Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death

About

Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death is a hack-and-slash action adventure game. Playing as Marlow, you must fight your way through hordes of enemies using a variety of weapons, while also solving puzzles and exploring ancient ruins. The Mask of Death, a powerful and ancient artifact, grants Marlow special abilities that help him in his quest to save the world from destruction.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death screenshot

91%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,364 reviews

story79 positive mentions

stability25 negative mentions

Fun and over-the-top action reminiscent of 80s B-movies.
Decent graphics and engaging combat mechanics for a budget title.
Humorous dialogue and character interactions add to the enjoyment.

Repetitive gameplay with some enemies being damage sponges.
Fixed camera angles can lead to frustrating platforming sections.
Some technical issues and crashes reported during gameplay.

story
310 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
65%
10%
The story of "Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death" is generally viewed as a clichéd and over-the-top B-movie narrative, revolving around a typical revenge plot where the protagonist seeks to rescue his girlfriend from an evil antagonist. While many players find the humor and absurdity of the story entertaining, it is often criticized for its predictability and lack of depth, serving primarily as a backdrop for the game's action and combat mechanics. Overall, the narrative is seen as lighthearted and self-aware, appealing to those who enjoy campy storytelling alongside engaging gameplay.
- “The story is pretty good while it is your standard stop the bad guy and save the girl kind of story, it's the kind of story that knows exactly what it is and doesn't try to be serious like there are plenty of over the top moments like funny dialogue, over the top villains and the hero says cheesy one-liners, it does have some dark elements in it but other than that it doesn't really take itself seriously which is good.”
- “The story is absurd, the gameplay is tight, and the dialogue is pure gold.”
- “The story is like a corny action movie but the gameplay is definitely enjoyable.”
- “It's like a Michael Bay movie; the story is terrible and everything explodes.”
- “The story is nothing but weird and bad; you can't buy Marlow Briggs for the story.”
- “The story is as cliché as it could be: rescue your girlfriend from a big corporation villain boss with an assassin/ninja henchgirl and loads of hired guns.”
gameplay
297 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
57%
6%
The gameplay of "Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death" is a blend of hack-and-slash mechanics reminiscent of the "God of War" series, featuring a variety of combat styles, combos, and supernatural abilities. While the game offers a mix of engaging action, platforming, and mini-games, it suffers from issues like repetitive combat, clunky controls, and sudden shifts in gameplay style that can disrupt the flow. Overall, it provides a fun, albeit janky experience, appealing to those who enjoy light-hearted, action-packed gameplay with a comedic twist.
- “For the gameplay, you fight using a scythe named Kukulkan's Fangs, which has several powerful combos.”
- “The gameplay is a mix between God of War and the first Darksiders.”
- “The gameplay is satisfying as hell.”
- “It's janky and unsatisfying to play... and any experienced gamer will tell you, the handling, responsiveness and general gameplay feel of the control scheme must be well polished for this kind of game to succeed.”
- “Unfortunately, this is something the developer seems to have phoned in, with little to no apparent gameplay testing.”
- “The gameplay outside of combat is no better; there are numerous puzzle and platforming sections, but I found these areas just a hassle; I ran into numerous glitches, which was only made worse by the fact that the puzzles lacked any real challenge.”
humor
216 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
1%
The humor in "Marlow Briggs and the Mask of Death" is characterized by its self-aware, over-the-top dialogue and absurd scenarios, often drawing comparisons to B-movie tropes and classic action films. Players appreciate the witty banter between the protagonist and his sidekick, the mask of death, which adds a comedic layer to the gameplay, although some find the humor can become repetitive as the game progresses. Overall, the game successfully blends action with a lighthearted, humorous tone, making it an entertaining experience for those who enjoy a comedic take on the hack-and-slash genre.
- “The witty conversations between Marlow and the mask that gives the character powers are actually funny at times and very self-aware.”
- “Marlow Briggs is a fun game, action-packed with tongue-in-cheek B-movie style humor and enjoyable God of War-style gameplay.”
- “The humor is original, witty, and is delivered at the exact right times.”
- “The humor is boring and not funny in the slightest.”
- “I found the jokes to be stale and lacking any real wit.”
- “The attempts at humor fell flat and felt forced throughout the game.”
graphics
198 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
41%
