At Summer Games Fest, we got to go hands on with the new psychological thriller KARMA: The Dark World from Chinese studio Pollard Studios. An early version of the demo we got to experience is what the studio brought to WIRED Productions to get the game funded and development actually going. A few tweaks and updates later the studio got it to what we got to play today.
Now, to the game itself. As aforementioned, the game is a psychological thriller that takes place in an alternate history where a mega corporation called Leviathan stops World War II thanks to having advanced technology and basically controls the world at this point. The game puts you in the shoes of an agent working for the company that has the ability to investigate and enter other characters’ minds to experience their specific memories about parts of their lives.
This demo featured us exploring an office worker’s mind who was labeled a traitor to the company. Through the demo, the character is being chased by a multi-armed monster through the office building as he’s trying to get away without dying. The game isn’t necessarily a survival horror game or too scary, but dabbles in some mind bending thriller aspects similar to games like Alan Wake or Control. There was even a specific moment that reminded me of something straight out of Control.
What the game really delves into with what it really wants to talk about is a commentary on the monotony of being forced to worked nonstop and how dehumanizing such work is. Especially in places such as China which the the person we talked to saying that the government there is well aware of the game talking about these issues. There is even a moment in the game where you are just monotonously stamping papers over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. You have no other things you can do aside from sitting there as both the character and the player stuck at the desk feeling completely stuck and being driven mad by the monotony of your work while on the screen in front of you is blasted with propaganda about how great working is and how holidays become work days and then how free time become work time. Thus, a never ending cycle of dehumanzing boring work that you can never escape from which felt more terrifying than the monster chasing me around.
KARMA: The Dark World may not be the type of horror game you’d expect it to be, but seems to be more than just your typical run of the mill experience.