One of the most highly rated PC games of 2012, Mark of the Ninja, has been conspicuous in its absence from Steam – at least from the perspective of South African gamers.

Having launched on Xbox 360 on 7 September 2012, and on Windows PC on 16 October 2012, Mark of the Ninja is currently not available for purchase on Steam in the South African region.

Intrepid MyBroadband journalist Jan Vermeulen, much like many other SA gamers, wanted answers. Developer Klei Entertainment provided them via Twitter.

It turns out that the game is not yet available to PC gamers due to the rating process games must undergo through South Africa’s Film and Publications Board (FPB).

Klei Entertainment on Mark of the Ninja delay in SA

What makes this situation even more frustrating is that the FPB has approved and rated the game for distribution on the South African Xbox LIVE service – Mark of the Ninja on Xbox LIVE SA.

Klei community manager Corey Rollins has been discussing the delay in the rating over on the Klei forums.

Mark of the Ninja for PC has been rated at 91 and 93.33 on Metacritic and Gamerankings respectively.

Besides looking gorgeous with its hand-drawn visuals, the 2D platformer also features awesome gameplay, requiring players to sneak and slash their way through environments, taking out guards and solving puzzles along the way.

Players also have to be extra careful as the game features a line-of-sight mechanic where, if enemies can’t see you, you can’t see them.

Critics praised the game extensively, winning many editor’s choice awards across the gaming media.

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