What happens when you let a bunch of former 2D animators run wild with designs for an action-adventure game set in some kind of alternate world Polynesian jungle? Well, you get the lovely stylised characters from a Disney film, for a start, but that's not wild enough for this title...
How about we take those Disney-like heroes and caricatures and maybe turn one of them into, let's see, how about The Punisher?
Now that's The Mark of Kri. Don't let screenshots of this game fool you, it is not for kids. That mature rating is there for a reason, and I've no idea what that reason is. I don't ever remember seeing The Mark of Kri back in the day, so this will be my first graphic introduction to this beast.
Let's put that muscle to work.
Fun Times
The Mark of Kri is drawn on your PS2 before your eyes and tells the story of some ancient magic, I think, that has been split up and scattered far and wide, for it the marks were ever to be in the same place at once, bad things will happen.
I'm not really sure what the details are, and I think that all happened a thousand years ago, so we should be perfectly safe to live out a life of whatever we want.
But the barman, who looks like a shaved bear, drops a hint that some bandits have made themselves known nearby, and are up to no good. Also, the tables need wiping down, and some odd jobs need doing at some point. Unfortunately for us, the game won't allow us to clean the tables, but it will allow us to head outside and track down some bandits.
It's a bit of a lengthy transition from drawn art to polygons, but credit to the developers for absolutely running with this style. The character models match the artwork quite nicely, and while you lack the clarity of a black and white illustration when you're in-game, you're still playing an expressive mass of muscle.
His name is Rau, he doesn't say much, but boy can he swing a sword, but in a manner you probably haven't seen in a game before.
You can't beat down an opponent until you've first locked onto them using the right analogue stick, which will sweep out a beam of light from Rau in whatever direction you move the stick. Move it over an enemy, and it'll automatically assign that target an X, Circle or Square, depending on how many foes you target.
Now you're able to fight. The X button will hit the target marked with X, the Circle will aim a swing at the Circle target... you get the idea. It doesn't matter where you are in relation to the target, as long as you are within range, Rau can find an attack animation to fit.
Some of those animations are graphic with a capital G. This guy is getting skewered after being decapitated. Calm down, Rau, geez. He's just a bandit. His mates were happy to just give up and die on the floor, I'm sure he'd be just as compliant if you give him a chance...
There's a lot of fighting in The Mark of Kri, and while you look like you're twice as tall and four times as massive as each and every opponent, there will be times when you'll get outnumbered and will have to fight slower, using the block button. It deflects everything, it seems, so let everyone attack, wait for the opening, spam the attack buttons and get back to blocking when you need to.
Frustrations
While there are a fair few animations for various attacks and combos, some allowing Rau to really show off by chucking his sword in the air with a flourish between attacks, the fights do get a little old a little quickly.
The set up to a fight may be different from other games, having to swipe the right stick around before attacking someone, but the fight itself often results in button mashing. Combos don't feel like they're worth the effort. They might finish someone off quicker, but timing them can be tricky, especially while in the middle of a group of opponents.
If you're in a confined space, your attacks run the risk of clanging off stone walls or getting stuck in nearby tree trunks. It's a neat touch of realism, I suppose, but it doesn't affect the enemy at all, whereas it stops you dead in your tracks.
You might be wondering how the camera works if the right stick is dedicated to targeting your enemies. The answer is 'aright, kinda'. You can usually see what's going on, as it gives you as good a view of the action as it can. When you get close to walls and objects you can get a bit lost, and depending on where everyone is you might not see when and how someone is coming at you, but you can always hunker down, hold the block button, and even shuffle into a better position - or try to - as you move relative to the first opponent you have targetted.
It's a chunky system, as you feel the weight of Rau plodding around, but get him going into a brutal attack animation and it feels pretty fluid. Don't expect the quick fighting of a more modern Batman title, for example, but for what it's trying to do, it's not too bad. Repetitive but unusual.
