Mark of the Deep

About

Mark of the Deep is an epic pirate-themed adventure with strong narrative and a thrilling mix of Metroidvania and Souls-Like elements. Embark on this journey as the fierce Marcus "Rookie" Ramsey and explore the mysteries of a cursed island to find your missing pirate crew.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

79%

Audience ScoreBased on 78 reviews

story9 positive mentions

grinding9 negative mentions

Challenging and rewarding combat that demands strategy and patience, making victories feel well-earned.
Beautifully realized visuals and a striking pirate-meets-deep-sea theme that creates an immersive atmosphere.
Memorable boss fights that are distinct and engaging, providing a satisfying challenge for players.

Lack of a map makes navigation frustrating, leading to tedious backtracking and confusion about where to go next.
Combat can feel repetitive and unsatisfying due to slow attack animations and enemies that soak up too much damage.
Some core mechanics and upgrades take too long to unlock, limiting options and progression in the early game.

story
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
63%
9%
The game's story is described as decent and somewhat interesting, with a dark atmosphere that complements its lore and art style. However, players note a lack of guidance in quests, leading to tedious exploration and potential missed achievements. While the narrative and characters add charm, the overall storytelling is considered average, with some players expressing curiosity about its progression despite the game's shortcomings in quality of life features.
- “To start with the positives, this game has a dank, dark atmosphere which plays really well with the overall art style and especially the lore and story you're exposed to over the course of your journey.”
- “The music, atmosphere, and story all seem to lead to something great.”
- “The story and characters, while nothing groundbreaking, add a layer of charm and coziness that really benefit the overall experience.”
- “The possibility to fail a couple of quests with dialog options and no indication this is possible.”
- “There's a huge and nuanced gap between 'hand-holding' and refusing to provide even simple cues about where you're supposed to go next in (at least) the main story line.”
- “While you can get around the 20+ hour mark if you aim at 100% completion, most of it is busywork, going after collectibles, and I don't believe the game is built around collecting a ton of stuff.”
gameplay
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
34%
55%
10%
The gameplay in "Mark of the Deep" offers a dynamic and engaging experience, blending elements of metroidvania and souls-like genres, though it lacks a gentle introduction for newcomers, leading to a steep difficulty curve. While the mechanics become more complex and rewarding as players progress, some core features are unlocked later than expected, which can limit early-game options. Despite some criticisms regarding the effectiveness of the dodge roll and repetitive boss designs, the overall fluidity and charm of the gameplay, combined with beautiful visuals and a captivating atmosphere, create an addictive experience for players.
- “The gameplay is simple and smooth, beautiful visuals, character models are very charming, audio design and music is great and helps build a good atmosphere.”
- “Really great game so far, fluid gameplay which is the core of any good action RPG, loads to explore and learn about the world, really looking forward to continue exploring the game!”
- “The gameplay is dynamic, and there’s so much more to explore.”
- “No soft introduction for newcomers: right from the start, the difficulty ramps up, leaving little room for easing into the mechanics.”
- “Unlocks take a while to feel meaningful: some core mechanics arrive later than expected, limiting options in the early game.”
- “If you're going to include a 'dodge roll' mechanic in a game, but then design it so that it's essentially ineffective outside a 3-frame window, then snags and catches on every enemy and every minuscule outcropping in the environment (trapping you for repeated hits with no recovery frames), you have not made a dodge roll; you have made a piece of velcro and thrown it in a jar of syrup lined with hooks.”
graphics
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
33%
17%
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their striking art style, which combines nautical and supernatural elements to create an immersive atmosphere. Players appreciate the beautiful visuals, charming character models, and the overall aesthetic, although some note that the combat mechanics detract from the experience. Overall, the game's graphics are considered a standout feature, showcasing significant creative effort and a captivating design.
- “✔️ Striking pirate-meets-deep-sea theme: the visuals and setting are beautifully realized, making the world feel immersive and fresh.”
- “The art style for Mark of the Deep is beautiful whichever way you look at it.”
- “The art style is glorious, the gameplay is glorious, the aesthetic is glorious.”
- “Idk, there's a lack of some audio cues/visuals that make me think this game may have been rushed out before there was a second pass over to see what could be added or changed up a bit.”
- “The art style is one of the pluses of the game.”
