Hey everyone! Yonghe Wang here, the Creative Director from Pollard Studios, and I’m thrilled to share some exciting news. Along with our publisher, Wired Productions, we are launching Karma: The Dark World on PlayStation 5 on March 27, complete with enhancements for the PS5 Pro.
To mark this occasion, we’ve decided to give you a sneak peek into how we’re utilizing the PS5 Pro to boost the game’s visuals and performance. Plus, we’re dropping the second of our trilogy of trailers, featuring some of the game’s surreal settings and unique characters and hinting at how they connect to your journey as a player. We hope you find it intriguing!
### What Is Karma: The Dark World?
Karma: The Dark World is a first-person cinematic psychological thriller set in an alternate timeline after World War II—a universe where a company called Leviathan has gained access to astonishing technology. This allowed them to seize control of Eastern Germany, establishing an oppressive regime that prioritizes productivity and obedience over everything else.
Through various methods—ranging from mass surveillance and mind-altering drugs to the clandestine efforts of the Nightcrawlers—Leviathan maintains its grip. As agents of ROAM, these Nightcrawlers can dive into people’s memories, reliving and interacting with their pasts to uncover truths buried in trauma and emotion. You take on the role of Daniel McGovern, a ROAM agent on a mission to probe a theft at a Leviathan scientific institute, which ultimately leads you into deeper issues of love, morality, and empathy.
### Creating the Dark World
For me, game creation is a profound dialogue with the human soul, surpassing books or films by weaving real-life experiences and emotions. We aim to intertwine philosophical depth with game design, weaving cause and effect into our storytelling. Through Karma, our intention is to transcend traditional narratives, offering an experience that’s both entertaining and thought-provoking, and challenging players to seek their own truths within the game world.
Taking inspiration from the storytelling mastery of Remedy’s games and the abstract brilliance of the late David Lynch, we aim to create an experience that combines stark lighting contrasts and vibrant color palettes. Our objective is to craft a hauntingly beautiful world that blurs the lines between reality and illusion, sticking with players even after they’ve turned off the console.
### The Power of PS5 Pro
During development, we tapped into the PS5 Pro kit to enrich both visuals and performance. Here’s a glimpse of what PS5 Pro players can expect, along with some exclusive in-game footage from the console.
### PSSR Integration
Our game fully embraces PlayStation’s Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) technology, providing:
– Top-notch image quality with advanced reconstruction
– Enhanced edge definitions and texture clarity
– Minimal performance impact while keeping visual fidelity high
– Better detail retention during motion
### Performance Metrics
Thanks to our meticulous optimizations, we’ve achieved:
– Native 4K resolution (3840×2160)
– Consistent 60 FPS performance
– Smooth gameplay through consistent frame pacing
– Enhanced texture streaming, utilizing PS5 Pro’s better memory bandwidth
### Visual Enhancements
Players on the PS5 Pro can look forward to:
– Improved texture filtering quality
– Enhanced volumetric effects
– Sharper distance rendering
– Better temporal stability
### Technical Infrastructure
We’ve taken full advantage of the PS5 Pro’s hardware with:
– Optimized memory usage
– Enhanced shader processes
– Better asset streaming
– Advanced post-processing effects
I truly hope you’ve enjoyed this look behind the scenes into how Karma’s visual design was crafted. Whether you’re on a PS5 or a PS5 Pro, we’re confident this story will leave a lasting impression.
Remember, Karma: The Dark World hits PlayStation 5 on March 27. Step into a ROAM agent’s shoes, but keep in mind… the human mind can be a treacherous place.
