Rau, the title character, is a warrior that is just starting to learn the ropes of battle. Along the way he learns of the mark of Kri, a symbol of curse passed down from generation to generation. Six families bear the mark of Kri. If all the symbols are brought together, a spell can be cast which will bridge the underworld to the living world. It’s up to warrior Rau to take care of business.

A lot of work was put into crafting The Mark of Kri and it shows. The art direction is incredible, with pencil drawings that provide the inspiration for character design. Rau has a very strong presence, as does his trusty bird Kuzo. The on-screen visuals are realized with flat-shaded textures rather than cel-shading. The flat shades do a good job to realize the vibrant colors, but are a bit on the plain side after a while of play. The voice acting is top-notch, with the cast lending plausibility to cooky and creepy characters.

An animated kid-friendly epic this game is not. The Mark of Kri has cartoon-esque traits – well animated, bubbly characters - but the developers had the guts to add unabashed violence to give the game a more realistic flavor. Rau can snap necks, pierce through chests, and decapitate his foe. All the gory action is accompanied by great tropical sounds and deep percussion beats.

The Mark of Kri uses an interesting gameplay twist. The right analog stick is used to target enemies. The target beam can be used to lock onto three enemies at once. Each targeted enemy corresponds to a different button – x, circle, and square. During combat you’ll be able to take on enemies from all angles by using all three buttons. But if you want to concentrate on one enemy, you can target only one enemy and use the remaining buttons as combo modifiers. For example, if you only have one enemy targeted, Rau could start and attack with the x button, then use circle and square to mix up his attack. The less targets you have to work with, the more combos you can use. The system is innovative and works well in most cases.

Another important gameplay element is stealth. Rau can sneak around Solid Snake-style and shimmy against a wall to sneak onto an enemy. Many levels require stealth and it’ll be your best bet to work your way through without getting your hands dirty. To help you out, Rau’s trusty bird Kuzo can be sent to highlighted perches to scout the area. After Kuzo lands, you’ll be given his view of the area. From there you can strategize your technique – which enemy to go at first, timed attacks, etc.

Players will need to decide which weapon to use in each situation. Besides a sword, players will have access to a bow and arrow, spear, and an axe. In later levels you’ll have to decide which weapon or action will best suit the situation.

To add a bit more strategy, enemies each have different functions. There are enemies that use a horn to warn others, swordsmen, spearmen, archers, and axe-wielding men who wall won’t mind taking a swing at Rau. You’ll have to figure out which poses to most danger to you and take them out accordingly.

The Mark of Kri isn’t perfect. The stages start to get linear with the same rules being applied to each area – scout, stealth, attack, repeat. While the battle system is good it doesn’t accommodate the constant blocking AI. Battles take a while as players need to block a good deal before getting a strike in. You’ll be lucky to pull off a combo in the later levels with 10+ characters around you. Weapon switch is clunky and needs to be done with the R2 trigger via a menu. The action doesn’t stop when you switch weapons, and enemies can hack away in the mean time. Because the gameplay is open ended, you want to be able to do even more. Kuzo should be able to have more gameplay options to distract enemies and Rau could use more stealth options – a wall knock or rock throw wouldn’t hurt. Lastly, the final level is a run-n-gun, convoluted mess that few will appreciate.

The Mark of Kri is a decent adventure that just needs a few more open-ended options to make it great. The title’s design and effort is fantastic but gameplay falls a little short on depth.