PRESS

MENTAL FEAR AND IMMERSIVE GAMEPLAY: INTERVIEW WITH THE DEVELOPER OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR GAME "THE DARK WORLD: KARMA"

COMING SOON. THE DARK WORLD: KARMA

August 04, 2022 by Dolby Games

The Dark World: Karma is a first-person, story-driven psychological horror game coming soon from Shanghai-based Pollard Studio. In Karma, you wake up into a new, confusing reality.
You’ve forgotten who you are.
Your appearance has changed.
And, strangely, you discover you’re an investigation officer for an organization called ROAM, tasked with uncovering traces of your lost memory. Hopefully, you’ll figure out who you are, how you got here, and how to fulfill your destiny.
In this dark, unfamiliar and dystopian world, every clue counts. Every hint matters. In a new and confusing landscape, every sense is engaged to uncover the truth. Sound is a fundamental part of understanding this new reality. To create a world of subtle clues, Dolby Atmos was used to better inform and engage players, pushing them closer to the truth behind their altered life.
Enter Reagan Li, an Audio Director, Music Composer and Sound Designer from indie audio production studio, LM PROD in Los Angeles, California.
Reagan’s work has already seen him working with the movie industry’s post-production standards, using Dolby Atmos for linear and game projects.
Working from a studio outfitted in Dolby’s reference 7.1.4 layout through PMC monitors and a reference cinema processor, Reagan decided that everything in The Dark World: Karma needed to be delivered in multidimensional audio to accomplish the clue-rich environment Pollard Studio wanted to create.

December 28, 2022 by GCORES 机核

In order to create a thrilling and tense atmosphere, the music uses a large number of live-recorded instruments and synthesizers and uses unconventional performance methods to play oppressive and harsh sounds. With twelve channels, I took the advantage of the dynamic range. From the chilling silence to the slight human voices that surround all around, to the low distorted synths and the crushing sound of a cello pulling a bowstring. The music also changes with the scene and the player's actions, providing a psychological hint all the time.