7%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players noting that while they are decent and colorful, they often feel outdated, resembling titles from the late 2000s rather than a 2013 release. Some praise the visuals for their artistic style and vibrant environments, while others criticize the lack of graphical options and occasional glitches. Overall, the graphics are considered satisfactory for a budget title, providing a fun and engaging experience despite not being cutting-edge.
- “The graphics are very good, nice and colorful with plenty of great scenery that just basically sells you on the Amazon feel.”
- “The graphics are pretty spectacular for such a short and budget-developed game, with some excellent framed vistas which can be compared to the Uncharted series.”
- “The graphics are amazing, with stunning environments to look at.”
- “For a 2013 AA game, you'd expect a bit more in the graphical development; most of the visuals feel like they came out in 2009, especially compared to God of War 3, which still holds up pretty good compared to the last chunk of 7th gen releases and definitely looks a lot better than this game.”
- “The graphics are pretty bad and full of glitches, resembling a poor PS2 port.”
- “The game is full of Hollywood typical explosion visuals and solid sound effects, but it won't win any graphics awards.”
music
55 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
56%
7%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its epic orchestral quality and ability to enhance the gameplay experience, while others find it repetitive or forgettable. Some players noted a desire for more culturally relevant tracks, such as those inspired by Mayan culture, but overall, the soundtrack is considered solid and fitting for the game's action-comedy style. Despite some criticisms, the music effectively complements the game's atmosphere and is often highlighted as a standout feature.
- “The music is very good, definitely quite epic with a lot of great soundtracks that fit the game well.”
- “The music is God of War, but with a hint of Central American flavor to it.”
- “The soundtrack is an over-the-top orchestral collection of tracks with big bombastic choirs singing.”
- “The music is a little bit lame.”
- “The soundtrack is mediocre and boring!!!”
- “Presentation is pretty basic, and music serves to be a cinematic backdrop rather than emotional in its own right.”
stability
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
4%
89%
The game's stability is a mixed bag, with many players reporting a range of bugs and glitches, including framerate issues and occasional crashes. While some found the experience enjoyable despite these technical flaws, others noted that the game can be frustrating at times due to its instability. Overall, it appears that while the game is functional and entertaining, it could benefit from additional polish to address its numerous stability issues.
- “There are two incredible redeeming qualities to this game, first being the fact that the game is perfectly functional, and I don’t mean that in an ironic, negative way. I mean it more in the sense that the game doesn’t have any frustrating moments, no glitches, no bugs, nothing!”
- “Smooth and no glitches (thus far)”
- “It's falling apart at the seams with framerate issues, glitches, crashes, and the like, but there's real heart here.”
- “Buggy console port, game crashes in jungles.”
- “While the first half of this game is quite good, the second half is a boring buggy mess that drags on for far too long and is lacking in any sort of interesting environments and the enemies are simply palette swaps.”
optimization
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
29%
21%
Overall, the game is generally well-optimized for PC, running smoothly with minimal lag and decent graphics, though some users report resolution issues and a lack of quality options. While it performs well on most hardware, there are occasional technical problems that can be annoying but are not game-breaking. Players appreciate the game's ability to autosave and load quickly, contributing to a positive performance experience.
- “It's easy on the hardware, so you don't have to worry too much about performance.”
- “The PC version is decently optimized, even without any real quality options, and some of the game's set pieces, especially boss fights, rival God of War if not in visual fidelity, then certainly in scope.”
- “The graphics are decent and the game is surprisingly well optimized for PC.”
- “The game is really good, but the one thing that really sucks is that I am forced to play the game at 1280x720p because for some reason when I try to set it at 1080p, the image doesn't fit the screen, causing on-screen display features to be cut out. It's annoying because I keep getting that stupid Windows 'this is not the optimal resolution' notification. My computer can clearly support the 1080p resolution, but there seems to be something going on with this game, and I think it has to do with the fact that this is a ripped-off, unoptimized port of the Xbox 360 version, which is probably causing this conflict of resolution issue.”
- “The devs really wanted to make a God of War style game for cheap, and if you can put up with some dull gameplay, annoying platforming, performance issues, and the like, you're in for a ride.”
- “Performance note: this game has a couple of annoying, but not game-breaking, technical problems.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
