Gaming

‘Mark of the Deep’ Is the Soulslike That Might Have Cracked the Code for Me (Review)

‘Mark of the Deep’ is a great Soulslike and one that finally made me fully appreciate the genre for what it is.

Mark of the Deep is the Souls-like That Might Have Cracked the Code for Me (Review)
Screenshot: Light Up Games

I’ve pointed out my inability to lock in with Souls games and Soulslikes. Most of that’s due to just not being able to get a good feel for the animations and how they interact with the gameplay. My recent dive into Elden Ring has been pretty successful so far. But with the way things have swung around here, I’ve had to take a step back. Fortunately, Mark of the Deep has me covered. And it’s possibly the Soulslike that helped me figure out the other ones.

Mark of the Deep is an isometric Soulslike that had me ready to play it when I saw the first trailer. You play as a pirate named Rookie. You and your crew end up on a mysterious island, and this island is as deadly as they come. Your crew has been affected by a strange curse, and of course, you haven’t. But you have been impaled by your own hook in the crash. Regular pirate stuff, right? Not all is as it seems, and over the 17 hours I played, the story actually kept me engaged. I’ll keep this story-free, but it’s worth playing to uncover everything.

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you got ‘Hades’ in my soulslike

waypoint-Soulslike
Screenshot: Light Up Games

As I said in the title, the code may have been cracked for me on these. And the key? Insert a little Hades and some Super Metroid. Combat-wise, the game leans on its Souls influence, as dodging and timing are key. It’s appropriately twitchy, and there is a layer of strategy in reading opponent patterns before attacking.

But the main issue I have is that the dodge roll mechanic is a little finicky in its animation. It took me a while to figure out a decent timing, but it’s not perfect. There were times when instead of dodging, I’d just find a straightaway and try to funnel enemies through there. The combat is still largely enjoyable, but there is a slight learning curve as you nail down timing. There’s a ranged weapon as well, which has its ammo tied to your regular attack. The game wants you to be up close and personal as often as possible.

I enjoyed the boss battles, too. The one-on-ones fall victim to some animation issues, but it’s far less noticeable. The pattern recognition and attack loop kept me locked in even while I was getting my ass kicked. When I died here, I could always point out why. 99% of the time, I was just being too aggressive. And that’s when I realized I could make an adjustment to these games. It took a game that looks like Hades, that tricked me into playing it like Hades, to teach me that it damn sure isn’t that. Once I started to play it with a level of measurement, boss battles — and the game itself — made more sense.

exploring the island in ‘mark of the deep’ is a little rough

waypoint-Soulslike2
Screenshot: Light Up Games

Of course, what would the Metroidvania influence be without some exploration elements? While I did enjoy taking my abilities to earlier areas of the map, the problem is that there is no map. Getting around is an exercise in memorization of shortcuts and enemy placement because each area looks the same. The game is actually pretty beautiful with detailed character art and great attack effects. But I just can’t help but feel like the game would have benefited from more environmental variety to ease exploration.

However, the game does make it worth your while to get around. Thankfully, dying doesn’t result in a loss of resources. You do it way too often to have that as a consequence. If you can grind it out a bit, you can do pretty well for yourself upgrade-wise. Getting the boots and the upgrade that extends the range of your hook are key for the early portions of the game.

AN ADVENTURE WORTH TAKING — a soulslike worth playing

I found myself looking for more and more quests as I played because the characters were so well-voice-acted. I wanted to see more of their stories and what each of the quests would lead to. I’d put the full game somewhere around 35 hours if you take on every quest and try to get every upgrade. You’re getting a legitimate adventure here. I’d go as far as to say if you’re someone like me who had a hard time really keying in on what makes the Soulslike genre special, this game is a perfect entry.

Mark of the Deep is available on Steam, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X and S, and PS5/PS4. A code was provided by the developer for review. Reviewed on PC.