There is nothing more enigmatic than what might eventually come out of KARMA: The Dark World; that’s the biggest takeaway from a recent preview Pollard Studio allowed Game Rant to experience. KARMA makes it a point to put the “psychological” into the psychological horror genre, allowing players to dive into the minds of both its NPCs and its playable protagonist. The world of KARMA takes place in 1984 in an alternate Germany while also exploring the past of Daniel McGovern, a Roam Agent for the tyrannical Leviathan Corporation’s Thought Bureau. A setting like this certainly makes KARMA: The Dark World stand out, giving the world a unique feel that adds to its mysteries, as well as the chance to wear its inspirations on its sleeve.
KARMA: The Dark World‘s secrets are meant to have players ask questions, so there are a few things that Pollard Studio wants to keep hidden. As an upcoming horror game, however, it’s fair to say that KARMA does an incredible job of unsettling its players through details rather than jump scares. It may start off simple, but it manages to bring players by teasing plenty below the surface. Players will use careful observation to catch details found in the world around them and although the puzzles in the preview were not difficult, they were very satisfying to solve. Even when KARMA’s use of jump scares is unique thanks to its use of the mind and the abstract.
KARMA: The Dark World – Investigating a Crime Against the Leviathan Corporation
Despite Daniel’s title as a Roam Agent for the Thought Bureau, players start off doing detective work. This serves as a great introduction to the ideas KARMA: The Dark World explores. Once Daniel finds the evidence he’s looking for, things take a turn and shove players into a room inspired by David Lynch’s Twin Peaks.
Through red curtains and black-and-white flooring, players explore the guilt and story of the accused, Sean Mehndez, through a maze in Daniel’s mind. Players will learn about Sean’s family life and how he and his wife struggled to make ends meet in the Leviathan Corporation’s control. Soon a black substance slowly takes over the narrative and the room, while Sean’s family falls apart. The only way out requires solving a listening puzzle to find the right path surrounded by watching eyes and hanging mannequins.
KARMA: The Dark World doesn’t just take inspiration from David Lynch’s work, but also a fair bit from Hideo Kojima, as many details in KARMA echo Death Stranding. The use of dolls and black liquid are familiar, and just like in Kojima and Lynch’s work, the details serve to unnerve while remaining symbolically beautiful to look at. The use of eyes is one example, as the end of the maze is covered in them, making the player question even Daniel’s ties to the Leviathan Corporation. Just when Daniel seems like he’ll be free from the hallucination, a monster pushes him down into a pit aiming to take his cassette tape from him.
KARMA doesn’t wait long to unnerve players once again, as further hallucinations lead into the town. This is where the world of KARMA: The Dark World is filled with people with TV screens for heads, with different faces on the monitors. Even other Roam Agents have TV heads, which feels strange as one has a crisis about his work with Daniel, with no explanation given as to why the citizens are like this. Soon after, Daniel is made to interrogate Sean with the ability to dive into his memories, serving as his alibi.
Through this Mind Dive, players take control of Sean through Daniel and learn about the strange substance seen in the Red Room earlier. Daniel gets his proof that Sean committed the crime, but he uncovers something more, as a monster chases Sean out of the office. Sean’s missing leg limits the player’s movement during the chase, running with a bit of a hobble throughout. It adds extra weight to getting away from the monster, which leads to a ventilation sequence lit by lights to represent how thinking of his daughter keeps Sean going. Further sections use the fact that Daniel is seeing things through Sean’s mind to exaggerate and hide further puzzles. This finishes with a corridor that’s shifting and changing with Sean’s fear and anxiety that looks once again like David Lynch directed it personally.
Just like any investigator would, Daniel changes his mind as the monster stalking Sean changes the story from what Leviathan told him. The two team up from there, and how this story continues is left for the player to find out when KARMA: The Dark World releases. From the preview provided, fans of the psychological genre should be in for a unique treat from Pollard Studio. Players who try the game because of its Lynchian inspirations likely won’t be disappointed either. Most of the game’s unsettling nature is done through atmosphere and environment, like Lynch’s works, where the monster’s minimal appearances have a greater effect.
KARMA: The Dark World is a very intriguing horror experience so far. The challenges KARMA poses are interesting and varied, yet simple enough to avoid player frustration. KARMA‘s shifting environments will disorient players while also being technically impressive. With how detailed and deep in symbolism the world Pollard Studio has created is, there are plenty of questions that players will want answered, and there will be questions upon questions to unnerve them until everything is made clear.
- Developer(s)
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Pollard Studio LLC
- Publisher(s)
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Wired Productions, Gamera Games
