Karma: The Dark World Review – A Short but Mind-Bending Horror Ride

Is Karma Worth It? Our Full Review of Karma: The Dark World

Let me tell you about a horror game that lingered with me for days after I put the controller down. You know those titles that sneak under the radar and then sucker punch you with a vibe so immersive, you start second-guessing your own memories? Yeah… Karma: The Dark World is one of those games.

Developed by Pollard Studio, this indie horror gem has been simmering in development hell for around 7 years—and now, finally, it’s out. I had a taste of the demo a while back and was hooked. But nothing prepared me for the full plunge into darkness that the full game delivered.

Plot: Big Brother Meets Paranormal Nightmares

Set in a twisted alternate version of the 1970s, Karma: The Dark World throws us into a cold, controlled dystopia that feels part Orwell, part psychological thriller, and fully messed up—in the best way possible. In this eerie timeline, a monolithic corporation named Levaiathan doesn’t just run the economy or influence politics—it owns your thoughts. We're talking total mental domination. There’s no “you” left, just orders to follow, files to process, and cameras watching your every twitch.

You step into the shoes (and psyche) of Daniel McGovern, a government agent dispatched to the ominous Winston Institute. His task? Investigate a man named Sean Mendez, a former employee accused of unspeakable crimes. But what starts as a simple bureaucratic job spirals into something far more disturbing. The deeper Daniel goes into the Institute, the more reality begins to unravel. His memories are fractured, his identity questionable, and the walls between hallucination and truth start to bleed.

The game’s structured into three distinct acts, each roughly an hour or two long. Don’t expect an endless survival horror epic—but honestly, that’s part of the charm. Karma doesn’t overstay its welcome. It serves up a tight, focused experience where every scene matters and nothing feels like filler. Every act builds on the last, pulling you deeper into Daniel’s descent until you’re left questioning what was real... and what never existed at all.

If you like your horror with a side of existential dread, Karma hits that sweet, unsettling spot.

Acting and Visuals – Performance Meets Pixel Perfection

Let’s talk presentation—because Karma: The Dark World is absolutely dripping with style and technical brilliance. First off, Jack Ayres, who voices (and possibly motion captures) Daniel McGovern, delivers a standout performance. It’s rare to feel this connected to a protagonist in a horror game, but Ayres nails every moment. From terrified gasps to desperate screams, his voice work is consistently gripping and believable, grounding the game’s surreal visuals in raw human emotion.

The supporting cast? Mostly solid. There are a few stiff moments—particularly with Rachel Weis, whose performance occasionally feels like someone reading lines without knowing the context. It’s not awful, just jarringly flat compared to the emotional highs of Daniel’s journey.

Visually though? Chef’s kiss. Built in Unreal Engine 5, the game goes hard on photorealism and nails it. The environments feel weirdly real—a blend of corporate sterility and surreal, dreamlike horror. You’ll go from fluorescent-lit offices to nightmarish zones filled with floating furniture, faceless mannequins, massive blinking eyes, and people who have literal TVs for heads. It’s wild, unsettling, and utterly unique.

And while some areas can get repetitive—corridors and offices especially—the level of visual polish keeps them from ever feeling lazy. There’s always something just a little off in the background to keep you on edge.

Bottom line: Karma is one of the best-looking indie horror games I’ve seen in a while. Combine that with a solid lead performance, and you’ve got a world that’s not just disturbing—it’s unforgettable.

Game Design: Not Your Typical Haunted House

Karma: The Dark World doesn’t play like your usual scream-a-minute horror game—and that’s a good thing. Instead of relying on cheap thrills or nonstop jump scares, the game builds an atmosphere of constant unease. From the moment you step into the Winston Institute, you feel watched. Judged. Controlled. And the game feeds on that paranoia with every room you explore.

What’s refreshing here is the restraint. There are maybe four jump scares total—and trust me, you’ll notice because they actually work. Rather than blast you with loud noises and spooky faces every ten seconds, Karma uses eerie sound design, flickering lights, and disorienting architecture to mess with your head. The horror here is psychological, and it’s all the more effective for it.

However, the pacing does dip in the final third. Act II is where the tension peaks, with some standout moments involving the Camera Obscura (more on that later). But then Act III slows to a crawl, trading interactive fear for long cinematic cutscenes. Don’t get me wrong—the story is still strong, and the performances hold up. But sitting through a 10-minute monologue after surviving a ghost attack kind of kills the vibe.

Still, the variety in gameplay—from stealth sequences to light exploration and puzzle-solving—keeps things interesting. The design choices might not always land perfectly, but they show ambition. And when it works, Karma doesn’t just scare you. It gets inside your head and stays there.

Puzzles, Mini-Games, and Hidden Depths

One of the areas where Karma truly shines is in its puzzles. They're not just tacked-on logic problems—they feel like integral parts of the world and Daniel's journey. You'll find creepy little doll boxes scattered throughout the game, each containing mini-puzzles that require attention to detail and a bit of lateral thinking. Solving them isn't just satisfying—it feels like unlocking tiny, haunting secrets about the world.

Beyond that, exploration is rewarded. Scattered documents, old surveillance footage, and cryptic letters reveal more than backstory—they’re clues to progress. These moments ground the game’s more surreal elements in something tangible, giving you a reason to actually dig into the environment.

There are also mini-games peppered throughout, but this is where things get a bit dicey. Some feel cool and thematic—like using the Camera Obscura to capture or fend off spirits in a very Fatal Frame-esque fashion. Others, though, feel a little disconnected from the narrative. It’s not that they’re bad per se, they just feel more like experimental design ideas than cohesive parts of the story.

