Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II(known in Japan asShinigami: Shibito Magire[a]) is a horrorvisual noveladventure gamedeveloped and published by Experience. It is the third entry in theSpirit Hunterseries, following 2017'sSpirit Hunter: Death Markand 2018'sSpirit Hunter: NG.[2]The game was released forNintendo SwitchandPlayStation 4on December 1, 2022 in Japan, and was released byAksys Gamesfor Nintendo Switch,PlayStation 5andWindowson February 15, 2024 worldwide.
| Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II | |
|---|---|
 Official game cover in English. | |
| Developer(s) | Experience |
| Publisher(s) |
|
| Director(s) | Ataka Motoya |
| Producer(s) | Hajime Chikami |
| Artist(s) |
|
| Series | Spirit Hunter |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | Nintendo Switch
|
| Genre(s) | Horroradventure,visual novel |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
The story is set in a Tokyo suburb, and sees the player take the role of Kazuo Yashiki, who is hired to infiltrate a school as a teacher to investigate gruesome, spiritual incidents that occur there every ten years. Like previousSpirit Huntergames, it is an adventure game, but it also incorporates elements fromtabletop role-playing games.The player investigates areas in a side-view perspective together with a number of partner characters; the choice of partner determines which locations the player has access to.
The game is directed by Ataka Motoya and produced by Hajime Chikami, and was financed through acrowdfundingcampaign.
Gameplay
edit
Shinigami: Shibito Magireis anadventure gamein which the player investigates areas in a side-view perspective.[3][4]
The investigations are conducted together with one of several partner characters; depending on which is chosen, the player has access to different locations and items. Each character has a set ofstatistics,which in the player character's case can be increased. These are used to affect outcomes in dangerous situations, such as when being attacked by a spirit, in a system called Suspensive Act.[3]
Plot
editShibito Magireis set in a suburb of H City in Tokyo,[5]and revolves 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.
Because of this, Konoehara's principal hires Kazuo Yashiki of the Kujo family to infiltrate the school as a teacher and investigate the incidents.[3][4]
Development
editShibito Magireis developed by Experience, and is directed by Ataka Motoya and produced by Hajime Chikami, with character designs by Fumiya Sumio and concept art by Kazuhiro Oya.[6]The development was financed through acrowdfundingcampaign on the website Campfire, which began on November 25, 2019, with a goal of 15 millionyen[7](approximatelyUS$140,000),[1]which was reached on December 29 with 17 days remaining of the campaign. The campaign also had further goals on top of the base goal, going up to 30 million yen, all of which were reached and thus allowed for production of a larger amount of art assets and voice-overs, added gameplay features, the addition of returningSpirit Hunterseries characters, a new story expansion, and a novelization.[7][8]
The game has a new theme and concept compared to previousSpirit Huntergames: the developers describe the theme as "a gloomy horror with suspense-based mystery", compared to the previous games' "spirit suspense horror", and the concept as "suspense that offers a new feeling of exploration and helplessness through changing perspectives", compared to "a new horror experience that succeeds the previous game".[1]While it like previousSpirit Huntergames is an adventure game, it also incorporates elements inspired bytabletop role-playing games,such as character statistics that affect the success rates of certain actions.[3][5]
Release
editShibito Magireand its crowdfunding campaign were announced by Experience in September 2019 through theirYouTubechannel, along with a number of concept art pieces.[9]It was published by Experience on December 1 2022, in Japan, for theNintendo SwitchandPlayStation 4,following multiple delays to allow for further quality improvements.[2][10]APlayStation Vitaversion was ruled out due to a lack of support for the system from the manufacturer.[9]
Aksys Gamesare planning to publish the game internationally in Late February 2024.[11][12]Initially announced for release on the same platforms in addition toWindows,the western PlayStation 4 version was cancelled in favor of thePlayStation 5version in August 2023.[13]The PS5/Nintendo Switch version in North America was released on February 15, 2024.[14]They included a soundtrack CD.[15]
Reception
editSales
editFamitsu reported that Death Mark II sold 3,836 copies in Japan after it was released.[16]
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^abcRomano, Sal (2019-11-03)."Experience to launch crowdfunding campaign for third entry in Spirit Hunter series on November 25".Gematsu.Archivedfrom the original on 2019-12-16.Retrieved2020-01-03.
