In life you always have something to learn, and in our review of KarmaZoo we were reminded once again how important it is to stop at learn something. Not a notion, not an activity, but a behavior. A line of thought. Something that goes beyond simple knowledge and becomes closer to the very concept of moral.
Because KarmaZoo builds all of its own gameplay on the concept of cooperation and attention to your teammate. This experience was designed by PastaGames to be enjoyed only in cooperative mode and it only takes a few minutes of play to realize why.
In a dangerous world
The environment around us is hostile, dark, lethal. Every false step could lead to our death. Each door needs a push switch to be opened, and despite ourselves we will very soon realize that the other switch is on the other side of the door. A switch at your fingertips only if you have a friend ready to press it and to let us pass before the darkness grips us.
Time passes, and this small bubble of air around us tightens more and more, preparing to explode, when suddenly the jump comes in perfectly, we climb over a wall bristling with thorns and reach our friend near the door. The air bubble gathers and inflates, the light expands, you breathe a sigh of relief and you finally understand.
The game he wanted exactly this, he wanted us to help each other but also that we expected each other. Let us not forget that we necessarily need an adventure companion to be able to continue amidst the thousand difficulties. That the air bubble that protects from darkness is common. Either you breathe together or you don't breathe. Until the end. 
And this is the biggest one KarmaZoo's strong point. His ethics. Its ability to improve the behavior of each player depending on the other. Precisely: Karma
Unfortunately, however, this aspect so linked to cooperation is also one of its own defects. In a world of video games increasingly oriented towards competition and frenzy, such a sweet and positive game struggles to find the large audience it deserves. Because KarmaZoo cannot be enjoyed as a lone wolf, you do not have the possibility of having an AI (which perhaps would have been welcome) that allows us to enjoy the experience even in single player. Or perhaps levels specially built around puzzles that can be solved by a single player.
Running animals
The gameplayin any case, is capable of put even the most novice of video players at ease. It is a platformer (not too punitive) where with stylized animals we will run left and right to escape from the incessant darkness that chases us. Each pet will also have different typical abilities, which may not completely change the outcome of the game, but certainly help.
For example the whale it is able to spray a jet of water which will act as a very useful mobile platform in certain situations, as well as the frog it will promote mobility thanks to a triple jump.
The levels are short and quick, and the concept of accidental death not only is it not contemplated, but it is actually supportive. Your pet may suddenly come across a platform of thorns, but falling there it will only die temporarily, for a few moments, leaving a temporary platform there at the point of its fall that is useful both to itself and to others. The concept of error therefore becomes a precious opportunity to continue.
The mode of game are basically twoselectable from an initial menu. The classic mode of KarmaZoo is characterized by a large room that acts as a central hub and from which we can start a tour of procedural arenas together in company from which to escape to obtain hearts. All this unfortunately It's not very intuitive and it takes a little while before you get the hang of it and understand well what needs to be done.
Step by step and heart by heart we will accumulate more and more hearts (the game currency) which will allow us to access additional game contentsuch as new animals or new bonus cards.
The cards represent a small variety of gameplay within our loop and offer, between one level and another, the possibility of taking advantage of bonuses or penalties that make our experience more exciting.
There second mode we were talking about, however, introduces a PvP competitive mode very simple as some see mini-games (some very banal, others particularly original) to be tackled in company where we will essentially have to finish first. Whether it's a path to run on or a room full of fruit to collect, these mini-games are there they will take a few minutes and they will give the game something new to spend time with your friends.
We are nothing without others
In short, in KarmaZoo, all things considered, everything seems to indicate to us that without someone's help, life is certainly more complicated, and in some cases even impracticable. The PastaGames title is courageouschallenges the times we live in and emerges from them with dignity, withidentity it's a philosophy which can rarely be found in such products.
Devolver Digital once again brings us an original game full of good ideas. After having accustomed us to distributions full of style such as nostalgic BroForce and the moving Gris.
KarmaZoo aesthetically brings us back to memories of that crazy journey that was Super Meat Boy, but removing any sense of frustration from that style and returning it to the player a sweet, courageous work capable of leaving a lesson lastingly imprinted on our consciences. An invitation to be good video players to become good human beings.
#Karmazoo #Review #heartfilling #pixelart #coop
