Mark of the Deep

Mark of the Deep is an indie top-down action dungeon crawler for PC, developed by Mad Mimic. The reviewer found it entertaining and challenging, recommending it to gamers. Players start as Rookie, shipwrecked on a mysterious island, tasked with finding his crew and escaping. While visually similar to "Hades," its gameplay leans more towards "Death's Door" with a Metroidvania-style map, requiring backtracking with new abilities.

A significant criticism is the lack of an in-game map, making navigation and revisiting areas frustrating. The game features a dark, pirate-themed setting with Souls-like elements like checkpoints respawning enemies and a lack of direct guidance. Combat involves quick and strong attacks, a grappling hook, and ranged options, emphasizing dodging and positioning over parrying.

The game offers stimulating combat, a good plot, clever puzzles, and a rewarding upgrade system unlocked by finding crew members. However, the voice acting and slow pacing in the initial act were noted as minor drawbacks. Overall, despite some frustrations with navigation and early pacing, "Mark of the Deep" is considered an enjoyable and challenging experience for fans of dungeon crawlers and metroidvania games.