KARMA: The Dark World

KARMA: The Dark World is a 2025 video game developed by the Chinese studio Pollard, available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. The protagonist's adventure is told from a first-person perspective and allows him to uncover the secrets of human minds by tapping into their brains , in conjunction with a corporation set in a dystopian world. The game fuses elements of horror, science fiction, drama, thriller, puzzle, adventure, and mystery, but primarily focuses on what is reality (the real and the imaginative) through psychological turmoil and a slice of the human heart.

The original score by American-Chinese composer Geng Li was recorded and mixed on three continents: the orchestral music in Hungary, several individual instruments, such as the drums, in Japan, and all the final touches were handled in America, the composer's home base. Alongside the music, he was responsible for the game's sound design.

Most of this contingent score, which is almost 4 hours long, centers around textbook ideas many composers have used before, particularly in providing disorienting reality checks, malevolent horror, and the tense, atmospheric , and mysterious soundscape created through a well-constructed hybrid musical work with synthesizer and orchestral components, ranging from low-key to full-scale. A textbook approach, despite its clear references to other music and their films, is not necessarily havoc. The developers and composer even exchanged playlists of what each felt was required for the game. It is unclear to what extent Geng Li was inspired by the game itself and how much of this textbook approach derived from his own immersive point of view versus inspiration from other music, yet the proof is clearly in the pudding. In the context of the game and as a separate listening experience, it still holds significant merit. There is no actual need to describe anything in musical detail. However, given all the familiar grounds, there are several cues in which the music is disrupted by an effect, as if a 35mm projector is malfunctioning, which wears off after a while, unlike various other 'effects' that underscore the realm of reality and are unobtrusive. The reality check feel and the theme of hacking into others' brains resonate throughout the game.

Then, regarding the video game' s first-person experience and perspective, various emotions arise. As this music follows the developers' aim to target the essence of humankind, it is presented with heartfelt and pathos throughout this score in a minimal form, with brief piano, solo cello, light strings , and choir-mixed with the sound design. These elements are also presented in full cues, subtly and surging in composition, entirely devoted to characters and pathos.. It is heard in cues such as Sean's Confession, the menu music, Winter Maze (the highlight of the entire score), and Rachel's theme. Regarding Rachel's theme and the love theme, which is very emotional, it coincides with the overall temp track, playlist exchange, and textbook approach, making it uncomfortably similar to the surging strings of Ryuichi Sakamoto, bearing obvious resemblances to his theme from The Sheltering Sky, with a similar counterpoint by a distressing vocal.

Despite all criticisms, Geng Li's music for KARMA: The Dark Worldd is eccentric in context, yet very satisfying as a separate 157-minute-long listening experience.





Tracklist
01 Karma Suite 9:42
02 Menu 3:36
03 Menu - Alternative Version 1:22
04 Wake Up 1:07
05 Patient Room 2:04
06 Hospital Hallway 2:08
07 Calibration 1:24
08 Old Man 1:32
09 BlackWater 2:10
10 Appraisal 2:10
11 To Discover Who I am 1:52
12 Winston Institution 4:09
13 Dark Hallway 2:52
14 Step Into the Unknown 2:14
15 Step Into the Unknown Pt. 2 1:42
16 Clerical Office 1:48
17 Blackout 1:55
18 Ghost Sean 2:25
19 Twisted Space 6:04
20 Broken Family 2:28
21 Nightmare 2:19
22 Truth Behind 1:36
23 Inharmonic 3:08
24 Tension 2:24
25 Escaping 3:29
26 Delighted Christmas 2:26
27 Blue Bottle 1:45
28 It's coming again... 2:08
29 What Do You Want From Me 1:47
30 Sean's Confession 3:37
31 Interrogation 2:40
32 Stay Away From Me 3:06
33 Level B3 1:58
34 Go Hide 2:26
35 Bathroom 0:52
36 A Trap 1:00
37 Home 2:52
38 Mother Boss 3:43
39 Burn 1:07
40 White Space 2:11
41 Loneliness 1:23
42 Winter Maze 3:00
43 Love Theme 3:32
44 Join Us Daniel 1:26
45 Rachel's Heart 3:35
46 Encountering Lucas 1:21
47 Rachel's Theme 3:08
48 A Glimpse of Truth 4:56
49 HOME? 2:24
50 A Conversation Between Father And Son 2:42
51 I Have Faith In My Children 2:39
52 Where It All Begins 2:46
53 Father 5:19
54 Final Chase 5:00
55 Sand Castle 6:06
56 Let's Go Home Daniel 1:50
57 Welcome Home 1:32
58 KARMA 3:34

Total duration: 157:31




(23-04-2025)