version will see the censorship the ESRB forced on the console versions, but from the content description on the Steam page it doesn’t sound like it, but we’ll pass along the information about this when we have conformation one way or the other.

MATURE CONTENT DESCRIPTION
The developers describe the content like this:

This is a visual novel in which players follow an amnesiac as he uncovers the truth about a mark found on his arm. As players explore a mysterious mansion, they engage in dialogue and action choices that affect the story’s outcome. Some actions lead to instances of violence, with players using various items to defend themselves or attack enemy spirits. 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. The words “f**k” and sh*t” appear in the dialogue.

There is also a scene with a woman being tortured by having her mouth forcibly held open and being fed spiders.

About Death Mark
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.
Features include:
Search and Survive! – To avoid an almost certain gruesome death at the “hands” of angry spirits, you’ll need to search your surroundings for clues to increase your odds of survival.
Ghost Busting – Sometimes the sword is more powerful than the pen. And when words fail it is time to stand your ground. Remember the price of not holding your own is an untimely death.
Riddle Me This – It’s not enough to defeat the spirit that cursed you, it must be done in the right way. If you don’t, you might survive but end up wishing you hadn’t. Be sure to parse all the clues and information you discover correctly to make your life continue to be worth living.
Steve Baltimore
Steve started with oprainfall not long after the campaign moved from the IGN forums to Facebook. Ever since, he has been fighting to give all non-mainstream RPGs a fair voice. As the site admin, he will continue to do this and even show there is value in what some would deem "pure ecchi." He loves niche games and anime more than anything... well, except maybe Neptune.