Do you remember The Mark of Kri

Potential-Monke

The Mark of Kri



Published by: SCEA/SCEE/Capcom
Developed by: SCE San Diego Studio
Genre: Action-Adventure
Number of Players: 1
Release Date: March 14, 2003 (EU)

For every Evil, there is a greater Good. For every Innocent, there is a Protector. For every Legend, there is a Hero.

Going into PS2 land with this, and i remember seeing it at first thinking Hmmm, this looks like a big of a laugh Disney game. The back of the case gave nothing away, it looked like a cartoony fun game, something along the lines of Hercules or other Disney associated games. You can imagine the shock i got when i read the booklet, only to discover that the main character, a Polynesian Rau Utu, can dismember his victims. I got even more of a shock when i played the game, and realised the violence within was going to play a major part of this game. Disney? Try Manga-style violence in Disney clothes! The most graphic violence the PS2 had seen up to then!

I've lifted the story from Wikipedia: The protagonist, Rau Utu, is known as a great warrior. Trained by his mentor and adopted father, Baumusu, he was taught stealth and extraordinary skill with his sword. He was also taught to help those in need rather than act as a mercenary. The games begins with Rau being asked a favor by the village tavern keeper, he says that bandits are keeping business away and asks Rau to look into it. After Rau takes care of the bandits his ability as a warrior spreads far and wide. This leads to a mysterious man showing up in the tavern and offers Rau money for his services. Despite the uneasy feeling that Rau has about the man he accepts his offer. Rau returns home from his job to find that he's been taken advantage of by the mysterious man and his village has been attacked and destroyed. His mentor and adopted father, Baumusu, tells him of his path in life and that Rau must find his sister who was taken during the attack on the village.

The story in this game mattered, i wanted to know what was going to happen throughout the story. The controls were perfect, and the beat-em-up action was perfectly done, it made the game hugely enjoyable to play. I couldn't put it down when i first got it, and i must have played through it 3 or 4 times in a row, it was that good. Maybe it was the fact that the realistic violence had gripped me, but i loved every second of this game. I found it while clearing out the old room a year or so ago, and it's definitely on my replay list. If you have never played this, i cannot recommend you go out and find it and play it now.

bugs

Fantastic game, tight controls and a great story. Really enjoyed playing the challenge/arena mode. Sequel 'Rise of the Kasai' never really did it for me, i think i lost interest about half way through.

K.O.Kiki

I remember this sating my Tenchu-style fix, but I had so many other games to play I never got past maybe 3/4 worlds.

Great under-appreciated gem this.

deathrider

I missed out on this one myself. I spotted it going cheap as chips in a secondhand shop about a year agao. Thought to myself, I'll pick that up tomorrow. Came back the next day, it was gone.

Potential-Monke

There's a good few of them on ebay going for chips, i highly recommend them. Those challenges were bastard hard too!

deathrider

Potential-Monke wrote: »

There's a good few of them on ebay going for chips, i highly recommend them. Those challenges were bastard hard too!

Never been a fan of buying things online. So I'll do it the old fashioned way- Hunt the fecker down!