Karma: The Dark World fuses Orwellian horror with creepy liminal spaces.
The Leviathan Organization appears to have effectively replaced the government of the entire Soviet Union.
He’s currently in the process of tracking down a suspect, Sean Mendhez.
Daniel collects evidence via a rather unorthodox method: braindives.
It eventually becomes clear that Sean also works for Leviathan, though not the Thought Bureau division.
Instead, he’s involved with The Winston Institute, which is effectively Leviathan’s version of DARPA.
Large file cabinets and desks have been knocked over and pushed together, creating a maze of office furniture.
The incident clearly happened recently, but it’s hard to imagine Sean managing this level of destruction.
The game has a strange, delightfully Lynchian atmosphere.
But things really take a turn into fever-dream territory when Daniel goes for a braindive in Sean’s consciousness.
Karma doesn’t overuse jumpscares, so when they do trigger, they’re much more effective.
(I flung a controller halfway across the room when a small mannequin made an unexpected appearance.)
The primary issue the game runs into is the main character being way too slow.
The world of Karma is rich and fascinating, and the hours I played were littered with satisfying puzzles.
Things only get worse when you gotta run.
The introduction of sprinting causes Karma’s otherwise excellent pacing to hit a speed bump.
In the moment, you get a glimpse of a monstrous pursuer that seems to be moving alarmingly fast.
Navigation is another area where Karma stumbles.
At one point, while I was playing, I came across a dead end.
Conveniently, a map on a nearby wall gave a detailed layout of the immediate area.
But it can’t be opened.
The game’s environments are striking, strange, and at times, beautiful.
I think players who enjoy piecing together the big picture by searching for narrative breadcrumbs will be well-fed.
By far, Karma’s best features are its ambiance and its story.
The sound design is excellent and doesn’t overuse loud stings in the hopes of eliciting yet another jumpscare.
Fans ofControl,Soma, andWe Happy Fewwill be right at home with Karma: The Dark World.
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