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About half a year after its release on PC and PlayStation 5, the psychological thriller KARMA: The Dark World is now available for Xbox Series X|S. One more time, we let Leviathan put our loyalty to the test, while checking how the console versions fare.
As Roam agent Daniel McGovern, we infiltrate the minds of suspected criminals in KARMA: The Dark World in an alternate East Germany of the 1970s and 1980s, in which the company Leviathan maintains control over the population at every turn, all while uncovering a dark secret. As we told you in our PC review, KARMA: The Dark World is an intense, entertaining experience containing a fresh setting, a thrilling, intricate story and a superb presentation and the game’s striking look combines the style of the contemporary Eastern Bloc with Orwell’s 1984. The technically sophisticated title runs very well even on mid-range graphics cards, so we’ve been curious to see how it performs on consoles ever since playing it on PC. After all, KARMA: The Dark World was released simultaneously for PC and PlayStation 5 on March 27th. Today on September 10th, the game will be released for Xbox Series X|S, giving us the perfect opportunity to take a closer look at the PlayStation and Xbox versions.
Download the screenshot on the left-hand side | Download the screenshot on the right-hand side
KARMA: The Dark World runs on both Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 Pro in native 4K resolution at a targeted 60 frames per second. There is only one graphics mode on these consoles. The base resolution on Xbox Series S and PlayStation 5, however, is lower and upscaled to 1440p (Series S) and 4K (PS5), respectively. However, we didn’t play KARMA on these systems, so we’ll focus on the versions for the currently most powerful consoles from Microsoft and Sony. On PlayStation, Shanghai-based Pollard Studio uses the Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) technology for improved anti-aliasing, clearer textures, minor performance improvements and improved detail in motion. Sony’s reconstruction technology is naturally not available on Xbox Series X, but Xbox gamers get an exclusive green color filter reminiscent of Sam Fisher’s night-vision mode in Splinter Cell. A nice bonus, but the garish color scheme becomes a bit tiring in the long run, while ruining the game’s elaborate color scheme. Photo mode, added to the PC and PlayStation versions in June, is also included on Xbox.
Download the screenshot on the left-hand side | Download the screenshot on the right-hand side
The surreal, first-person thriller features a range of iconic locations, including the forecourt of the enormous, sky-high Thought Bureau, used for public executions; a section reminiscent of the Red Room from Twin Peaks, which features a puppet reenactment of the dramatic circumstances in which scientist Sean Mehndez’s family find themselves; and the Winston Research Institute, with the creepy ambiance of a Resident Evil-style mansion, an interesting capsule communication method and a futuristic surveillance system and an interior giving Eastern Bloc vibes. On all three systems—PC with the highest graphics settings, PlayStation 5 Pro and Xbox Series X—we see very similar quality settings in terms of texture sharpness, anti-aliasing, shadow resolution, field of view, animation quality and particle density. Loading times are also relatively short across all platforms. Even though KARMA is supposed to run in native 4K resolution on both consoles, the image on PS5 Pro is slightly sharper than on Xbox Series X in all of the scenes we played. However, this difference is only noticeable upon closer inspection and that’s not a major disadvantage of the Xbox version compared to the PlayStation variant – we’ll get to those in a bit.
Download the screenshot on the left-hand side | Download the screenshot on the right-hand side
On Xbox Series X, KARMA: The Dark World is currently struggling with two issues: an inconsistent frame rate and incorrectly displayed assets. While we explore the Red Room, the research institute and the dark alleys on the way to the Thought Bureau, there are no frame rate issues on PS5 Pro, though the frame rate on Xbox Series X constantly drops. Especially upon entering a new scene, which occurs quite frequently in KARMA, the game starts stuttering heavily, stabilizes shortly afterwards and then starts dropping frames again. Fortunately, the title is largely not designed for fast-paced action, but the unstable frame rate is extremely disruptive, especially in such a dense cinematic experience. In addition, the elaborately designed propaganda images and posters are blurred beyond recognition. We checked base PS5 gameplay footage and we couldn’t find these issues happening there. The propaganda material adds to the threatening atmosphere of the autocratic Leviathan regime and finding only pixel mush within the gilded and shimmering picture frames detracts from that.
Download the screenshot on the left-hand side | Download the screenshot on the right-hand side
It’s an impressive accomplishment by Pollard Studio to have the game look and run nearly identical on all platforms, at least once the aforementioned flaws are fixed. Just like on PC, Fred Ebert, head of the research institute, greets us on consoles while having a smoke, creating an impressive cloud of smoke. Character faces on both consoles are also rendered with enormous detail, featuring wrinkles, dimples and visible pores. However, they are a bit too glossy at times and the somewhat puppet-like facial animations push it somewhat into uncanny valley territory. There’s a section where our movement speed is pushed to absurd levels, while we’re tasked with correctly reproducing an odd telephone announcement—whatever you do, just don’t lose your head. At this point, we would have expected increased loading times or stuttering, but the sequence plays out exactly the same on PS5 Pro as it does on PC.
Download the screenshot on the left-hand side | Download the screenshot on the right-hand side
Conclusion
KARMA: The Dark World plays just as well on PlayStation 5 Pro as it does on a high-end PC. The dystopian setting unfolds on consoles as well, for example when we explore the dark alleys where people with TV heads warm themselves by burning barrels and agents comb the surrounding apartment buildings for dissidents, only to execute them shortly afterwards in the forecourt of the Thought Bureau reactor. Loading times are pleasantly short, elaborately designed environments are very detailed and the game runs smoothly at 60 frames per second throughout. On Xbox Series X, however, KARMA: The Dark World struggles with an extremely unstable frame rate and blurry propaganda footage at launch. The constant stuttering, in particular, severely disrupts the cinematic experience and Pollard Studio should work on a solution immediately. These technical shortcomings are particularly surprising considering how well the game runs on PS5. If you’re interested in taking Daniel’s journey of self-discovery on Xbox, we recommend waiting on a performance update. Once the issues we pointed out have been fixed, we can recommend KARMA: The Dark World to anyone interested in compelling narrative experiences on Xbox as well.
Download the screenshot on the left-hand side | Download the screenshot on the right-hand side
Wired Productions provided us with KARMA: The Dark World for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. We captured the screenshots on PS5 Pro and Xbox Series X. While they were uncompressed for comparison purposes, we had to compress them slightly due to their file size (90 percent image quality).
