14 DAY TRIAL // A lot of adventure games are currently seeking funding via different websites and projects in order to reach fruition and deliver what they claim to be innovative experiences.
Karma, however, actually bases its promises on some impressive ideas, chief among which being, as the name implies, karma and its fate in a world where its laws exist and manifest themselves in all sorts of ways.
Players control Pip, a small worm-like creature that explores a new world inhabited by all kinds of other beings. Depending on his choices, the design of Pip evolves and reflects the good or bad karma he's accumulated throughout his adventures.
The game is currently available for crowdfunding as "Karma. Incarnation 1" on Indiegogo and we've talked a bit with Alexander Kuvshinov, the ideological leader of the project as well as the man responsible for its art, animation, and writing.
Q: Karma was initially envisioned as an animated experience but was soon transformed into a game. Do you believe that the new interactive nature will make a bigger impact on people as they're the ones that choose Pip's actions, instead of just watching the animation?
A: Yes, of course – in Karma, you can take part in first-hand exploration while enjoying classical hand-drawn animation as you play. This is bound to make the experience more immersive and fun.
Q: Karma, or at least the notion of morality, has been seen in quite a lot of recent games (for example the Infamous series or RPGs like Mass Effect). How are you trying to differentiate this simple adventure game from those huge experiences?
A: There are similarities, yes – we want players to engage in self-discovery, as it is often the case with RPG games, only we've chosen a different medium to communicate the ideas – instead of words, we use hand-drawn animation and original music, which make every encounter in game unique.
Of course we can't hope to match the size of the games you mentioned, but we are confident this doesn't make the experience less intense or enjoyable. With luck, we can seriously expand the game universe in future sequels.
Q: While I know you guys can't really talk about the ending, I was wondering if the conclusions take into account the ratio of good and bad choices. For example, if I make one or two bad decisions, and the other ones good, will I be able to get the definitive good ending or do I need to make all choices good?
A: In order to get to the "good" ending, the total of your good deeds must exceed the total of evil deeds you've done. Basically, if you ate one flower, you've got to plant at least two – that would make your Karma a positive number again.
Q: Some adventure games can be a bit grueling in terms of puzzle difficulty. Do you have a sort of hint system or a method of keeping players from getting stuck?
A: Yes, in fact, we do. Astral sight is very useful for solving puzzles.
It is a special ability that Pip (the protagonist) eventually learns. With this he can see beyond the physical world and gather hints and ideas from the subtle plane – the astral world. Pip can see thoughts and desires of other creatures, and this can help him solve puzzles and choose the right path. This ability can be upgraded with time, so it shows more and more previously hidden and unknown details.
Q: You've noted that you're trying to get as many ways of solving a challenge as possible. Just how imaginative are your puzzle solutions?
A: It’s actually pretty difficult to describe the puzzles we plan for this game in words. We are trying to come up with original and unique puzzles and mini-games. You can look forward to things like reeling the tentacle around the pole in such a way that the eyes on the neighboring tentacle coincide together, for example.
Q: Seeing as how Karma is based on choices, repeated playthroughs are no doubt necessary to really enjoy it. How long do you estimate an average playthrough would take?
A: If you knew how to solve all the puzzles, it would take about 4 hours to beat the game. It is going to take the better part of a weekend to explore the game fully on your first walkthrough.
Q: Pip the worm is definitely an intriguing video game protagonist. How did you come up with him?
A: I've posted a story about developing an original style for the game in our second update on IGG. In short, it was pretty random – I've entered the design contest and fooled around with apple logo trying to come up with something fun. I ended up "chomping off" bits of some basic shapes and adding in teeth, Tails, mouths, and eyes. Eventually from those experiments Pip was born. Character-wise, I think he took a bit after me.
If the crowdfunding campaign is successful, Karma will be released in late 2014 or early 2015. Check out a presentation video below complete with gameplay footage.
