Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II
A horror adventure with tabletop RPG elements and partner-based exploration.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II, released in Japan as *Shinigami: Shibito Magire*, is a horror adventure game from developer and publisher Experience. It is the third installment in the Spirit Hunter series, arriving after 2017’s *Spirit Hunter: Death Mark* and 2018’s *Spirit Hunter: NG*. The game launched in Japan for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 on December 1, 2022, and was later brought worldwide by Aksys Games for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Windows on February 15, 2024.
The story takes place in a Tokyo suburb and follows Kazuo Yashiki, who is hired by a school principal to pose as a teacher and investigate a series of gruesome, spiritual incidents that recur at Konoehara Academy every ten years. Like earlier entries, this is an adventure game, but it also draws inspiration from tabletop role-playing games. Players explore environments from a side-view perspective alongside partner characters; the choice of partner determines which areas and items are accessible.
The game was directed by Ataka Motoya and produced by Hajime Chikami, with character designs by Fumiya Sumio and concept art by Kazuhiro Oya. Funding came from a crowdfunding campaign on the Campfire website, launched on November 25, 2019, with a goal of 15 million yen (about US$140,000). That target was reached on December 29, with 17 days left in the campaign. Additional stretch goals up to 30 million yen were also met, enabling more art assets, voice-overs, extra gameplay features, the return of characters from earlier Spirit Hunter games, a new story expansion, and a novelization.
The developers describe the game’s theme as “a gloomy horror with suspense-based mystery,” a shift from the “spirit suspense horror” of previous titles. Its concept is “suspense that offers a new feeling of exploration and helplessness through changing perspectives,” compared to the earlier games’ focus on “a new horror experience that succeeds the previous game.” While it remains an adventure game, it incorporates tabletop RPG elements such as character statistics that influence the success rates of certain actions, used in a system called Suspensive Act when facing dangerous situations like spirit attacks.
The game was announced alongside its crowdfunding campaign in September 2019 via Experience’s YouTube channel, with concept art shown.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II
- Developer
- Experience
- Publisher
- JP · Experience · WW · Aksys Games
- Director
- Ataka Motoya
- Producer
- Hajime Chikami
- Artist
- Fumiya Sumio · Kazuhiro Oya
- Series
- Spirit Hunter
- Platforms
- Nintendo Switch · PlayStation 4 · PlayStation 5 · Windows
- Released
- Nintendo SwitchJP · December 1, 2022 · WW · February 15, 2024PlayStation 4JP · December 1, 2022PlayStation 5, WindowsWW · February 15, 2024
- Genre
- Adventure
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II is set in a suburb of H City in Tokyo, revolving around Konoehara Academy, where gruesome events occur every ten years. The police are unable to explain the incidents and classify them as accidents, but they are rumored to be caused by spirits. The principal hires Kazuo Yashiki of the Kujo family to infiltrate the school as a teacher and investigate the incidents. The game is directed by Ataka Motoya and produced by Hajime Chikami, with character designs by Fumiya Sumio and concept art by Kazuhiro Oya. Development was financed through a crowdfunding campaign on the website Campfire, which began on November 25, 2019, with a goal of 15 million yen, reached on December 29 with 17 days remaining. Further goals up to 30 million yen were all reached, allowing for additional art assets, voice-overs, gameplay features, returning series characters, a new story expansion, and a novelization. The developers describe the theme as 'a gloomy horror with suspense-based mystery' and the concept as 'suspense that offers a new feeling of exploration and helplessness through changing perspectives.'
Reader's Guide
Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II is an adventure game in which the player investigates areas in a side-view perspective. Investigations are conducted with one of several partner characters; the choice of partner determines which locations and items the player can access. Each character has a set of statistics, which in the player character's case can be increased. These statistics affect outcomes in dangerous situations, such as when being attacked by a spirit, in a system called Suspensive Act. The game incorporates elements inspired by tabletop role-playing games, such as character statistics that affect success rates of certain actions. It was released in Japan on December 1, 2022 for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, following multiple delays for quality improvements. A PlayStation Vita version was ruled out due to lack of manufacturer support. Aksys Games published the game internationally on February 15, 2024 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Windows, with the western PlayStation 4 version cancelled in favor of the PlayStation 5 version in August 2023. The international release included a soundtrack CD. Famitsu reported that Death Mark II sold 3,836 copies in Japan after its release.
Did You Know?
- The crowdfunding campaign reached all stretch goals up to 30 million yen, funding a novelization and a new story expansion.
- A PlayStation Vita version was ruled out due to a lack of support for the system from the manufacturer.
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