TL;DR: Not as good as the first Death Mark, but better than NG, get it if you liked either game.
This game is really good, I love that we went back to our protagonist from Death Mark 1, it felt like "coming home" in a sense. I also really like the shift to a side scrolling perspective, on the flip side, I also think it's the culprit for my biggest criticism of this game...
PROS:
- I think the story is very well written, I don't think it's better written than 1 or NG overall, but I still think it's a very strong story that grips you the whole time.
- The VA, when it's there is really strong like the previous entries.
- The characters are as well written as ever, with a few standouts.
- The art is still beautiful and there are more CGs than NG (which was a big complaint of mine with that game)
- They added cutscenes! Kind of, I can't say much without spoiling.
- The side scrolling adds a layer to the gameplay, and helped keep me engaged even more, as I wanted to explore as much as possible.
NEUTRAL:
- The art is less realistic leaning than it did in the previous 2 games, especially NG, it feels more anime-ish? I personally like it, but it's definitely a bit of a shift.
- I personally think the Departed's voice filter makes them sound super silly and not threatening AT ALL.
- While I really like the side scrolling aspect, it is still bare bones, but a great effort for what is their first try at it.
CONS:
- This is the point I brought up in my intro, I think because they put a lot of focus on making it a side scroller instead of just a static dungeon crawler, it feels like the environments hardly change for a decent chunk of the game, it's all basically in one location. It fits that it hardly changes as your character is hired to figure out a mystery as a school, and the artwork is beautiful for every location. Sadly though, it's not like Death Mark 1 or NG where it feels like it's a new location every case.
- I think a lot of the voice filters they put on the spirits just made them sound silly, and not scary at all.
- A lot of the cases tread the same paths and rooms as others. The cases in this game are quite good, and most are well written, but a lot of them do feel like set dressing for the main plot once it's all said and done.
- I think a lot of the spirit designs are overall weaker than the previous 2 games.
- This game randomly jump scares you, and I just think it kind of cheapens the experience and atmosphere.