90%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly in the later stages where combat becomes repetitive and enemies require excessive hits to defeat. While the initial hours are engaging and action-packed, the latter half can feel frustrating and slow, especially if players do not invest time in upgrades or exploration. Overall, the grind can detract from the enjoyment, turning what starts as a fun experience into a more laborious one.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding and keeps you engaged.”
- “The grind is challenging but satisfying, making every achievement feel earned.”
- “However, the combat starts to feel tedious after a while.”
- “A hack & slash that starts like an amazing action B-movie, then gradually loses its charm and becomes tedious over time, showing off its development constraints.”
- “While the first 2-3 hours of this roughly 6-7 hour game are fun, funny, and action-packed, the back half of the game can get quite tedious and frustrating, with combat going from tight and fluid to unresponsive and slow as your weapon upgrades, while enemies become more plentiful, faster, and harder-hitting.”
replayability
9 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
33%
33%
Overall, the reviews indicate that the game has minimal replayability, with many players noting that they can max out skills and weapons in a single playthrough. While the gameplay, level design, and graphics are praised, the lack of additional content or challenges diminishes the incentive to replay. Some users suggest that it may still be worth playing for its quality, despite the limited replay value.
- “Level design is outstanding, graphics are good, sound is good, voice is good; there's replay value if that's your bag.”
- “Even with a 7-hour runtime and not too many frills for any replay value, I think this could stand shoulder to shoulder with God of War.”
- “You're expecting some kind of grand RPG, or a game with a lot of replay value.”
- “You can max out every weapon and skill on the first run, so no replay value.”
- “I will say that this is another game with not much replay value; do everything in the game and power up completely, and you won't feel shortchanged.”
- “The upgrades are straightforward, and there isn't much for replayability.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
67%
33%
The game's atmosphere is characterized by a campy charm and vibrant graphics that complement its engaging story and gameplay elements. While some aspects, like sound and lip-syncing, may be lacking, the overall presentation, including a decent soundtrack and well-designed levels, effectively enhances the immersive experience. Players appreciate the effort put into creating a lively and enjoyable environment, despite the game's limited budget.
- “I have found many positives in the game - well developed story with many cutscenes and slow motion cuts, enjoyable fighting with many combos, funny minigames, presence of RPG elements, reasonable difficulty, solid controls, good level design, nice graphics and atmospheric sounds along with solid dubbing of main characters.”
- “What helped him was the campy atmosphere and a nice presentation of the game - sure, it had a limited budget, but the devs packed a lot of content and love into it.”
- “Surprisingly enough, the soundtrack is actually pretty decent and, paired with the level design, builds up a really good atmosphere.”
- “The atmosphere and sound are passable, but quite forgettable.”
- “To emphasize action or atmosphere as you progress through the game.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by a touching love story, where a man's determination to save his girlfriend is deepened by her heartfelt notes, creating a genuine connection despite the game's basic presentation. However, some reviewers feel that the music and overall execution do not enhance the emotional experience, leading to mixed feelings about the game's ability to foster a strong emotional bond.
- “The story is that of a man saving his girlfriend, which seems pretty run-of-the-mill, but she leaves him notes to read along the way, and through them, and his sheer determination, you can tell that they really love each other; it's touching, especially for a big, dumb action game.”
- “Expect an emotional rollercoaster of joy, sadness, peace, tranquility, and many more!”
- “After being so emotionally engaged with the introspective masterpiece that is Shrek Treasure Hunt™ for the Sony PlayStation Entertainment System™ available at Tescos™ for only £599.99, I came to the conclusion that there will never be a journey into the life of a misunderstood but gentle ogre as heart-wrenching as Shrek Treasure Hunt™ for the Sony PlayStation Entertainment System™ available at Tescos™ for only £599.99.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of the game is viewed positively, as it is considered affordable and free from microtransactions or NFTs, leading players to appreciate its value and quality. Many users feel it deserves more recognition and financial support, highlighting its underrated status despite being released in 2013. Overall, the game's pricing and lack of exploitative monetization practices contribute to a favorable reception among players.
- “And sure, the game is cheap, but that often makes the game feel like a scrappy miracle rather than a cynical cash grab.”
- “Marlow Briggs is a rather unknown game but has become recently popular due to its low price and word of mouth advertising.”