Karma: The Dark World review: A mind-bending adventure

I awake with a gasp in a dim, mahogany-clad hospital room and take a look down at my bare and bloody feet and the tubes coming out of a strange contraption that is wrapped around my forearm.

In my panic, I tear the tubes from my arm and watch as blood splatters onto the snow white sheets beneath me and then suddenly I am left with this room and the strange city that waits beyond it.

In the opening moments of KARMA: The Dark World, you share confusion with our main character as he stumbles around the deathly quiet hospital room, trying to gain clues about who you are and why you are there.

However, after you have stumbled through the door and taken part in a series of tests (which cleverly also double up as a way to adjust your game settings), you soon discover that you will not find any answers, just a whole lot more questions.

Check out the trailer for KARMA: The Dark World below!

Developed by POLLARD STUDIO LLC and built using Unreal Engine 5, KARMA: The Dark World is a first-person walking simulator which takes place in East Germany, 1984.

However, the story takes place in an alternate timeline where the Leviathan Corporation controls everything with an iron fist. They are always watching thanks to ever-present surveillance and mind-altering drugs but not only they, they can promise Utopia to those who serve them willingly.

From the year in which the game is set to copies of the book playing a key role in the game, it is clear that KARMA was inspired by George Orwell’s 1984 but instead of Big Brother watching you, it is MOTHER.

Players take on the role of Daniel McGovern, a Roam Agent for Leviathan’s Thought Bureau, meaning that he has the ability to dive into the minds of the accused. As a result, reality and the surreal blur together and it isn’t long before you can no longer tell the difference.

Inspired by Twin Peaks, Alan Wake, and the Silent Hill series, this sci-fi/horror walking-simulator tasks you with uncovering a series of crimes and gameplay consists of solving puzzles, exploring memories, and trying to escape the horrors that lurk within the depths of people’s minds.

Above all else, this game is a psychological horror and does not shy away from the horrors that humans are able to create in order to bury their trauma.

Although sounding fun as a concept, diving into a fellow human’s mind and having access to their every memory is no easy feat and we follow Daniel as his job begins to take a toll, until he is no longer able to tell the difference between himself and those he roams within.

Not only that but KARMA does not shy away from horror in general and thanks to its creepy atmospheres, unexplained monsters, and an original soundtrack which sinks its claws into your very psyche, it was hard not to get freaked out at some of its more climactic moments.

However, interwoven between these moments of outright terror, there are moments of beauty, sadness, and humanity which are seen especially in the second act of the game.

I won’t go into spoilers here but there was one scene which has stayed with me days after finishing The Dark World and really hammers home that, despite the game being filled with nightmares and fears that take on the form of monsters, sometimes humans are the most monstrous.

Pollard Studio LLC

Thanks to Unreal Engine 5, KARMA: The Dark World is able to portray these moments of light and dark by pushing the boundaries of graphics.

We visit moonlight drenched oceans with statues of upturned hands reaching to the starry sky in complete surrender, we see rooms drenched in red material as if blood itself is dripping down the walls of the scene within, we see streetlight-soaked streets breaking through the cloying darkness as television-clad men hammer down doors to those who dare to defy.

Each scene in KARMA has a meaning and a reason for being there and is definitely a game that would benefit from experiencing more than once, just to miss out on those small details that help carry the story along.

The story is occasionally blocked by puzzles which you must complete in order to find the missing puzzle, to escape, or to learn more about the oppressive world.

I am not the sharpest tool in the shed when it comes to puzzles, and I have been known to look to Google for help when I have been stuck in the past. However, due to reviewing KARMA ahead of its launch, I was alone but luckily, I managed to push through and suddenly realise how rewarding it is to work them out by yourself.

As I am not the most dedicated to puzzles in video games, I can’t comment if the ones found within KARMA are difficult. However, that being said, they are probably not if I managed it and just require you to use the environment to your advantage and realise that every clue you are given is there for a reason.

Nevertheless, prepare to feel observed as you trudge through each level of The Dark World, whether that is in “present-day” or when you sink into the memories of those sat before you.

Pollard Studio LLC

With eye iconography at every turn, you feel as though you have landed within the pages of 1984 and MOTHER’s omnipresent existence is never far. Whether that is her voice cutting through the dark recesses of people’s minds or by the screens that warn ‘MOTHER IS WATCHING’.

So why is KARMA: The Dark World not a 10/10 for me?

Well, there is no denying that this game is quite complex, with the story featuring multiple twists and turns, alternating narratives, and even the whole multiverse theory.

Ultimately, the game would benefit from being a lot longer as, even with time spent on working out puzzles, it only took me seven hours to complete.

As a result, the ending felt quite rushed to me and I definitely had to spend some time working out what on earth had just happened once the credits had rolled. On the plus side, this would mean that a second playthrough would benefit me in the future.

Nevertheless, KARMA: The Dark World is one hell of an enjoyable experience thanks to its stunning graphics, meaningful visuals, and gripping narrative. You will never know what’s coming next or where the story will take you but you are guaranteed to be in for a wild ride with a few jumps along the way.

Pros: Gripping narrative, stunning visuals and a perfect blend of horror

Cons: Story can be quite confusing, too short

For fans of: Silent Hill, Alan Wake, Twin Peaks

8/10: Excellent

KARMA: The Dark World is available now for PlayStation 4&5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC (tested on Steam). A review code was provided by the publisher. Read a guide to our review scores here.