I can not tell you when The Mark of Kri was released. If I did not research for this review, I probably would not have been able to tell you that Sony's San Diego Studios developed it. I would not have even known that it was a first party game. Many people might think this game was just released because of the recent commercial push, but it was in fact released a couple months ago. Due to the increase in 'big name' game traffic for the holiday season, The Mark of Kri seems to be one of those titles which will generally slip through the cracks.

Hopefully, through the kind words of the people who have played this game, including myself, gamers will be tempted to give a copy of this game a home. The Mark of Kri, moreso than many other games out there this year, really attempted to push the boundaries and actually deliver something different. There is really a myriad of different things to enjoy in Mark of the Kri. I only hope that these following paragraphs properly convey what I have enjoyed so much over the past couple weeks that I've played this game. Originally, this was supposed to be a Starfox Adventures review, but I just couldn't enjoy that game at all. I traded Starfox in for The Mark of Kri, and I am so estatic that I did. Before I really start, I'd like to thank San Diego Studios. Thanks for delivering an unexpected little gem into my little gaming hands.

The Mark of Kri is one of those games that just has such a wonderful style all throughout. I felt a little bad at first because I described this game to people as a mix of an R rated Conan movie if it was animated by Disney. Apparently, that is what everyone has been saying, however, I don't feel like I'm ripping anyone off anymore since I found out that the artists and animators were actually people who have worked for not only Disney, but some Don Bluth projects as well.

The group that was assembled to bring the characters of The Mark of Kri to life did an amazing job. The animation is some of the most fluid and enjoyable animation that I have experienced in a videogame ever. The exaggerated movements and over the top animations oddly feel right at home while playing The Mark of Kri. Some people might try to dismiss the Disney-like animation as a kiddie game, but with as little as five minutes of game time their fears should be quickly assuaged. The Mark of Kri simply features some of the most gruesome action seen in a video game. From loping off heads, sword thrusts to the juggular and even cleaving people clean in two, gore fans and people looking for cathartic release should be very pleased with the action The Mark of Kri dishes out.

Since I started, I might as well talk about the action. The Mark of Kri features a unique mix of genre bending action. For the most part, I would place the game in the category of titles such as Tenchu or even a Metal Gear. Stealth and strategy play major parts in The Mark of Kri as you meander your way through levels, battling baddies and solving puzzles. Don't worry though, the puzzle elements are not overwhelming nor is the action annoying, to me at least. I will be honest and say that many complaints of tedious gameplay and repetative action may be valid. I, however, did not feel the game was neither long enough or boring enough to make these points particularly relevant. Although keep in mind that this is being said by a gamer who just beat Streets of Rage 2 for the 127th time two nights ago. Some gamers today tend to be a lot more finicky and less forgiving than I may be.

The Mark of Kri features and original control scheme which allows you not only the ability to take on multiple enemies at once, but also the ability to pull of brutal combo attacks on a single enemy with relative ease. The patented 'lock on' gimmick is handled via the right analog stick. This allows you to battle enemies that are not even in your line of sight. Basically, since you can assign a different enemy, or even a group of enemies, you can perform a ballet of violence against your foes in a way unlike you have ever been able to in a game. Attacks transition one into another in liquid smooth fashion as Rau lashes out with all of his fury in every direction. Battles in The Mark of Kri just have a wonderful flow to them, with a slew of different animations to punctuate your barbarian ass kickings.

Not only can you sneak attack with your bare hands, impale baddies with your sword or ruin the days of three people at once with a battle axe, but you can also be a medival sharpshooter with a bow and arrow. With a total of four weapons, in addition to unarmed tactics, there are plenty of gameplay techniques to master throughout the game's levels. I've read some comments that people would have liked to see more weapons and levels, however I did not feel ripped off. I definitely feel excitment for the future of this series, but I certainly did not feel that this experience was lacking.

