Karma The Dark World PC Review
Summary: Explore suspects minds to solve cases... or to learn what is really going on.
4.6
Heartfelt Horror
If you took the novel 1984, added a splash of Terry Gilliam (leaning heavily towards Brazil), a smidge of David Lynch, maybe a splash of Salvador Dali… you’d have a bit of an idea of what to expect of Karma The Dark World.
The basic premise is that the year is (funnily enough) 1984, in a dystopian world, situated specifically in East Germany. You are a Roam Agent for Leviathan’s Thought Bureau. Your job is to enter the minds of suspects and investigate crime scenes, interview suspects and report your findings back to Leviathan. The deeper you dive though… the more you uncover and that might include things you don’t want to (or aren’t meant to) see.
The game is listed as a psychological thriller and indeed it does have some intense moments. I’m generally not a big fan of horror games but the horror segments here (ie the moments that require you to escape something etc)… aren’t too bad. They are generally not overly long and the method to escape/overcome the horror is pretty clear (in fact you are literally told in some instances how to succeed). This doesn’t detract from the fear… it just means it’s not as prolonged and relentless as some games.
But the real draw here is the story… it’s a fantastically constructed world you get to explore (albeit in a pretty guided manner). The visuals are stunning which really helps to sell the surreal nature of it all. There is a real question of what is real and what is illusion. The further into the game you get the more emotional the story becomes and it really manages to tug at the ol’ heart strings.
In between the horror moments there are some puzzles to solve, from mission critical challenges that you must complete in order to move on… to puzzle boxes that provide the completionist reason to go back and find what they’ve missed. Fortunately the puzzles aren’t overwhelming and any clues will be available in the area you are in (ie you won’t need to jot down clues from earlier in the game or anything like that). Sometimes you might need to go away and come back to solve something (I did in one of the later challenges… coming back with fresh eyes… or ears helped me figure it out).
The only real issue I had and it’s pretty minor is with the interaction. Sometimes when you are trying to interact with something it won’t register you hovering your mouse over it unless you are in the right spot… or in the case of doors, the motion for opening them can be pretty clunky. It’s all surmountable though so not a big deal.
Final Thoughts:
This kind of came out of nowhere for me but it’s really right up my alley. A dystopian world with a well developed story… a splash of sci-fi and stunning visuals. A very tolerable amount of horror (don’t get me wrong… some of those moments if played in VR would probably require a pants change)… puzzles that are a challenge but manageable. Not to mention a moving soundtrack (even if I did have trouble making out what the words were in the song near the start of the game). Highly recommended for anyone who likes things a bit weird and thought provoking!
About the Author
Chris O'Connor Father of four, husband of one and all round oddity. Gaming at home since about 1982 with a Sinclair ZX Spectrum. Moving on to the more traditional PC genre in the years that followed with the classic Jump Joe and Alley Cat. CGA, EGA, VGA and beyond PC's have been central to my gaming but I've also enjoyed consoles and hand helds along the way (who remembers the Atari Lynx?). Would have been actor/film maker, jack of many trades master of none.
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