Karma: The Dark World

Karma: The Dark World is a first-person cinematic horror/psychological thriller set in a dystopian world where the Leviathan Corporation is omnipresent. It takes place in an alternate timeline in East Germany in 1984, where the Leviathan Corporation rules with an iron fist, controlling its citizens through mass surveillance, social class rules, mind-altering drugs and the promise that the gates to utopia will open for those who serve. In the game, players take on the role of Daniel McGovern, an elite Roam agent tasked with delving into the memories of suspects. What begins as a routine investigation soon turns into a conspiracy. He must confront disturbing truths and question his own reality.

Karma: The Dark World is a first-person cinematic horror/psychological thriller set in a dystopian world where the Leviathan Corporation is omnipresent. It takes place in an alternate timeline in East Germany in 1984, where the Leviathan Corporation rules with an iron fist, controlling its citizens through mass surveillance, social class rules, mind-altering drugs and the promise that the gates to utopia will open for those who serve. In the game, players take on the role of Daniel McGovern, an elite Roam agent tasked with delving into the memories of suspects. What begins as a routine investigation soon turns into a conspiracy. He must confront disturbing truths and question his own reality.

The game is basically a weaponless 'walking simulator', but one of the better ones. Players search for clues in people's minds, investigate and solve puzzles, often with multiple solutions. Many story elements are revealed through excellent to extraordinary set design and environmental storytelling, all powered by Unreal Engine 5, including features such as Lumen and Nanite. Yes, there are boss fights and clearly separated action sequences from the investigation, but these are the exception. Dying is also possible, although the checkpoints are usually set fairly. Some puzzles or puzzle boxes are also completely optional or hidden in the game world, usually revealing a bit more background.

However, it should be noted that the story, which deals with themes of family, love, loss, deception and control, is at times extremely confusing and some aspects of the story are not explored in depth. It is only towards the end of the game that the threads start to come together - and then it becomes system-critical. The game certainly doesn't shy away from the big existential and philosophical questions. There are also moments when the player feels like they are playing an unwieldy work of art or a fever dream, sometimes very slow and inviting reflection and Interpretation. No more should be revealed at this point, as it is the thrill of discovering for yourself what Karma: The Dark World is all about.

The game should take between seven and eight hours to complete. The Chinese developers cite the works of David Lynch (Twin Peaks), Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid, Death Stranding) and Christopher Nolan (Inception, Interstellar) as inspiration. Parts of the game and its retro-futuristic design are also reminiscent of Control, Layers of Fear, PT or Observer. As the game is rather idiosyncratic and not aimed at the broad audience, a demo helps to get an idea of it.

The game was developed by Pollard Studio, which was founded in 2018 and is based in Shanghai, China. The independent game development studio has a core team of around 20 developers, including four based in Los Angeles, and is made up of industry veterans with experience at EA, Virtuos and other studios. Karma is the studio's first game. It is published by Wired Productions of the United Kingdom, "a true indie publisher," as the company likes to describe itself. Wired Productions is best known for Bulwark: Falconeer Chronicles, Arcade Paradise VR, Tin Hearts, Martha Is Dead, The Last Worker and Deliver Us the Moon. Upcoming titles include Hotel Architect and Beneath. Karma: The Dark World was the publisher's "biggest launch ever". It cracked the top 15 on Steam (CCU peak: 1,558) and garnered half a million launch day views on Twitch and YouTube.

Karma: The Dark World was released on 27 March 2025 on PlayStation 5 and PC for €24.99. The game has also been optimised for PlayStation 5 Pro. It features PSSR integration for improved image quality, definition and texture clarity - along with improved reflections and distance rendering - and delivers "rock solid" (according to the developer) 60fps performance at 4k resolution. The game will also be coming to Xbox at a later date.

Conclusion

Creative, disturbing, and intelligent. This Orwellian-inspired psychological horror game is an extremely strong debut from Pollard Studio - and a lucky find for Wired Production.

Features

• Psychological horror, largely devoid of cheap shock effects
• Strong, if somewhat convoluted, story
• Breathtaking visuals, creative, surreal and crazy mindscapes