Another one of the more interesting aspects of the game is the use of your feathered familiar, which comes into play constantly. You too can finally get a chance to be Marc Singer in a video game as this aspect of the game seems straight out of the cult 80's Beastmaster flick, with the blurred fisheye 'crow vision' camera effect and everything. You can send your crow ahead as a scout to aide in planning out your attacks or even use him to create a diversion at times, allowing for an easier path through fewer enemies. Some may feel that the scouting slows down the gameplay, however, I personally loved the strategy added into the game.

The overall storyline in the game is reasonably standard for your average barbarian assassin 'coming of age' story. Nothing really surprising here. What is great about the story, though, is the way that the story is told. First, the exellent voiceovers which seem like they are straight out of Conan flick. The 'narrator' almost sounds like Eg Shen from Big Trouble in Little China. How can you go wrong with that? The story is told in drawings that are sketched before your eyes in lieu of in game or pre-rendered cinematics. The effect is fresh and really stylish, especially when a sketch fades into a full color painting, which then fades right into the in-game graphics. Again, The Mark of Kri has the flair that most games wish to have and never succeed in even coming close to attaining.

The sound in The Mark of Kri is also an area where developers did not slack in any real way. The music has that epic feel to it and is even situational during the game. The music will change from a calm or pensive mood to the din of a jungle themed drumbeat when enemies swoop in for the attack. Even though the music is adequate, the rest of the game's aural attack is even better. From weapons clanging together to the dying gurgles of a foe with his own sword lodged in his throat, you will definitely not feel like the developers cut any corners in the sound department. It seems that a lot of attention was paid to the background effects as we get to enjoy the rustling of leaves and the roar of a waterfall in the lush accoustics of the game levels.

The overall graphical style of the game is pulled off remarkably well, even with a few minor faults. The Mark of Kri employs cartoon-like animation without the use of the cell shading technique which is very common now in games that strive for that look. I'm not sure if the developers will choose that route in the future, but the game looks dynamite the way it already is. Backgrounds are reasonably detailed and well crafted while employing a lot of bells and whistles such as blurring heat effects around fires and creepy fog effects while your in the thick of the woods or even in the throws of the night.

There are a few problems with the graphics though. Sometimes the lush animation can seem to get in the way of things. For instance, sometimes you can back yourself into a close quarters combat situation where the time it takes to animate an attack is the time is takes two or three enemies to gang up on you and throw in a combo or two. It generally doesn't happen much, but it does happen. I have also encountered a glitch that set the camera to an almost first person view and wouldn't release without some extensive tweaking of the game settings. That only happened once so far to me, but I have seen reports of it happening to other people. There also seems to be some noticable polygon 'seeming' in a bunch of the backgrounds. Again, it isn't anything earth shattering, however it happens enough to be distracting sometimes. I actually had very few problems with the camera in this game as compared to some of the other titles I've played lately, such as Kingdom Hearts or even Super Mario Sunshine.

The Mark of Kri also offers more than just 6 huge levels to battle through. During the levels, you can complete a series of challenges that are thrust upon you by your mentor which generally include things that he would have gone over in the training sessions that you can complete in between the levels. You have mich to learn and the training portions offer an excellent way to work on your moves. Once you complete the challenges and find some hidden items in the levels, you also have access to unlockable arenas which you can complete to unlock further hidden treats such as different costumes and art. There is plenty to do in this game and it offers a decent amount of challenge for any gamer who is looking for a little strategy in their action games.

Overall, The Mark of Kri is an excellent game which actually tries to expand upon a genre I really enjoy. It is not just a standard beat em up with a targetting gameplay gimmick. The gimmick is actually something I expect to see used in future games, especially (hopefully) a sequel to The Mark of the Kri, which can expand even further on all of the gaming goodness it already possesses. If you are a fan of action games, and you are looking for something a little different, with an incredible sense of style, don't let this game slip by you like many other people have. The Mark of Kri probably has my vote as Dave's Surprise Favorite Game of the Year. I didn't really hear much buzz about this game and I didn't really even expect too much from it. I was pleasantly surprised in every way by this game. San Diego Studios should stand up and be proud. I can't wait to see what is next from this group.