
Karma: The Dark World
Release Date: March 27, 2025
Adventure, FPP, science fiction, horror, dystopia, indie games, alternative history, singleplayer
OpenCritic
Steam
A Chinese first-person psychological thriller, inspired by the creations of George Orwell, Hideo Kojima, David Lynch and Christopher Nolan. Karma: The Dark World takes us to an alternative version of 1984 East Germany. We play as an agent capable of accessing minds of interrogated people to find secrets and complete investigations.
Karma: The Dark World is an adventure game in the style of a psychological thriller, inspired by the works of Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid, Death Stranding), as well as the creations of David Lynch (Twin Peaks) and Christopher Nolan (Inception, Interstellar). The game was developed by the independent Chinese team Pollard Studio from Shanghai.
Gameplay
In Karma: The Dark World we watch the action from a first-person perspective (FPP). The driving force of the game is the exploration of thoughts of the suspects we interrogate. They were presented in the form of "distorted", surreal locations reflecting not only their experiences, but also emotions and desires.
Traveling through these places, exploring their nooks and crannies, solving puzzles and facing other challenges lurking in them, we learn more about the people we interrogate, as well as their connection to the cases we are investigating. In this way, we also learn about how the individual crimes happened.
The discoveries we make should be reported to the management. The situation is complicated by the fact that the longer the main character stays away from reality, the more his perception of the boundary between it and the imagined world begins to weaken, which over time puts his sanity to the test.
Story
Karma: The Dark World presents us with an alternative vision of history, in which in East Germany of 1984, the Leviathan corporation rules with an iron fist. Just like in Orwell's book, the citizens of this country are subjected to mass surveillance. Furthermore, East German society is based on a class system, and one of the few forms of escape here are drugs and the promise of a stay in the enigmatic Utopia, which is a reward for obedience.
The main character of the game is Daniel McGovern from the Leviathan Thought Bureau, who is equipped with technology that allows him to penetrate the minds of suspects and the accused. Over time, the protagonist becomes entangled in a large-scale spy intrigue. The story also touches on such topics as betrayal, family, love, and loss.
Graphics
Karma: The Dark World operates on the Unreal Engine 5. The game utilizes flagship technologies developed by Epic Games, namely Lumen (lighting and reflections) and Nanite (geometry).
Videos and Screens
[1:40] Karma: The Dark World - Filter Mode Teaser Trailer
[3:10] Karma: The Dark World - Launch Trailer
NoobFeed: 65 / 100 by Michael Nicolosi
In the end, Karma: The Dark World is a visually stunning psychological thriller that pays homage to classic horror games, but ultimately falls short due to its lack of engaging gameplay and a weak second half.
GamingBolt: 8 / 10 by Joelle Daniels
Karma: The Dark World is a fun interactive story that has you explore the darkest reaches of the human psyche with excellent surreal horror and an interesting story to uncover.
Loot Level Chill: 8.5 / 10 by Chris White
Karma: The Dark World is a fascinating psychological horror that offers some great puzzles, an interesting story, and an uncomfortable atmosphere.
Karma: The Dark World Summary
Platforms:
PC Windows
PlayStation 5
Developer: Pollard Studio
Publisher: Wired Productions


Karma: The Dark World System Requirements
PC / Windows
Minimum: (1080p, 30 fps) Intel Core i7-6700K / AMD Ryzen 5 2600X, 16 GB RAM, graphic card 6 GB GeForce GTX 1660 / 8 GB Radeon RX Vega 56, 30 GB SSD, Windows 10 64-bit
Recommended: (1440p, 60 fps) Intel Core i7-10700K / AMD Ryzen 7 5700X, 16 GB RAM, graphic card 8 GB GeForce RTX 2080 / 12 GB Radeon RX 6700 XT, 30 GB SSD, Windows 11 64-bit

Karma: The Dark World demo is now available on Steam. Associations with BioShock and Twin Peaks are very much in place
Karma: The Dark World will soon be available on PC and PS5, but players can already play the demo version of this dystopian title.
video games
Jacob Blazewicz
March 19, 2025