Mark of Kri

by Sony

Product Features

• Platform: PlayStation 2
• ESRB Rating: Mature
• Genre: Action/Adventure

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000066JRQ
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches ; 5.6 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: July 30, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (61 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,482 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Though by no means perfect, The Mark of Kri is an original and completely realized game experience. With an innovative fighting system, graphics that are better than you thought the PS2 could deliver, and lots of cool extra character abilities, the game offers a fresh take on the basic guy-with-a-sword scenario.

The Mark of Kri offers some kind of story about dark times coming and bad guys roaming the countryside, or some kind of yadda yadda like that, but the only important thing to know is that you must wander around collecting stuff and kill guys who attack you. There are several things that make this more interesting than it sounds, most prominently the amazing environments of moss-covered ruins. Reportedly former Disney animators were among the developers, and it shows, not only in the character designs and movements, but in the excellence of the sound and lighting effects that subtly deepen the game's lush, ominous atmosphere.

Then there's the fighting system, which lets you assign a button to each attacker, so you can attack enemies on all sides without worrying about which direction you're facing. This is a fairly simple matter at first, but requires more strategy and skill as the game progresses. The Mark of Kri includes a stealth mode, which allows you to sneak up and strike lethal blows before enemies can sound the alarm, and there's a bird you can send ahead to scout hostile territory before you enter it. These extra features keep the ol' killing-crowds-of-bad-guys routine from growing tedious.

We have only two serious complaints: one, the environments are not as seamless and interactive as they could be (if there's a cliff, shouldn't you be able to jump off it?), and two, there are too many things to keep straight, stuff like magic items and combo moves (but then again, the author is unusually lazy, and this probably won't bother most gamers). Overall, though, The Mark of Kri is rock solid, graphically beautiful, and thoroughly engaging. --David Stoesz

Pros:

• Beautiful graphics and art direction
• Innovative and fun fighting system
• Extra character abilities
• Edgy, atmospheric sound effects and music

Cons:

• Convoluted system of items to collect
• Environments are not interactive enough
• Some cutscenes are lengthy and pointless

Product Description

Set in richly detailed 3D environments, each with its own distinct styles and themes, Rau, a fierce warrior, must battle the denizens of the dark world to prevent the invoking of an ancient spell that holds the power to unleash great evil throughout the land. Along with his loyal and trusted spirit guide, Kuzo, a large black bird, Rau embarks on an exhilarating journey that requires a combination of stealth, aggressive-action moves and calculated planning. Kuzo plays a strategic role in th

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Disney + Conan + Gore = ?, August 4, 2002

By 

Seppo Helava (Oakland, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mark of Kri (Video Game)

The Mark of Kri is not a game for kids. Its lush animation, and soft, almost painterly graphics may at first appear to be geared towards a younger audience, but the first time the main character, a barbarian named Rau, cuts an enemy's arm off, then turns around and cleaves a foe in two, it becomes obvious that the style is no indication of the target age.

That said, The Mark of Kri is a beautiful game, whose presentation is second to none. The innovative combat system allows for both interesting one-on-one battles, and more chaotic multi-person battles. Essentially, using the right analog stick to target an enemy will cause an icon corresponding to one of the PS2 controller's buttons to appear over an enemy's head. Until you either "stop focus", or kill the enemy, hitting that button will target that enemy. If fewer than three enemies are targetted (the triangle button serves a different purpose, as do the shoulder buttons), the unused buttons become attack modifiers, allowing you to do different combo attacks, providing some much-needed variety.

The game isn't strictly about combat, however. Rau is able to sneak about, and kill his enemies stealthily, and he is able to snipe enemies using a bow he is given. The variety in combat techniques gives the player a number of ways to approach problems in the game, giving it a bit of nonlinearity that's not standard in an action game of this sort.

Rau's "sprit guide", a bird named Kuzo, provides yet another gameplay element. Rau can see through Kuzo's eyes, and as such, can send the bird ahead of him, so he can plan how to best attack the enemies that lie in wait.

The Mark of Kri is an interesting, varied action game. It's not tremendously long, but doesn't lose your interest, with lots of options to unlock, and a good amount of replay value. The graphics and animation are reminiscent of a Disney film, the feel of the movie, and the narrator, are very Conan-esque, and the abundance of gore, as a result of the excellent and innovative combat engine provide a game that, at first blush, may look like an overly violent kid's game, but in execution, is a wonderfully differently stylized game, made for adults.

Great stuff.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow...this is cool., August 5, 2002

By 

chris romano "toonlets.com" (Topanga, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mark of Kri (Video Game)

My copy of MARK OF KRI arrived Monday morning, and geek that I am, I've played through the first two levels...this game is a lot of fun.

First off, it looks great. Great art direction and pretty good character animation (though the lead character runs a little on the slow side). The Disney-esque stills are also quite nice and add to the production value.

Game play is easy to pick up and pretty original. I like the ability to fight multiple foes in a bloody battle and, on the fly, to change your opponents. Fighting 4, 5, or 6 opponents can be pretty nerve-wracking. Battles can get bloody...it'd make Conan proud. Swinging that big sword and seeing heads fly is pretty satisfying...almost as rewarding as plunging it into your victim's writhing body. Nice!

Overall, I think MARK OF KRI holds a lot of potential. I had to force myself to stop playing because I need to get some work done...but so far in the first two levels, I was met with a lot of action. Sneaking around to grab your enemies from behind makes it even more fun. But the biggest relief was that, aside from a few levers I had to pull, there were no stupid puzzle or crates that needed moving/destroying.

This game's got a really nice barbarian feel, and I found myself already wanting to see the movie. They gotta make a movie. ;)

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great graphics and gore!, August 2, 2002

By 

Kirk E. Koskey (Broomfield, Colorado United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mark of Kri (Video Game)

Because I like action adventure games I was intrigued by everything I had heard about Mark of Kri. First things first, the graphic landscapes are awesome. The battle system is pretty good, allowing multiple cool combo attacks. Also you are able to see through the eyes of your spirit guide, a bird companion, and look around corners to plan your attacks carefully. At first it seemed like an average game with cool graphics, but once I got to the second level(20 minutes), the game got much cooler. You get to sneak up on guards and cut off their heads off and/or smash their skulls. It earns it's "M" rating with honors. Lots of blood. Then you get the bow. With this you can kill from a distance, and quietly. You can fight up to 9 enemies at a time with excellent looking sword moves and blocking. Using your bird spirit guide, you can toggle back and forth between his vision and your vision on the ground for what is esentially alternate camera angles. This way, when you sneak up to kill guards, you can view the killing from a new angle. Very cool.
It is a bit linear though. You can't do too much exploring, but I think we've all become a bit spoiled with the flexibility of GTA3. Compared to that it has it's limits, but it's superb art and cool combat system makes it a solid action/adventure.