Further Fun Times
Tales of my exploits have brought hope to the people, one of whom asks me to deal with some more bandits who have ransacked a tomb, if I recall. They weren't after gold or valuables, though, instead taking a piece of parchment. Whatever they took, I'll be rewarded with a bow. Not sure how I'll make use of a bow. Is it for a stealthy approach, perhaps?
The answer is no. Rau doesn't need ranged weapons for stealth. Rau has the footsteps of a tiny bird as he sneaks up to his unsuspecting foes. How they don't hear or smell or feel his breath on the back of their necks, I do not know, but if you get yourself a stealth attack, buckle up for lots and lots of gruesome dispatches.
Maybe not lots and lots - these animations get repetitive too - but enough to wonder just where Rau has picked all of these 'skills' up from. He really does take a no-nonsense approach. Apparently, he has been trained to be a hero of the people and to not become a mercenary. I'm glad he's on my side with the brutality on display here.
Rau is accompanied by a bird called Kuzo, who can use to scout ahead and retrieve items and health pickups. He has designated landing spots and then functions as a sort of CCTV camera for the next section of the level, which are all quite linear so far.
As there's no direct camera control otherwise, you might find yourself resorting to setting him down on a perch somewhere and scanning the environment. If you're ever stuck, it may be a case of you needing Kuzo to land on a switch to press it down, or on top of a ladder to push it off and allow you to climb it.
The tutorial implies you'll be using him quite a bit, but I just found it far easier to let Rau deal with the situation as it arises. You're a mountain of muscle with a big enough toolbox to deal with problems before you worry about which weapons to use.
The biggest problem I faced may well have been these stairs. The right stick only wanted to target opponents at the same level as me, and with so many to choose from, you've got to try to target the ones you want out of the way first and avoid pointing the stick towards anyone else.
You can at least shuffle away from as many as you can and press R3 to deselect everyone and try again, hopefully after you've drawn the ones you want to fight first towards you, but at the end of the day, you can deflect against everyone's attacks whether you've targetted them or not. Just fight with your brain, and you'll be alright, regardless of who you're facing.
In the moonlight, however, I pushed my luck too far. I was introduced to archers on the high ground and went loud in a stealthy section. I was now faced with attacking a couple of guys within arms reach while avoiding incoming arrows.
I believe you can deflect arrows by blocking, but I wasn't blocking. If anything, I was actively welcoming arrows, a couple of them sticking into Rau's flesh to prove the point.
It was a swift death, in the end. Not one for a hero of my stature, that's for sure.
Final Word
That's where I brought The Mark of Kri to a close and had I bothered to save, I might have thought about carrying on with it.
It's not a fantastic game, but it's not a terrible one by a long shot either - it's on the 1001 list, after all. It's here because of its style, its attitude, and its attempts to make something different. While technically a little fiddly and a little awkward, it is definitely different.
When tiptoeing, ledge hopping and ladder climbing, Rau feels as heavy and cumbersome as he looks. Put him in the middle of a fight, and he feels as powerful and as intimidating as he looks. The controls and the gameplay kind of match that too - both awkward and not, sluggish but purposeful.
I read that The Mark of Kri is on the short side, and it does look reasonably linear and obvious in its approach. It's almost like it's designed for kids to navigate, and with tutorials and tooltips introducing you to everything one thing at a time, you'd be forgiven for thinking that it is aimed at younger audiences, especially combined with the look they've gone for.
But, like a great number of kids I'm sure, I was surprised at how violent it turned out to be. I knew nothing about this game before emulating it, and while I've completely glossed over the plot, I know a whole lot more about The Mark of Kri now. It's made an impression, let's say that much.
Will I play it again? Yeah, possibly. It's simple enough. I wonder if it'll keep my attention for all those hours, though, if I was already missing the story. I guess I'll have to find out some time.
Have a go for yourselves. Maybe you'll be as surprised as I am.
Fun Facts
Perhaps not surprisingly, the game was apparently a little controversial down in New Zealand for its use of elements of Maori culture.
The Mark of Kri, developed by SCE San Diego Studio, first released in 2002.
Version played: PlayStation 2, 2002, via emulation.