I absolutely adore the idea behind “Kona” - an open world detective game where you explore at your own pace and gather tidbits of information scattered all over the map to uncover the truth behind the mysterious disappearance of inhabitants of a rural, snow-covered town in French Canada. It’s basically a walking sim with plenty of space to walk around (thankfully there are two vehicles at your disposal, as the distances between points of interest can be significant).
In the beginning the game deftly builds the atmosphere (not gonna lie, I’m a sucker for winter levels) and provides enough information to the player to engage him in the mystery. The freedom to drive around the whole map in search of next clues feels really invigorating - most detective games push you into small areas and make you interact with every relevant pixel before letting you through to the next, similarly built area. In “Kona” most notes/areas are skippable and it only depends on your investment in the game how much you’re going to uncover. That is, before the ridiculous ending spells everything out for you. And the final “battle” is utterly atrocious and laughable, it boggles my mind why the devs decided to go there.
There are many odd gameplay choices found in “Kona”. You’re required to pay attention to a bunch of stats like health or mental state like you’re playing some sort of a survival game, which is a nuisance and doesn’t help immerse yourself in the world (I guess that was the idea?). You have some weapons, including firearms, at your disposal, although combat sections are almost non-existent and the actual shooting is done poorly. Your inventory capacity is limited, which again begs the question - why were the devs trying to turn this narrative driven detective game into a survival game? Also, the inventory UI isn’t very user-friendly and is a chore to navigate. Unlike many walking sims, you actually encounter an NPC here, although you’re not really able to interact with them. Like, you can’t even ask him what the hell is happening in this town. Why have him there in the first place, then?
All of these issues were annoying to say the least, but the element that ruined the experience for me was the narrator. Throughout the whole story you will be hearing this monotone voice-over explaining every little detail of what you are witnessing. This is such a baffling decision - the whole point of a game like this, i.e. one where you explore and find notes/items and learn through environmental storytelling, is the opportunity to recreate the story on your own, finding joy in peeling away the layers of the mystery bit by bit. The developers decided to take that away from the players and have some bored old guy explain everything to you in the plainest of terms.
In the beginning the game deftly builds the atmosphere (not gonna lie, I’m a sucker for winter levels) and provides enough information to the player to engage him in the mystery. The freedom to drive around the whole map in search of next clues feels really invigorating - most detective games push you into small areas and make you interact with every relevant pixel before letting you through to the next, similarly built area. In “Kona” most notes/areas are skippable and it only depends on your investment in the game how much you’re going to uncover. That is, before the ridiculous ending spells everything out for you. And the final “battle” is utterly atrocious and laughable, it boggles my mind why the devs decided to go there.
There are many odd gameplay choices found in “Kona”. You’re required to pay attention to a bunch of stats like health or mental state like you’re playing some sort of a survival game, which is a nuisance and doesn’t help immerse yourself in the world (I guess that was the idea?). You have some weapons, including firearms, at your disposal, although combat sections are almost non-existent and the actual shooting is done poorly. Your inventory capacity is limited, which again begs the question - why were the devs trying to turn this narrative driven detective game into a survival game? Also, the inventory UI isn’t very user-friendly and is a chore to navigate. Unlike many walking sims, you actually encounter an NPC here, although you’re not really able to interact with them. Like, you can’t even ask him what the hell is happening in this town. Why have him there in the first place, then?
All of these issues were annoying to say the least, but the element that ruined the experience for me was the narrator. Throughout the whole story you will be hearing this monotone voice-over explaining every little detail of what you are witnessing. This is such a baffling decision - the whole point of a game like this, i.e. one where you explore and find notes/items and learn through environmental storytelling, is the opportunity to recreate the story on your own, finding joy in peeling away the layers of the mystery bit by bit. The developers decided to take that away from the players and have some bored old guy explain everything to you in the plainest of terms.