Still, that experimentation adds character to the game. Even when a mechanic doesn’t fully land, it shows the devs were trying to push boundaries, not just rehash horror tropes.

And shoutout to the difficulty level—it strikes a great balance. You won’t get stuck for hours, but you will feel clever when you crack a tough riddle. That, in itself, is a design win.

Inspirations? Clear as Day

If you’ve played even a handful of horror games over the past decade, Karma: The Dark World will instantly feel like a love letter to the genre’s greatest hits—with a fresh twist. Let’s start with the most obvious influence: P.T.. That cursed, brilliant demo from Kojima practically birthed a new wave of psychological horror, and you can feel its fingerprints all over Karma. The looping hallways, the surreal imagery, the sense that the environment itself is alive and judging you—it’s pure P.T. energy.

Then there's Control by Remedy. The influence here is mostly visual, with sterile, brutalist architecture colliding with paranormal chaos. You’re often walking through spaces that feel like a government facility from another dimension—clean, orderly, and deeply wrong. The resemblance is no accident.

Mechanically, the use of a camera to interact with spirits pulls straight from Fatal Frame. It’s a cool nod that also serves as one of Karma’s most intense gameplay features. Add a sprinkle of Saw in the form of twisted puzzles and moral choices, and you’ve got a stew of familiar-yet-fresh horror.

Even with all those borrowed vibes, Karma doesn’t feel like a patchwork. It synthesizes these elements into its own eerie, hypnotic rhythm—enough that it never feels like it's trying to copy, but rather pay homage in its own voice.

TVs for Heads and Other Nightmares

Let’s take a moment to appreciate just how weirdly cool the creature and world design is in Karma: The Dark World. One of the standout visuals is the recurring image of people with television screens for heads—like something straight out of an Orwellian fever dream. It’s a striking and unsettling design choice that immediately raises questions. Are these people being controlled? Are their thoughts being broadcast? Is it a metaphor for surveillance? Brainwashing? Or is it just freaky for freaky’s sake? Either way, it works.

That retro-futuristic mashup runs deep. Most of the game’s NPCs, settings, and even monsters feel like they’re ripped from a dystopian 1970s sci-fi film. Picture scientists in lab coats wandering through decaying hallways filled with CRT monitors, reel-to-reel machines, and floating office chairs. The aesthetic is so on point that it feels like its own character in the game.

But—and this is a bit of a gripe—not everything is explained. The world-building, while evocative, sometimes feels like it’s almost saying something profound but pulls back before delivering. I wanted to know why the TV-heads exist. Why do some enemies look human, and others are grotesque amalgamations of flesh and tech? Maybe it’s intentional ambiguity, or maybe they’re saving it for a sequel. Either way, it left me curious—and craving more.

The Soundtrack Deserves an Award

Horror games live and die by their sound design—and Karma: The Dark World absolutely slays in that department. Composer Geng Li deserves all the praise and then some. His soundtrack doesn’t just accompany the game—it elevates it. From the first haunting piano keys to the unsettling orchestral swells, the music wraps around you like a shroud of unease.

Let’s talk highlights. “Karma Suite” is the heart and soul of the soundtrack. It’s melancholic, eerie, and emotionally resonant all at once—like a musical representation of Daniel’s fractured psyche. You’ll hum it long after the credits roll. Then there’s “Sand Castle,” which straight-up sounds like it belongs in a big-budget thriller film—tense, sweeping, and cinematic in the best way possible.

But the real magic? It’s in the ambient tracks. Pieces like “Broken Family” and “Escaping” quietly build tension without ever needing to jump out at you. They simmer in the background, adding to the atmosphere so subtly that you feel it more than you hear it.

And when the action kicks in? Oh, you know it. Tracks like “Mother Boss” and “Encountering Lucas” hit with pulse-pounding energy that amplifies the fear without going full action movie. It’s perfectly balanced—moody when it needs to be, terrifying when it counts. Honestly, I’d stream this soundtrack solo on a rainy night.

Land of Geek Rating: The Verdict

So, after diving deep into Karma: The Dark World, how does it stack up on the Land of Geek scale? Here's our final breakdown:

⭐ Pros:

• Stunning Visuals: Unreal Engine 5 delivers a surreal and cinematic experience that’s hard to ignore.
• Strong Voice Acting: Jack Ayres as Daniel is a standout performance that adds real weight to the narrative.
• Atmospheric Horror: Minimal jump scares, maximum dread—this game knows how to get under your skin.
• Creative Puzzles: Thoughtful and challenging enough to keep you thinking, without halting the pace.
• Epic Soundtrack: Geng Li's musical work elevates the whole experience, especially in key story moments.

❌ Cons:

• Short Runtime: At 4–6 hours, it might leave you wanting just a bit more for a game 7 years in the making.
• Slow Final Act: The last hour leans too heavily on cutscenes, killing the pacing just as things get intense.
• Inconsistent World-Building: Cool concepts like the TV-headed people aren't fully explained.
• Some Flat Voice Work: A couple of characters lack emotional depth, which breaks immersion at times.
• Mini-Games Feel Disjointed: Not all gameplay segments feel organically connected to the core plot.

🎮 Land of Geek Score: 8/10

A bold and visually striking horror journey that sometimes stumbles, but still delivers a uniquely haunting experience. Karma: The Dark World leaves a mark—and we’re already waiting for what comes next.

Stay tuned for more nightmare-fueled adventures at Land of Geek Magazine!

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