Karma: Dark World caught me completely off guard. Marketed as a cinematic first-person psychological thriller, it turns out to be far more ambitious and emotionally affecting than I could have imagined. The debut game from Shanghai-based Pollard Studio, Karma: Dark World offers a surreal and haunting experience that blends political and identity crisis with psychological horror into an experience I won’t soon forget. With clear ties to George Orwell’s 1984 and Terry Gilliam’s Brazil, the game is constructed using dream logic found only in David Lynch’s films. It’s one of the most striking narrative games I’ve played in years.
Mind Over Matter
You play as Daniel McGovern, a Roam Agent for the Leviathan Corporation’s Thought Bureau. Set in an alternate 1984 East Germany, Leviathan governs through control and surveillance of the working class, using propaganda and memory invasion to ensure all but total control. This control is sold to the masses as something that will usher in a new utopia. Daniel is tasked with diving into the memories of suspected criminal Sean Mehndez. Sean is accused of stealing a powerful and mysterious device called a Miniature Dasein. But as Daniel digs deeper into the case, he begins to question not just Sean’s motives, but his own reality.
What begins as a standard detective story soon spirals into something far more abstract and emotional. Daniel enters his suspects’ minds searching for clues, and uncovers layered metaphors of trauma, loss, and guilt. The more you explore, the more unstable reality becomes, both narratively and visually. What grounds the surreal narrative is Daniel himself, whose internal struggle creates a strong anchor, even when the world around him is literally falling apart. He is duty-bound to serve Leviathan; it is all he has ever known. But his investigation into this new case allows him, for the first time, to question his identity and purpose.
More Than a “Walking Simulator”
While Karma: Dark World is listed on Steam as a “walking simulator,” that label sells the experience short. It’s true that the core gameplay revolves around exploration and observation, but it’s designed with intention and artistry. Every sequence and gameplay segment contributes meaningfully to the story, creating a slow-burning sense of unease and curiosity. There never seems to be any dead air as the creators have done a fantastic job moving the player from one story beat to the next.
While there’s no combat and only a few fail states, that doesn’t mean it lacks tension or interactivity. You’ll navigate puzzles, symbolic vignettes, and perspective-shifting environments. One standout moment is a visual metaphor where the player guides two glowing orbs through a maze, a visual representation of two lovers trying to connect in a cold, uncaring world. Another scene sees a character dive into a suspect’s subconscious in search of answers, only to stumble on to something truly terrifying and unexpected
These experiences are varied and interesting and keep the pacing unpredictable. Some moments are quiet and contemplative, while others are intense as you run for your life from an oppressive evil. If you’ve come for a strong story and characters, you’ve come to the right place.
A Stunning, Surreal Dystopia
Visually, Karma: Dark World is a knockout. Built in Unreal Engine 5, it constantly plays with space, light, and geometry to reflect the mental state of its characters. Pollard Studio clearly knows how to make the most of the engine. Brutalist offices dissolve into digital voids, and warm memories twist into nightmares. You’re never quite sure what’s real—and that’s the point. The visual direction reinforces the story’s psychological themes in meaningful ways.
What’s especially impressive is the variety. The game rarely lingers in one environment for too long. The team excels at shifting from realistic spaces to abstract dream sequences with cinematic flair. Character models are also unusually strong for an indie title. Facial animations are incredibly realistic and help sell the emotional moments. It’s hard to believe this is Pollard Studio’s first game, it looks and feels like the work of a veteran studio.
Karma’s haunting atmosphere is reinforced by its excellent sound design and voice acting. The score leans into ambient and industrial textures, often understated but occasionally rising to emotional swells that punctuate key scenes. Some musical cues veer into a more acoustic composition which, while good, felt slightly out of sync with the dystopian and industrial world. Overall, though, Karma: Dark World does a killer job with all the environmental sound details and music which really help sell the experience.
The voice acting is another standout. All of the characters feel authentic and very well performed. It’s clear they took the time to find the right voice actors for the roles, from Sean’s broken and weary voice to a controlling AI named Mother. Their performances really sold the experience. I think it is rare for indie titles to nail voice acting so effectively, and it was a pleasant surprise to see yet another area that Karma: The Dark World excelled at.
Identity and Control
Karma: Dark World packs tons of relevant and powerful themes into it’s 6-8 hour experience. Themes of surveillance, corporate control and overreach, addiction, and loss of identity are threaded throughout the gameplay. And none of the topics they address feel heavy handed or mired in over-exposition. You’re not just told about the loosening of control over a character, you experience it as the world bends around you, deteriorating the sense of self.
It also poses larger, philosophical questions: what parts of us are shaped by external forces that we aren’t conscious of? What freedoms are we willing to give up for the promise of a better life? Despite the game’s cold dystopian shell, there’s a surprising tenderness to the story. Beneath all the paranoia and propaganda, Karma: Dark World explores love, vulnerability, and hope, however fragile those things may be in its world.
Karma: Dark World isn’t an experience that pushes adrenaline-fueled gameplay, but it instead offers introspection, atmosphere, and emotional resonance. And, in that, it knocks it out of the park. It’s smart, weird, and surprisingly moving. It’s the kind of game that leaves you staring at the credits, wondering what you just experienced, and itching to dive back in to catch everything you missed.
It won’t be a game for everyone. If you prefer combat and action and don’t care much for narrative in your games, this probably isn’t for you. But if you do love experiencing a strong narrative and cinematic gameplay, you owe it to yourself to experience this gem. I hope plenty of people take the opportunity to go along for the ride.
Pollard Studio came out swinging with their debut title, and I’ll be thinking about Karma: Dark World for a long time.
Sincere thanks to our PR Partners and Wired Productions for providing a review code for Karma Dark World. You can find our review policy here.