- ^abRomano, Sal (2022-01-07)."Shinigami: Shibito Magire delayed to September 15 in Japan".Gematsu.Archivedfrom the original on 2022-01-07.Retrieved2022-01-07.
- ^abcdYokoyama, Keiichi (2019-12-30)."『 chết ấn 』 の chính thống 続 biên 『シビトマギレ ( 仮 ) 』, クラウドファンディングキャンペーンが mục tiêu kim ngạch 1500 vạn yên に tới. PS4/Switch hướng けに khai phát trung".Automaton(in Japanese).Active Gaming Media.Archivedfrom the original on 2020-01-03.Retrieved2020-01-03.
- ^abWong, Alistair (2019-11-25)."Spirit Hunter Series Sequel Shibito Magire Crowdfunding Begins In Japan Today".Siliconera.Curse, Inc.Archivedfrom the original on 2020-01-03.Retrieved2020-01-03.
- ^abRomano, Sal (2019-11-25)."Experience launches Shibito Magire crowdfunding campaign".Gematsu.Archivedfrom the original on 2019-12-30.Retrieved2020-01-03.
- ^""Tâm linh ホラーADVシリーズ" mới nhất làm 『シビトマギレ ( 仮 ) 』 の ティザーPVが công khai! クラウドファンディングもまだまだ thật thi trung ".Famitsu(in Japanese). Kadokawa Game Linkage. 2019-12-09.Archivedfrom the original on 2020-01-03.Retrieved2020-01-03.
- ^abRomano, Sal (2019-12-29)."Shibito Magire crowdfunding campaign fully funded".Gematsu.Archivedfrom the original on 2019-12-30.Retrieved2020-01-03.
- ^Fukuyama, Koji (2020-01-16)."『 chết ấn 』, 『NG』に続く tâm linh ホラーシリーズ đệ 3 đạn 『シビトマギレ ( 仮 ) 』 の クラウドファンディングが3000 vạn yên を tập めて cuối cùng ゴールを đạt thành".Den-fami Nico Game Magazine(in Japanese). Mare, Inc.Archivedfrom the original on 2020-11-23.Retrieved2020-01-17.
- ^abRomano, Sal (2020-01-03)."Experience to crowdfund third entry in Spirit Hunter series".Gematsu.Archivedfrom the original on 2019-12-16.Retrieved2020-01-03.
- ^"Shinigami: Shibito Magire delayed to the 1st of December in Japan - Game News 24".19 June 2023.Archivedfrom the original on 14 August 2022.Retrieved2 July2022.
- ^Hazra, Adriana (July 2, 2022)."Aksys Games Announces Shuuen no Virche ~ErroЯ:Salvation, Norn9: Var Commons & Last Era, 4 More Games".Anime News Network.Archivedfrom the original on August 20, 2024.RetrievedJuly 3,2022.
- ^"Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II Game Releases in English in Late February 2024".Anime News Network.2023-08-27.Archivedfrom the original on 2024-08-20.Retrieved2023-08-27.
- ^"Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II delayed to late February 2024 in the west; PS4 version dropped for PS5 version".Gematsu.August 24, 2023.Archivedfrom the original on August 24, 2023.RetrievedAugust 24,2023.
- ^"Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II comes to Switch Feb. 15th, 2024".2023-10-31.Archivedfrom the original on 2024-08-20.Retrieved2024-08-20.
- ^Romano, Sal (24 August 2023)."Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II delayed to late February 2024 in the west; PS4 version dropped for PS5 version".Gematsu.Archivedfrom the original on 7 February 2024.Retrieved26 March2024.
- ^"Famitsu Sales: 11/28/22 - 12/4/22 [Update]".8 December 2022.Archivedfrom the original on 8 December 2022.Retrieved20 August2024.