"Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II" (Shinigami: Shibito Magire) is a supernatural horror visual novel developed by Experience, Inc. for the Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Playstation 5, and PC (Steam). It is the third installment in the "Spirit Hunter" series and the direct sequel to "Spirit Hunter: Death Mark", released in Japan in 2022 and worldwide in 2024.

SPOILERS ALERT.

Synopsis

The game returns to H City, Tokyo, this time at Konoehara Academy. Strange rumors circulate about "The Departed", who posts ominous notices announcing a student's death at the hands of a spirit. Not long after these notices appear, the student in question vanishes. The protagonist of the first game, Kazuo Yashiki, is called in to investigate these rumors and find the true culprit. But it will not be easy, for he will have to face off against several new spirits haunting the academy, and rumor has it that the Departed is hiding among the students, disguised as one of them - and they also seem have a particular fascination with Kazuo. Accompanying him will be old friends and new faces, including the two mysterious students Himeko Douryou and Michiho Kinukawa. (From TVTropes)

Review

I had been looking forward to this game for a while, but somehow, I missed its release. I found out a month after its release, but only FINALLY watched ManlyBadassHero's playthrough of it on 9 June and finished it on 11 June. The binge-watch is real lmao.

I'm late but at least it's not very late (only 3 months) and it's actually nice to binge-watch for once. I remember the pain of waiting for new videos of "Spirit Hunter: NG", it was pure torture, so it's nice that I don't have to wait around this time.

I wonder if this can be counted as "review", considering I don't play it myself. However, I'm going to say it counts, at least for this blog. I initially wanted to write this on my microblog, but it got way too long and polished lol.

Seeing how I'm binge-watched it, clearly, I had fun and I could hardly bring myself to stop watching. It takes me back to the good old days when I watched the previous games that I want to re-watch them (I probably should've re-watched them before starting this to refresh my memory, but...maybe someday), but...I have a few qualms about this game.

The Fanservice

To put this out of the way first...man, I forgot about the fanservice in this series. Fan disservice except it's stupid and distracts from the horror in a bad way. Hell, I feel like the fanservice is taken up to a notch in this game, even though if I remember correctly, "Spirit Hunter: NG" barely has any. It sucks. It started off relatively tame with a girl being wrapped in hoses tentacles while being drenched and showing off her thigh, but then...blatant boobs, bras, underwear, and butts. Lol. If you want to lewd the girls, at least lewd the boys too for equality, damn it!! We only got Yashiki being attacked by hoses tentacles for a bit in chapter 1...and I guess 2 old men (Yashiki and Mashita) making cat noises count? That was hilarious and cute.

Story

Overall, the plot is okay, but I feel like it stretched out a bit too much for my liking. The pacing is a bit off, especially later on as it sped up toward the finale. Chapter 1 - Hanako of the Toilet was such a strong opener (not only because of the doomed yuri - it was a nice introduction while also having high intensity and stakes) that some things that came after fell flat for me. It's nice that this case developed Yashiki's character (namely gave him a sense of identity, which he needs), and I understand why he's so clueless and aimless, but I wish it was done better, somehow. Mashita, the one to ground him and is even able to deduce the potential culprits in mere 2 days, is truly a godsent. Well, he is an ex-police and a private investigator for a reason.

There is some emphasis on teacher-student relationship, which is a bit weird to me, but I don't mind it too much because The Departed aren't actually students, and the emphasis is largely on their feelings. While I question how genuine their love is, I can see how they might develop some genuine feelings when posing as students. Meanwhile, I think Kashima's story is just a sad and bloody tragedy. Still, I'm glad Yashiki doesn't reciprocate any of the students' feelings. I think it is a bit weird how Michiho and Douryou accept their "new" memories and feelings so easily, though.

Speaking of these 2 girls...they're The Departed, the main antagonist/big bad of this game. It was supposed to be a big plot twist, I'm sure, but it's far from a surprise. In the first game, one can suspect Mary, but they're on another level entirely. It's good to have foreshadowing and hints, but it was way too obvious that they are The Departed. Especially Michiho, as much as I like her, she is too suspicious from the beginning.

The Departed's backstory is terrifying for sure. Their grudge is warranted. But also because of that, I feel that they're a bit lacking as the big bad, in contrast to Mary and Kakuya from the previous games (who contrasted each other even more, but they're both great). At the very least, it's nice to have a doll being the good character for once, though she was The Departed's body before they took over Michiho's and Douryou's bodies.

Characters

The game tried to have the players develop an emotional connection to the characters, to get attached to them. Although I like some characters, it didn't succeed as much as "Spirit Hunter: NG" did. It clearly tried with Michiho and Douryou, but it feels forced (which makes sense as they're The Departed, but still). And I think it partly failed because of the appearance of the Mark Bearers from the previous game.

