If you enjoy psychological thrillers, dystopian themes and a healthy dose of horror and gore, Karma: The Dark World is a game that checks all the boxes.
Developed by Pollard Studio based in Shanghai, Karma: The Dark World is a shocking, disturbing and tragic narrative-driven, first-person psychological horror game.
The game messes with your mind and perception, and scares you with what reality might be, like a nightmare in which you are not sure of reality.
Weighing heavily are dystopian themes from George Orwell’s novel, 1984, where totalitarian rules are imposed on citizens’ thoughts, and citizens can be investigated and punished for thought crimes.
Dark tales
Set in 1984 in East Germany, you play Daniel McGovern, a Roam agent reporting to the Leviathan Thought Bureau whose job is to investigate crimes by diving into the minds and memories of suspects.
Leviathan Corporation is an all-powerful, ever-watchful totalitarian entity that penalises employees for seemingly minor misdemeanors caught on surveillance video and encourages employees to be drugged to increase productivity.
Orwell’s seminal book is featured prominently in puzzles in the game, as well as the slogans “war is peace”, “freedom is slavery” and “ignorance is strength”, which are repeated in the game. Even the name of the institute that Daniel is investigating — Winston Institute — takes the name of the protagonist in the novel.
The game involves puzzle solving through investigation, figuring out clues and cracking codes, as well as some interesting misguided repetitive actions that test how quickly you catch on in order to progress.
Although there are placid sequences when you investigate a crime scene and solve puzzles, it’s not just dull pointing and clicking.
There are also more fast-paced and heart-pounding action sequences that involve being chased by scary entities while the floors and walls are shifting and altering, and even a rather clever use of an old-school camera for some dimension-flipping puzzles.
Played over three Acts, Karma: The Dark World has many interesting concepts and clever ideas, but they feel a little superficial. Often, they appear to be tacked onto the game without supporting the plot coherently.
The pacing of the story feels rather offbeat, and the messy narrative in Act 3, which has too many elements squeezed into it, could be improved. I also felt there were some plot holes that weakened the final dramatic conclusion.
The game is relatively short and very linear, and can be completed in about seven hours. With zero combat or exploration, the game has limited replayability.
There are collectibles in the form of puzzle boxes containing Pop Mart-ish “Rule Follower” collectible figurines when the logic puzzles are solved, which might offer some value for staunch completists.
Nightmare and dreamscapes
Playing Karma: The Dark World is just as disorienting and disjointed as a nightmare, with a constant feeling of dread with its disturbing visuals. This is especially true of the experience diving into the minds and memories of others and experiencing their inner horrors.
Some elements in the feel familiar to the actual sensation of dreams, like falling when the floor gives way, blurred faces of people, or running through endless corridors with doors slamming shut in your face.
In terms of scariness, the game has plenty of jump scares, sudden loud sounds and frightening monsters, as well as gory and pain-inducing imagery.
Although there is less stomach-turning and gag-inducing body horror than Scorn, there are still plenty of body parts, blood and depictions of physical pain that make me cringe and look away. It’s not a game you would want to be eating while playing.
Apart from the scary and nightmarish landscape, the game is full of creative and interesting symbolism. Think of people with TVs as heads who are constantly being watched, and creepy eyeballs on the walls that need to be destroyed through the lens of a camera.
Fearsome beauty
What makes Karma: The Dark World stand out are the striking surreal and disturbing aesthetics, with strong stylistic influences from the works of surrealist directors like Stanley Kubrick, Terry Gilliam and David Lynch.
The game excels in its strong and bold visual design using the first-person perspective that creates a powerful impact on your senses. In particular, I enjoyed the sequence where Daniel was walking the streets to the Thought Bureau.
Here was potential for some interesting exploration in the dystopian world with art deco architecture and retro scenes, but unfortunately it was only a very short walk.
With strong visuals and imagination that hold so much potential, the game leaves you a disappointed that there’s no opportunity to explore or delve more into things.
Karma: The Dark World features Dolby Atmos audio technology, which makes for an immersive and intense atmosphere especially when using headphones and surround speakers.
You can hear sounds behind you, which adds to the whole creepy and uneasy experience, and get serious scares during scripted events with sudden loud noises.
The game’s British-accent voiceover was pretty well done with a smattering of exclamations in German. However, there were some instances of over-acting and extended screaming that hurt the ears.
TL;DR
Karma: The Dark World is a visually impressive, narrative-driven psychological horror game with strong influences from George Orwell’s 1984 and surrealist movies that works really well playing in the first person perspective.
The gameplay mostly involves investigation, puzzle-solving and code deciphering, mixed with some tense moments running away from scary entities.
Although there are some plot holes, a rather offbeat pacing and some narrative concepts that don’t stick very well, it is an impressive game for those fascinated by mind-bending thrillers and a nightmarish experience.
Unfortunately, with a linear story and gameplay, it has limited replayability unless you are inclined to go back to collect all the little figurines scattered across the game.
Karma: The Dark World is available for PC on Steam at S$22 (S$19.80 during the launch sale) and PlayStation 5 at S$35.54.
