Karma: The Dark World – Review

The horror genre has seen an influx of so-called Walking Simulators, where it’s all about the experience without actually having that much player input. These games often have you explore eerie environments, go through limited monster chase segments, and solve a puzzle or two. We weren’t sure when we originally saw teaser footage of Karma: The Dark World if it would be one of those titles. After playing the game, however, we can state it leans close to being a Walking Simulator. Is this a bad thing? Not really, as Karma: The Dark World does take you on a hallucinogenic ride.

Story

Karma: The Dark World’s story is one you have to constantly pay attention to, as you might otherwise lose track of what is going on. In the game, you play as Daniel McGovern, a ROAM agent for the Thought Bureau, which is part of the totalitarian Leviathan Corporation. In essence, you work as an interrogator by diving directly into the suspects’ minds and reliving their memories. This is not something that is without risk, as it makes the lines between reality and one’s memories fade, making it harder to adjust to the real world again. The game is all about Daniel’s latest case, where he has to interrogate a traumatized, disobedient Leviathan Corporation worker. You’ll soon find yourself spiralling down into the madness that is this new case.

All in all, the story is interesting, even though the pacing does feel a bit off at times. It will take some time to connect the dots, and some additional details feel irrelevant or somewhat out of place for the main story that unfolds. Some things are fleshed out properly, while other key items feel a bit vague or too shallow. Nonetheless, Karma is all about the eerie experience, and the developers made sure it is a wild ride.

Graphics

Karma: The Dark World’s visuals could best be described as a fever dream on steroids. The game utilizes a lot of trippy sceneries mixed with retro-futuristic influences. At certain points it’s hard to asses what is real and what is fake in the in-game world, and that’s also part of the charm and experience that Karma has to offer. We loved exploring every nook and cranny of the world, and we found ourselves taking in the backdrops and small details of the sets from time to time. While not all character models look as detailed and polished as the actual environments, we were quite impressed by the overall package.

Sound

All in all, the sound design matches the visuals quite well. The game boasts impressive voice acting, great environmental sounds, and some understated music when the situation requires it. The quality of the voice acting is probably what surprised us the most, as these fairly ‘unknown’ productions often skimp on quality voice actors, and that is absolutely not the case here. There is quite a bit of voice acting present in Karma, and it adds a lot to the overall atmosphere. The environmental sound effects give many of the already unsettling-looking environments that little extra to make them really creepy.

Gameplay

Karma: The Dark World is a horror title that we would classify as a walking simulator with some chase segments and very vexing puzzle design. Safe for the somewhat abstract puzzles at times, the game is very straightforward. You just walk through the experiences of Daniel McGovern and the minds of those he investigates. It’s a visual spectacle for the most part, while the gameplay remains rather superficial and simplistic. It’s an experience that feels accessible thanks to this, safe for a few chase segments where timing feels a bit more important. The controls can sometimes be a bit awkward when it comes to a few interactable objects, so it does take some time getting used to a few of the game’s mechanics.

If we say that Karma takes you on a freaky ride, we aren’t exaggerating. The game has its environmental design nailed to a T, and it’s a lot of fun to explore every surrounding. Sadly, exploration is still quite limited, and most you’ll find are some additional puzzle boxes that reward you with collectible figurines when solving the puzzle that comes with them. Some of the puzzles, mandatory or optional ones alike, have very vexing puzzle designs. While most eventually can be solved without some outside help, we found a few of them to be very abstract, taking away from the otherwise smooth game progression. There is also a bit of an imbalance between actual gameplay and story exposition. We went through fairly big chunks of the game, only walking through a corridor or two before the next cutscene triggered. Of course, seeing Karma is a more cinematic experience, this was to be expected in a way.

Conclusion

While Karma: The Dark World might suffer from a few pacing issues and very vexing puzzle design, it’s still a very interesting and captivating entry in the horror genre. The story intrigued us from start to finish, and the title didn’t overstay its welcome thanks to its fairly short runtime. The cinematic presentation of the narrative, the polished visuals, and the amazing set designs all set the right mood for an eerie story-centric experience. If you’re a fan of stories with a dystopian totalitarian government pulling the strings and retro-futuristic influences, then this is a game for you.

Ibuki

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Aspiring ninja.

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