I understand why the game brought them in (nostalgia factor, develop more connections to the previous game, and show their development), it's endearing to see them help Yashiki and care about each other, and it's nice to see them again. But they overshadowed the new characters a bit too much, which is a shame, because they're good and have a lot of potential. Such a missed opportunity.

I'm especially sad about Sakamoto and Abe. Imagine how fun it would be to have them as partners! I think they'd fit nicely with the rest of the characters, too. Sakamoto would be freaking out, going through 5 stages of grief. Abe can go either way. I'm really curious about him, I think his power is real. Just who is he exactly and who is his master? I need to know! He only appeared for a short time, but I love him already and I wish to see him more. Having Mr. Konoe in the first chapter was nice, at least.

In contrast to the previous games, only a few characters Yashiki wanted to save can be saved here. It's both a nice and sad change, as it was quite refreshing in the beginning, but I went numb toward the end. I think some characters deserve a chance to be saved, too.

As much as I love doomed yuri, Horikoshi deserves a chance. Her and Hanako's story is truly a tragedy set by a chain of events. If only one of them didn't happen, the ending might be different. She might be happy dying and I hope she is with Hanako in the other world now, but I also want to see what will happen if she survives and has to move on with her life. I think Kakuta deserves a chance, too, as he was being blackmailed (though he did punch a student and most likely hid it).

Gameplay

I think the change of gameplay to side view/side-scroller is okay, I was actually excited when that change was first publicized, but the game didn't utilize it enough. As a result, it's not as scary as the previous games. "Detention" by Red Candle Games proved that even side-scroller can be scary, too, so the change in gameplay isn't an excuse. At least that's what I think and get from Manly's playthrough. At least the game did a good job setting the atmosphere and scares in some places, especially in the clock tower in the final battle - that's a glimpse of what the horror in side view can be.

As the game is set in only one place (the academy), it's more locked-down and naturally has less variation in areas than the previous games. Instead of going to various different places for each cases/spirits, the characters are stuck in school and the areas nearby. That said, the developers clearly tried by not revealing all of the academy at once, instead expanding it with each chapter and case. The forest is especially nice.

Graphics/Visual

The art is as superb as always. I love how it looks even cleaner now. I think Hanako and The Departed (naturally, as the big bad) has more animation and care put into them, which is great, but the rest are lackluster compared to them.

I agree with what other people said that the spirits' designs aren't as scary as the previous games. I heard that the designer worked on a different game, so this one has a different designer. If that's true, it makes sense, but still a bit unfortunate since the surreal spirits are one of the highlights (or even the selling point) of the series.

The deaths aren't as brutal as well, I believe, which is a BIG disappointment for me. Chapter 1 started off pretty bloody, which got me excited, but it got tamer as it went on. I'm especially laughing at Ai's death CG, literally just pure fanservice. At least show us how her stomach exploded! Okay, getting fed mold and insects are terrifying. I'm bad with insects, so that was pretty scary.

The UI is neat, very fitting for the game. I like it.

Music/Sound

I remember this game has a great soundtrack and indeed it is! I think some music and sound effects are taken from the previous game, too, but I'm okay with it. They're iconic. The usage of sound effect is especially effective, heightening the suspense and intensity, as a horror game should do.

Conclusion

As I previously said, I haven't re-watched the previous games, but I feel like this game is the weakest of them all and my least favorite. From the plot to the characters to the spirits' designs, I think it's weaker and less memorable, with some missed potential in regards to the scary factor and characters to boot. As much as I love Yashiki and Mashita (and the ship), I think "Spirit Hunter: NG" is my favorite of the bunch, largely due to how great and memorable the characters and the spirits are. It has a nice ship, too.

Still, I enjoyed it. I binged it for a reason. The mystery about who was the Departed was pretty interesting to follow, even if it was a bit too obvious from the beginning. And I wish there will be more installment to this series I came to love, to see more of my beloved characters. I especially love urban legends as told in this series and great stories about it rarely come by. Though, I heard this is the last game (especially since it was crowdfunded and didn't sell very well), which is unfortunate, even more so because the game teased us about Hyakki Yagyo. I want to see more of Paranormal Cop Duo Yashiki's and Mashita's misadventures, please!! At the very least, there will be a DLC for the first game, dubbed chapter 7, releasing this summer. I hope it'll get an English release, too.

Extra note: Funnily enough, right after I finished watching the playlist, YouTube recommended me this video, a Japanese fanmade animation of "Death Mark" 1 and 2, parodying a "Touhou Project" song in which 3 girls want to be Yashiki's bride. English comments said they went there from Manly's videos, too. YouTube algorithm doing a great job for once. Glad to see Yashiki/Mashita is also prevailing in JP! In the end, Mashita is true love, after all. Yashiki/Mashita FTW!!

Overall rating: 8/10