Tuesday, December 05, 2023

Game Review: 'KarmaZoo'

A sunny, joyous indie effort, "KarmaZoo" is a teamwork-oriented puzzle game in which as many as 10 random players gather to pull together to complete common tasks or, more likely, bungle the objectives and aggressively grief one another.

As with nearly every multiplayer-focused game, you'll fare better if you take it on with friends and keep your lines of communication active throughout. But there's a certain charm in being stuck with a group of unknowns, which forces you to go through the motions to get a sense of which players are trustworthy and which you should ignore or actively freeze out.

An overall uneven effort, "KarmaZoo" is a light, rather flimsy affair that packs a punch in quick sessions but wears out its charm quickly. The fun you'll have largely depends upon the group you get thrown in with. It's like getting assigned to groupwork in high school. You may be stuck with goofballs who skate by as you shoulder the load, or, if you're lucky, a squad of likeminded, good-natured players who want to give each other a hand.

"KarmaZoo" may be silly and ludicrous, but its charms tend to outweigh its drawbacks. It will make you smile one minute, wince the next and shake your head in confoundment all the while. That's just the way karma has it.

Publisher provided review code.

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