Is KARMA: The Dark World Getting a Photo Mode?

ℹ️ - Is KARMA: The Dark World Getting a Photo Mode?

Developer: Pollard Studio

Platform: PC, PS5

Initial Release: 27th March 2025

KARMA: The Dark World first appeared on my radar when an excellent shot by Pino44io made it into the finalists of The Virtual Photography Awards. It's a portrait that shows of great level of visual fidelity, with even the character's facial hair casting accurate shadows, and also one that is full of intrigue and sci-fi fascination that draws you in.

It certainly left me wanting to know more about the game, and that pretty much goes right back to the roots of what game capture was originally intended to do.

by PINO44IO

Hang on though, hasn't virtual photography grown beyond that now? Being as much about original artistic interpretation and expression as it is about producing marketing material? Well, yes it undoubtedly has, and the great thing about games that have such a strong art direction is that they tend to be inspiring in either approach, easily becoming the source of some outstanding images.

That's certainly true of KARMA as the psychological horror from Shanghai-based Pollard Studio is both striking to look at and thought provoking to play. The totalitarian dystopia is distinctly Orwellian by design – it's even set in the year 1984 – and borrows more than a little from the surreal stylings of Davind Lynch. There's also a large hint of Christopher Nolan's Inception in there, all perfectly blended into a deliberately cinematic experience.

The game pulls it off well though, and just as it takes inspiration from cinema and literature, it equally provides the same sort of creative inspiration for screenshot artists looking for something a little less generic open-worldy.

Whether that's in creating images that faithfully reflect the gameplay experience, grab a hint of nostalgia from the retro 80's tech, or leverage the bizarre use of inanimate objects, there is plenty of scope for compelling or even iconic images here.

Maybe greater appeal can come in the form of deeper interpretations of the existing narrative. Removed from their original context, it is often possible for a collection of still images to isolate subtle underlying themes, or even to twist them and tell their own story.

If I had to think of a comparison, perhaps it would be with Control and the way that became so popular for virtual photography on the strength of its visual style and iconography. That's even despite having such a rudimentary photo mode.

Games with such interesting source material are just so well suited to derivative art and, before you know it, they become even more evocative pieces of themselves. Virtual photography instantly leads to intriguing insights into how different people interpret and engage with the game, and that only serves to boost interest.

The thing is though, that only really works when people are given the tools to do so and KARMA: The Dark World unfortunately lacks any kind of photo mode or creative camera. Yes, it's an Unreal Engine game so there are third party tools on PC – hence pino44io's shot – but only a native photo mode ensures that everyone who has the game gets the chance to capture it, regardless of platform.

That isn't necessarily definitive though and publisher Wired Productions are already teasing updates that are arriving after launch. As you can see from the accompanying trailer, the first update boasts a collection of film-inspired colour filters that are obviously intended to double down on the cinematic aesthetic.

Is that really enough for a major update with its own teaser trailer? Well, that is what was announced so I guess it is, but it only takes a quick look at the comments to find that the filters are only part of the update and that there may be more in store.

Where else do we tend to find filters like this? As part of a photo mode of course, and it doesn't feel like too much of a leap to imagine that the two features could be being developed side-by-side. Whether or not a photo mode will land in the same update, we'll just have to wait and see, but I certainly hope that we'll see one eventually. The world's karma will be all the better for it.