Spirit Hunter: Death Mark
A horror visual novel adventure about cursed marks and vengeful spirits.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons
Spirit Hunter: Death Mark is a horror visual novel adventure game from developer and publisher Experience. It launched the Spirit Hunter series, debuting on PlayStation Vita in Japan during June 2017. Later ports arrived for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One. Aksys Games handled the worldwide release in October 2018 for those platforms except Xbox One, and a Windows version in English and Japanese followed in April 2019. Critics gave it a positive reception. Two sequels exist: *Spirit Hunter: NG* (2018) and *Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II* (2022).
Motoya Ataka directed the game, with Hajime Chikami producing. Rui Tomono and Fumiya Sumio provided art and concept work, while Naoaki Jimbo composed the music.
**Gameplay**
The game plays as a first-person visual novel adventure. Players investigate environments and clear each chapter by eliminating a spirit. The story unfolds in standard visual novel fashion, while exploration uses adventure game mechanics with puzzle-solving and item collection. A "Spirit Power" meter acts as a health bar; it can be expanded by collecting talismans. Timed choices appear occasionally, where the time limit depends on the player's current Spirit Power. Answering incorrectly drains Spirit Power, and losing all of it triggers a game over. Near each chapter's end, a turn-based battle occurs against the enemy spirit. The player character fights alongside another mark bearer, using two items per turn. The battle's outcome determines whether the spirit is purified or destroyed. If purified, no mark bearers die. If not, one non-protagonist mark bearer may be killed, and the story continues without them.
**Plot**
Set in H City, Tokyo, the story follows an amnesiac man (default name Kazuo Yashiki) who bears a scar called the Mark on his arm. Rumors say the Mark comes from curses or ghost contact and kills its bearer by dawn. After noticing it, Yashiki blacks out and wakes at Kujou Mansion, where he finds owner Saya Kujou dead. She also had the Mark and researched it but died before finding a cure.
In Chapter 1, "Hanahiko," Yashiki meets the sentient doll Mary in the mansion, who offers advice. He also encounters two other Mark bearers drawn there: occult-loving high school student Moe Watanabe and elementary schooler Tsukasa Yoshida.
Quick Facts
- Title
- Spirit Hunter: Death Mark
- Developer
- Experience
- Publisher
- JP · Experience · WW · Aksys Games
- Director
- Motoya Ataka
- Producer
- Hajime Chikami
- Artist
- Rui Tomono · Fumiya Sumio
- Composer
- Naoaki Jimbo
- Platforms
- Nintendo Switch · PlayStation Vita · PlayStation 4 · Microsoft Windows · Xbox One
- Genre
- Horror Adventure, visual novel
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Spirit Hunter: Death Mark is set in H City, Tokyo, and follows an amnesiac man named Kazuo Yashiki (default name) who bears a cursed Mark on his arm that leads to its bearer's death at dawn. After finding the body of Saya Kujou, a fellow Mark bearer, Yashiki meets other bearers at Kujou Mansion, including the sentient doll Mary. The game's chapters involve investigating haunted locations and confronting spirits based on urban legends and historical events. In the first chapter, the group calms the spirit of Hanahiko, an abused orphan, using his mother's lipstick. In the second chapter, they encounter Shimi-O, the leader of a cult who became a vengeful spirit, and put him to rest with a poisonous root covered in honey. The game was developed by Experience, which had previously mostly created dungeon crawler role-playing games, but chose to make Death Mark an adventure game to broaden their audience and focus on horror rather than mixing genres.
Reader's Guide
Spirit Hunter: Death Mark is notable as the first entry in the Spirit Hunter series, followed by Spirit Hunter: NG (2018) and Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II (2022). It was well received by critics, described by game publications as one of the best Nintendo Switch horror games, one of the best horror visual novels, and among the best visual novels on the Nintendo Switch. It won Digitally Downloaded's 2018 silver game of the year award in multiple categories and was included in a PC Gamer feature about exciting gems on Steam. Famitsu appreciated the game's atmosphere, typical of Japanese horror films, and its accessibility to players not good at action games. The PlayStation Vita version sold 7,099 physical copies in its debut week in Japan, ranking eighth. Three weeks after international release, over 100,000 copies had been sold worldwide. Aksys Games chose to localize the game after internal evaluation, considering it a perfect fit due to its horror themes and interactive adventure format.
Did You Know?
- The game was originally intended to be a dungeon crawler role-playing game before becoming an adventure game.
- The spirits in the game are based on urban legends and historical events.
- Aksys Games released a limited edition that included a temporary tattoo of the fatal Mark.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Spirit Hunter: Death Mark?
It is a horror visual novel adventure game developed and published by Experience, built around cursed marks and vengeful spirits. The title launched the Spirit Hunter franchise, first appearing on PlayStation Vita in Japan in June 2017 and later receiving positive critical reception.
Who created Spirit Hunter: Death Mark?
Motoya Ataka directed the project while Hajime Chikami served as producer, and Rui Tomono and Fumiya Sumio handled the artwork. Naoaki Jimbo composed the score, and Experience both developed and published the game in Japan.
What platforms is Spirit Hunter: Death Mark available on?
The game debuted on PlayStation Vita in Japan before being ported to PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One. Aksys Games managed the worldwide console release in October 2018 (excluding Xbox One), and a Windows version in English and Japanese followed in April 2019.
What is Spirit Hunter: Death Mark's story about?
The narrative centers on cursed marks that draw vengeful spirits toward the characters, blending supernatural horror with visual-novel-style investigation and decision-making. Players work through the mystery of these marks while confronting the spirits they unleash.
Are there sequels to Spirit Hunter: Death Mark?
Yes, the series expanded with two follow-ups: Spirit Hunter: NG in 2018 and Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II in 2022. Both continue the franchise's focus on spirit-related horror within the visual novel adventure format.
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