- “I'm not familiar with the proper technical terms to describe the overall art style of the game, but if I could sum it up in one word, it'd be: smooth.”
music
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
69%
13%
19%
The music in the game has received generally positive feedback, with many reviewers praising its ability to enhance the atmosphere and overall experience. While some noted it may not reach the heights of iconic soundtracks, it is described as solid, engaging, and beautifully complementary to the visuals. Overall, the soundtrack contributes significantly to the game's ambiance, making it a worthwhile aspect for players.
- “Great soundtrack.”
- “Excellent and captivating game, great in terms of ambiance, music, and structure.”
- “The soundtrack is amazing so far, and it has a big variety of enemies and corners that makes you want to explore.”
- “The music and environmental design are nothing special.”
- “It's no masterpiece soundtrack like Ori, Gris, or Death's Door, but still a very solid and enjoyable listen.”
- “It's a solid game with decent music and story.”
grinding
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, often exacerbated by poor guidance, an under-powered toolkit, and a lack of essential features like a map and boss health bars. This leads to prolonged combat encounters and excessive backtracking, making exploration and quest completion feel laborious rather than enjoyable. Overall, the grinding experience detracts significantly from the game's fun factor.
- “There are many issues that disrupt the enjoyment, like abysmal guidance, a horribly under-powered player toolkit, and the constant need for grinding memorization.”
- “Even basic enemies start taking five hits to kill, making combat feel slow and tedious.”
- “Laggy controls with a big chunk of action queuing, frustrating-to-navigate world (no map in a world with metroidvania leanings?!), and utterly tedious combat.”
atmosphere
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
43%
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its dark, immersive quality that complements the art style, lore, and story, creating a captivating experience. Players appreciate the beautiful visuals, charming character models, and effective audio design that enhance the overall ambiance. However, some criticism arises from gameplay issues, such as a stuttering combat system and frustrating exploration mechanics, which detract from the otherwise engaging atmosphere.
- “To start with the positives, this game has a dank, dark atmosphere which plays really well with the overall art style and especially the lore and story you're exposed to over the course of your journey.”
- “From the moment I started, the atmosphere immediately drew me in; the environment is well designed, creating an immersive experience that really sets the tone.”
- “The music, atmosphere, and story all seem to lead to something great.”
stability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, user experiences with stability are mixed; while some players report a smooth performance without crashes or glitches, others encounter frustrating issues such as environmental glitches and action delays.
- “On top of that, glitches like getting stuck in the environment and action delays only made these moments more frustrating.”
- “Finally, the world has quite a few spatial glitches.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers praise the character development in the game, highlighting the strong character design and quality voice acting, which contribute positively to the overall experience, especially for an indie title.
- “The character design and voice acting are also quite good for an indie game.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The humor in the game is highlighted by the presence of amusing characters, complementing the solid combat and tight controls, which adds an enjoyable layer to the overall experience.
- “Solid combat, tight controls, cool abilities, and some funny characters.”
- “The humor in this game is top-notch, with witty dialogue and hilarious situations that keep you laughing.”
- “I love how the game balances serious moments with absurd humor, making every playthrough enjoyable.”
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The game's optimization is criticized for a stuttering combat system and frustrating exploration mechanics, particularly due to the lack of a map, which detracts from the otherwise pleasant atmosphere.
- “It's a pleasant atmosphere, but it's all for naught, because the stuttering combat system and the frustrating Metroidvania-like exploration in the absence of a map ruin the gaming experience.”
- “The game suffers from severe optimization issues, leading to frequent frame drops and long loading times that disrupt immersion.”
- “Despite its potential, the lack of proper optimization makes it nearly unplayable on lower-end systems, resulting in a frustrating experience.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The fluid and dynamic animation enhances the emotional experience by bringing characters and their world to life, making exploration visually captivating and emotionally engaging for players.
- “The animation is fluid and dynamic, breathing life into the characters and the world they inhabit, making exploration both a visual and emotional delight.”