Karma: The Dark World XSX Review
Summary: A surprisingly touching cyberpunk thriller that will stick with you long after the credits roll
3.5
Where is my mind?
Karma: The Dark World is an engrossing cyberpunk thriller that wears its inspirations on its sleeve, held back by technical issues that detract from the otherwise excellent experience.
The debut from Pollard Studios, Karma sees players dive into the shiny black shoes of Daniel McGovern, a Roam agent for the thought police living in East Berlin in an alternate 1979 where the soviet union handed the country over to the shady Leviathan Corporation, which rules over its citizens with a corporate iron fist.
Think 1984 by way of Inception, and Twin Peaks, with hints of Tarkovsky’s Stalker, and you’re not far off.
After being called to investigate the theft of corporate property by an office clerk, what starts as a straightforward investigation becomes far more complicated as Daniel delves into the mind of the main suspect, Sean Mendez, and it’s clear that Mendez may have been a witness to something far more sinister.
Thus, it’s up to Daniel to get to the bottom of this twisted conspiracy by delving into the minds of suspects, rummaging through their memories, and eventually uncovering the truth.
However, roaming the corridors of perps’ minds searching for clues is a dangerous business, for both Daniel and the people he interrogates. The deeper he delves, the more unstable his reality becomes, and as he gets closer to the truth, Daniel is forced to confront not only the skeletons in the cupboard of his suspects but his own.
In practice, Karma is a first-person horror title with unsettling, mind-bending visuals and some seriously dark themes, including sexual abuse of a child, that, though handled fairly delicately, are certainly worth a trigger warning, and make me want to shower every time I think about it.
Though it’s billed as a walking simulator, there is a lot more to it than that. There are chase scenes, puzzles, and you feel like you’re actually having an impact on the world around you, unlike most Walking Sims, which often feel like you’re just wandering through the aftermath of a story rather than actually seeing the exciting part.
Though there’s no combat in the traditional sense (Though there are some in the Fatal Frame sense) and only a few set pieces where you can be killed by a really creepy monster with far too many hands, the game does a wonderful job of keeping you engaged and emotionally invested in Daniel’s story through solid, varied puzzle mechanics, and using its more surreal elements to push the story and action forward in meaningful and impactful ways.
The most impressive part, though, is how Karma manages to keep you constantly on your toes. One moment, everything is safe and mundane. Daniel is standing in an ordinary-looking apartment. Something is off. Wait, are those mannequins on the sofa? Then, before you realise you’re standing in a recreation of the Red Room from Twin Peaks and waiting for the dwarf to walk in and start dancing in the corner, with no clue how you ended up here. Then the monsters.
You wake up, back, safe at the bureau, everyone has TVs for heads, but Daniel doesn’t seem to mind. Why doesn’t he mind?
The presentation is mostly solid, too. Karma mixes the Brutalist and Soviet architecture of 70s East Berlin with strange shapes, organic textures, and excellent use of coloured lighting to capture the way Daniel and his subjects’ mental states and mood change and twist as they battle to keep the agent roaming through their mind at bay, while their memories morph into nightmares.
However, the visuals fall down when it comes to the characters; they’re not poorly designed at all, but they all look slightly off, tumbling down the uncanny valley, but maybe that’s the point. You’re never quite sure what’s real, and that extends to the people Daniel interacts with.
The biggest problem it has (On the Series X at least), though, is that the game consistently jitters and stutters whenever you move from one area to the next or a cut scene kicks in. Though it is admirable that Karma has no loading screens at all, especially since the world around you can completely transform seemingly on a dime, the illusion is completely shattered when it’s obvious the game is growing a fit every time it needs to access new data.
The sound design is excellent, using a mix of subtle ambient noises and occasional stings to punctuate its more highly charged scenes. Likewise, the voice acting is also top-tier, with the principal cast all putting in strong performances. With highlights including Sean’s world-weary pleading, the otherworldly hands in the wardrobe, and the ever-present AI Mother. All tied together by a marvellous performance by Daniel, who helps to keep the whole thing feeling grounded despite the world literally falling apart around him.
Final Thoughts
Karma: Dark World is a thoughtful thriller that deals with difficult subject matter with a deft hand. It can be quite a hard-going experience at times, but despite its dystopian setting, there is still a warmth at the core of the story, and it ends on a surprisingly moving and introspective note.
It’s certainly rough around the edges, and there are some issues on Series X at present that pull you out of the experience, but it speaks to the quality of the writing and the narrative being told that, regardless, I still think it’s worth recommending to those looking for a more cerebral, slightly philosophical gaming experience.
Related Posts
Wreckreation Review (Series X) →
Keeper XSX Review →
The Outer Worlds 2 Review (XSX) →
