Pirates, monsters, curses, and treasure hunting is the best way to explain the heart of Mark of the Deep. With creatures and your own pirate crew being stranded and cursed on a deserted island, Rookie must find his way through this dangerous world while trying to find out how he is not affected by the island himself.
Mark of the Deep is the very first Soulslike game I have ever played, and it did not disappoint. While first playing, I would often get frustrated that I couldn’t get past a certain part, but it made me change my plans and adapt to the fighting style. I also learned while playing that it is often better to just skip the other monsters in order to get to the mini-boss at the end of the maze. Throughout the gameplay, I knew it would take a long time to fight some of the enemy characters; the very first boss took me 30 minutes to beat.
In my opinion, Mark of the Deep is a lot more fun and easier to play with the recommended Xbox controller. Playing on both, there was a big difference in my survival rate and time. With a mouse and keyboard, every movement and attack has to be thought out way in advance, while with a controller, I was able to think about my moves and not worry about what button I was hitting. Though I could just be biased because of being a console user all my life. It also made a difference in my reaction time.
There are many areas in Mark of the Deep that you are unable to get to until you get more abilities and weapons. There are also areas in the map where you have to run across a wall in order to get the chest that is needed. In one example, I was going through an area and saw a purple chest. I knew there had to be a way for me to get to that area. I looked until finally I ran next to a wall and walked into it, getting to the chest! Looking around and finding new paths, new areas, and new things to destroy will ultimately lead to more loot and storytelling.
The combat system is well thought out and planned. One thing I enjoyed is how the more health you take from the bosses, the more their attacks changed just slightly in order to prevent you from killing them. I also liked how you don’t get the famed pistol until the third main area when you have to save your fellow crewmate. Following another’s trail and killing the others, you finally come up to a body and are able to use your pistol. The pistol allows Rookie to then shoot tall rocks in the distance that open up new unexplored areas of the map.
Throughout the game, players must find and complete quests with the new section of ruins, changing the battle tactics and adding new enemies to the adventure. In one of the areas, you encounter ghosts and skeletons that have new abilities and weapons to take your health down. One thing I find interesting about the health in this game is how the character is able to gain more health through blood crystals. The enemies also don’t have health bars; instead, they show how close they are to being defeated by gaining bright blue cracks and lines on their bodies. So often times you will be unable to tell how much damage they have taken but once you defeat them, oh boy, does it feel rewarding.
The art style of Mark of the Deep is beautiful and well executed. The cutscenes focus on still images, with the storytelling taking place as the characters talk. The only complaint I have with the animation is that it often felt like I was lagging and that the movements weren’t fast enough, like the FPS would drop and then pick up once in a blue moon.
The character designs are hauntingly beautiful and creative in the way the curse takes them over. As the cure progressively takes over, the lost crews are scattered throughout the land. Some will become the monsters and enemies you meet and destroy, while others stay somewhat themselves but are now creatures of the deep. One of the characters you meet is a fish who has been on the island for a long while and says how wonderful it is to have humans who don’t want to kill her.
The music and sound design are great as well, allowing for dynamic storytelling throughout. The voice actors also do a great job of telling the story, with many of them proudly taking the role to heart and giving the characters life. The music changes perfectly to fit what is happening and fits the pirate adventure that this game is.
Mark of the Deep is wonderful at storytelling, combat, music, and art style but is not for the faint of heart. If you have never played a Soulslike game, I highly recommend this one, as it is a good entry-level game to get into other Soulslike games. The pirate theme and art style make it even more memorable.
Sara played Mark of the Deep on PC with her own bought copy.
